I have another free pattern for you to download so you make the project. You can find the file here. In the download there are 3 files: a PDF for hand-cutting of the pieces, a PNG to use with your electronic cutting machine and a text file with handy hints and tips (and the sizing information) to use the PNG.
As with most of these projects I cut all the pieces from medium weight white card-stock, the kind used to make cards and such. This is way more economical than having to purchase a bunch of colors and in my experience the paint colors are a lot more stable than the paper colors. I rarely get noticeable fading with the painted projects.
You are free to use the pattern as many times as you wish and even to sell the finished project. But, please don’t give away or sell my patterns. I spend a lot of time creating them and the only compensation I get is from people watching the videos and checking out the blog post. I really want to keep offering these for free so please if someone else wants to make one send them to the video and blog so they can get their own copy of the pattern.
So first I want to thank the viewer (I think your name is Karen) for requesting this gnome. I had so much fun designing and making him. I really hope you like him and he finds his way into your book nook room. Be sure to send me some pictures when you make him I want to see him in his special room.
Probably the first thing you will notice about this gnome is that he is sitting. I decided that if I made him sitting down with is book he just looked a lot more comfortable and like he was ready to really get into whatever book he is holding. You can make him standing by substituting one of my other gnome files for this body part of the pattern, they are all sized to go together.
On the video I did go over what each piece is on my cutting mat to help you identify them.
After you get your pieces all cut the first step is to glue the units together as shown in the video. There are 3 pieces to each unit except the book binding piece, I only did 2 for that because I didn’t want it to stick out too much. Also with that book binding be careful that you have the pieces the same direction, there is a rounded bottom to the piece and the top has a dip. Allow the glue to dry all the way before going to the next step.
Once the glue dries I like to place all my pieces to paint on a piece of tape that I have taped to my work tile. This way they stay in place to be painted. I also be sure to group them by color of paint I will be using, this makes the painting process so much easier and quicker.
Here are pieces and the colors I painted them.
Fist up the beard and the book pages. Both are given a coat of white paint then just a tiny bit of gray to add some character to just the beard.
The book cover gets a coat of a nice rich wine red.
The hat and body get a coat of dark blue, I did add just a few touches of white to the hat and blended them really well so it didn’t look so flat.
The shoes get painted black.
For the book binding I mixed the same wine red with the smallest amount of white, not enough to make a pink just a shade lighter like a highlight.
Lastly I am painting the nose and hands with a skin tone that I mixed from a pale peach and a pale yellow.
Some of the pieces did need at least 2 or 3 coats of paint.
Once you have the parts painted and they are dry you can add any details to your book that you want. I added just some gold colored bands to the binding but you could add a book title to either the band or the cover or even a picture to the cover if you wanted to. It is up to you to make the project fit your scene.
Now we can start the assembly process and watch as the gnome comes to life. Start by gluing the beard to the body. Not much of either will show but still be very careful to line up the tip of the beard with the bottom edge of the body and center it side to side. We can also glue the pages to the book cover, they go behind and are centered again side to side. Tuck them down so just a bit shows.
Next we need to add the book to the front of the gnome. I just added the glue to the beard then lined the book up on top of it. Be sure once again that the book is centered side to side and the bottom point of the book is even with the bottom of the gnome body. Allow the glue to dry enough to set up so it won’t shift on the next step.
Now for the hat, remember that a very small part is going to be making contact. Add a small band of glue to the bottom edge of the backside of the hat and line it up so that it is again centered side to side. Leave a bit of the beard showing on the sides between the book pages and the hat. Since we have such a small connection this time I want the hat to be level so I used a craft-stick under the top of the hat to make sure it was level until the glue dried.
Now we get to add the little detail pieces to our gnome. I like to start with the nose and fit it right between the book and the hat. Then the shoes, they are designed to be at the bottom corners of the book at a slight angle. Be sure they line up with the bottom of the gnome so they can help him to balance. The hands and the book binding can now be glued in place. We need to now let the glue dry until it is completely clear, if it is still cloudy it could remain that way under the coat of Mod Podge.
Now a quick light coat of Satin Mod Podge on both the front and the back of the gnome. And allow to dry.
And there he is our book reading gnome.
As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.
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