Santa Claus Offering a Carrot to a Smiling Reindeer

A gentle color plan to get started — mix in your own anytime.

• bright red
• tan brown
• caramel brown
• charcoal gray
• barn red
• skin peach
• sky blue
• forest green
• light tan
• golden yellow
• light orange
• slate gray

A suggested order, zone by zone — skip around as you like.

1. 1Start with the big red areas: color Santa's coat, hat, and sleeves, and the reindeer's collar in bright red, leaving the fur trims white.
2. 2Fill the barn walls and the pine tree-free background shed in barn red, and color the barn roof and beams in caramel brown and rust brown.
3. 3Paint the reindeer in tan brown and light tan, with the nose in chocolate brown, and the inner ears and face in skin peach.
4. 4Color the belt and boots in charcoal gray, the hay and bell in golden yellow, and the carrot in carrot orange with light orange on the hand.
5. 5Add the snow in sky blue around the feet and ground, and color the fence and pine tree in forest green and the bucket in caramel brown.
6. 6Optional: Add a little shading with a slightly darker shade of each color on the shadowed sides, and leave the beards, eye whites, and fur trims white to make them pop.