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Let's Get Christmas Crafting. The 12 Days of Christmas.
As the holiday season is fast approaching, we are always looking for something exciting to create for the festive season. This year we created the 12 days of Christmas on our mini canvas which would make an ideal gift or to keep for yourself on display.
We have chosen our excellent square canvas which is magnetised so you can display your illustrations on your fridge or any metallic surface. Alternatively, you can hang them up with ribbon on your walls.
The song “The 12 Days of Christmas” dates back to at least the late 18th century, with the earliest known printed version appearing in England in 1780 in a children’s book called Mirth Without Mischief. This version was not sung but presented as a rhyme or chant. The song’s lyrics may be even older, possibly originating in France, as similar lyrics were found in earlier French carols.
The melody most commonly associated with the song today was arranged by English composer Frederic Austin in 1909. Austin is credited with adding the familiar melody for the refrain and the iconic phrase “five golden rings.” However, the true authorship of the original lyrics is unknown, as they seem to have evolved from folk tradition.
Originally, “The 12 Days of Christmas” may have been a type of “memory-and-forfeit” game, where players would try to remember and repeat each line correctly or risk losing the game if they made a mistake.
Here are the gifts according to the carol: we have created images to align with the song lyrics.
- Day 1: A Partridge in a Pear Tree
- Day 2: Two Turtle Doves
- Day 3: Three French Hens
- Day 4: Four Calling Birds
- Day 5: Five Golden Rings
- Day 6: Six Geese a-laying
- Day 7: Seven Swans a-Swimming
- Day 8: Eight Maids a-Milking
- Day 9: Nine Ladies Dancing
- Day 10: Ten Lords a-Leaping
- Day 11: Eleven Pipers Piping
- Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming
Day 1: A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Day 2: Two Turtle Doves
Day 3: Three French Hens
Day 4: Four Calling Birds
Day 5: Five Golden Rings
Day 6: Six Geese a-laying
Day 7: Seven Swans a-Swimming
Day 8: Eight Maids a-Milking
Day 9: Nine Ladies Dancing
Day 10: Ten Lords a-Leaping
Day 11: Eleven Pipers Piping
Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming
The cumulative format of the song means that each verse adds one gift, along with all the previous gifts, until all 12 gifts are mentioned on the final verse.
In some Christian traditions, each day also celebrates a different aspect of faith or a particular saint, marking each day with prayers, celebrations, or feasts.
Materials for Christmas Crafting
Mini Canvases
ARTdiscount Mini Magnetic Canvases
Daler-Rowney Simply Mini Stretched Canvases 4" x 4" (10 x 10cm) - Box of 16
Markers and Fine Liners
Gouache Paints
We used the Pebeo set of gouache paints but any of the paints below would work on the canvas. You could also consider using acrylic paint as it would work really well on the mini canvas also.
Pebeo Studio XL Gouache Set - 24 x 20ml
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache Introductory Set - 10 x 14ml
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache - 37ml Tubes - Series 1
Daler-Rowney Simply Gouache 12 x 12ml Tube Set
Varnishes for your mini works of art
GOLDEN Archival Varnish - 400ml
Sennelier Watercolour Varnish - 75ml
Brushes
Sketchbook for design work
Creating the "12 Days of Christmas"
Tips and prep…
- Create some rough pencil sketches before embarking on painting on the canvas. This will help you work out your composition. We used the ARTdiscount Starter Sketchbooks 140gsm paper, these soft backed sketch books are ideal for concept work. We looked at bird images and tried to simplify any image which included or described figures for example; “ Lords a Leaping” and “Drummers Drumming” and “Maids a Milking”, by just using musical instruments or hats.
- We designed the images around or behind the numbers, so that the numbers were centralised within the composition. If you have number stencils this would speed up the process greatly.
- We used the Pebeo Gouache paint set of 24 x 20ml tubes, ARTdiscount Mini Magnetic Canvases and ARTessentials Ultra Fine Tip Artists Brushes - Set of 10.
- Once you are happy with your compositions, you can lightly hand draw them onto the canvas with a HB pencil. Do not use a very soft B grade pencil as this will darken the gouache paint. If you do not have gouache, acrylic paint will work just as effectively. (you can also erase your drawings lightly if you think you have left too much graphite on the canvas)
- After completing all your mini paintings you can start on the sides of the canvases, we used STUDIO Heavy Body Acrylic Paints - 200ml Large Tubes Gold Paint. Do not worry if you go over the edges slightly onto the front of the canvas as this gives a vintage look.
- The flat brush in ARTdiscount Acrylic Brush Set of 5 Brushes is the perfect size for this job!
- Once the canvases are completely dry, the small details can be added, we used Frisk Coloured Fineliner Brush Pens - Set of 9 Assorted Colours and Frisk Metallic Pen Set of 10 - 1mm. We used the finliners to add the writing for each of the ‘12 days of Christmas”
Once the writing has dried completely, you can then protect your canvases with any of these fixatives below.
- Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative - 400ml
- SpectraFix Degas Pastel Fixative
- Pebeo Gouache Varnish - 400ml Spray
- Sennelier Watercolour Varnish - 75ml
- GOLDEN Archival Varnish - 400ml
As we wrap up our festive journey through the "12 Days of Christmas" with our 12 mini paintings, we hope you have enjoyed this creative twist on a beloved holiday tradition. It has been an absolute pleasure to share our love for art and crafting with you, our cherished ARTdiscount community.
Your loyalty and support mean the world to us, and we are incredibly grateful for every product purchased from us this year. You inspire us to continue celebrating the joy of art in all its forms.
From everyone at ARTdiscount, we wish you a magical holiday season filled with creativity, laughter, and warmth. Here's to a bright and artful New Year! Thank you for being a part of our journey—see you in 2025!
