• 50 schemes

Nutcracker Painting Ideas With Hat, Jacket, Trim and Base Colours

Three schemes at a time for an unfinished wooden nutcracker: the colours to buy, then what goes on the hat, jacket, trim and base. Keep one and compare.

Nutcracker Painting Ideas With Hat, Jacket, Trim and Base Colours

Show all 50
  1. Bearskin guard in scarletBlack, scarlet, white, gold. Hat black, stippled like fur; jacket scarlet; trim white belt, gold buttons; base black.
  2. Royal blue guardsmanRoyal blue, white, gold, black. Hat blue with a white plume line; jacket blue; trim gold; trousers white; base black.
  3. Father Christmas in red and whiteRed, white, black, gold. Hat red, white band; jacket red; trim white cuffs and hem, black belt, gold buckle; base green.

Next step Paint a Christmas canvas to match

All 50 schemes

Classic 15

  • Antique soldier in dulled red Brick red, cream, old gold, brown. Classic soldier layout in muted paint; a thin brown wash in the grooves; base brown.
  • Bearskin guard in scarlet Black, scarlet, white, gold. Hat black, stippled like fur; jacket scarlet; trim white belt, gold buttons; base black.
  • Classic red soldier Red, black, gold, white. Hat black, gold band; jacket red; trim gold buttons and braid; trousers white; base black.
  • Drummer in white with red cuffs White, red, gold, black. Hat red, gold band; jacket white, cuffs red; trim gold drum cords on the chest; base black.
  • Father Christmas in red and white Red, white, black, gold. Hat red, white band; jacket red; trim white cuffs and hem, black belt, gold buckle; base green.
  • Green hussar with gold braid across the chest Forest green, gold, black, red. Hat black; jacket green; trim five rows of gold braid on the chest; base red.
  • King in a gold crown and red robe Red, gold, white, purple. Crown gold with painted jewels; robe red; trim white fur edge and gold sceptre; base purple.
  • Miner in black with silver buttons Black, silver, white, green. Hat black with a silver band; jacket black; trim silver buttons, white collar; base green.
  • Mouse King in grey with a gold crown Grey, gold, red, pink. Crown gold; face grey with pink ears painted on the crown band; cape red; trim gold; base black.
  • Naval officer in white and gold White, navy, gold. Hat white with a navy band; jacket white; trim gold buttons, navy cuffs and collar; base navy.
  • Piper with tartan trousers Black, dark green, navy, red. Hat and jacket black; trousers green crossed with navy and red lines; base green.
  • Policeman in dark blue Navy, silver, black. Hat navy with a plain silver star; jacket navy; trim silver buttons and a black belt; base black.
  • Purple king with ermine trim Purple, gold, white, black. Crown gold; robe purple; trim a white band flecked with black at hem and cuffs; base gold.
  • Red and black check jacket Red, black. Hat black; jacket red, crossed with wide black bands, the squares where they meet painted solid; base black.
  • Royal blue guardsman Royal blue, white, gold, black. Hat blue with a white plume line; jacket blue; trim gold; trousers white; base black.

Characters 14

  • Chef with the hat as a toque White, black, red. Hat all white; jacket white; trim two rows of black buttons, red neckerchief; base checked.
  • Christmas tree with bauble buttons Green, brown, gold, red. Hat green, gold star; jacket green; trim red and gold bauble buttons, tinsel lines; base brown.
  • Elf in green with striped legs Green, red, white, gold. Hat green, red band; jacket green; trim gold buttons; legs red and white stripes; base red.
  • Gardener with the hat as a flower pot Terracotta, leaf green, brown, cream. Hat terracotta, darker rim; jacket green; trim cream apron; base brown.
  • Gingerbread man with icing trim Ginger brown, white, red, green. Hat, jacket and legs brown; trim white icing squiggles, gumdrop buttons; base white.
  • Halloween orange and black Orange, black, purple, white. Hat black, orange band; jacket orange; trim black buttons, purple cuffs; base black.
  • Penguin in black tails Black, white, orange. Hat black; jacket black with a white front panel; trim orange bow tie, orange boots; base white.
  • Reindeer with antlers up the hat Brown, tan, red, green. Hat brown, tan antlers up the front; face brown, red nose; jacket brown, tan belly; base green.
  • Ringmaster in red tails and a top hat Red, black, gold, white. Hat black, gold band; jacket red; trim gold lapels and buttons; trousers white; base black.
  • Skeleton in black with white bones Black, white. Hat, jacket and legs black; trim white ribs, arm bones and leg bones, a skull face; base black.
  • Snowman with a black top hat White, black, orange, red. Hat black, red band; face and jacket white; trim coal buttons, painted scarf; base white.
  • Someone you know, in their own coat colours Their coat, hat and hair colours. Hat as their usual hat; jacket as their coat; trim their scarf; base their initials.
  • Sugar plum dancer in plum and pink Plum, pink, silver, white. Crown silver; bodice plum; trim pink net skirt lines and silver dots; legs white; base pink.
  • White jacket with gumdrop buttons White, pink, yellow, green, orange. Hat pink; jacket white; trim five round buttons, a colour each; base yellow.

Pastel 11

  • All pink, five shades Blush, rose, bubblegum, raspberry, white. Hat raspberry; jacket rose; trim blush, white; trousers bubblegum; base rose.
  • Baby blue with silver snowflakes Baby blue, white, silver. Hat blue with one silver snowflake; jacket blue; trim white cuffs, silver buttons; base white.
  • Candyfloss fade, pink hat to blue base Pink, lilac, sky blue, white. Hat pink; jacket pink fading to lilac; trousers lilac to blue; trim white; base sky blue.
  • Ice-cream parlour: strawberry, vanilla, pistachio Strawberry pink, vanilla cream, pistachio green, brown. Hat pink; jacket cream; trim pistachio; base wafer criss-cross.
  • Lavender and gold Lavender, deep purple, gold, white. Hat purple, gold band; jacket lavender; trim gold; trousers white; base purple.
  • Lemon sherbet with white stripes Lemon yellow, white, silver. Hat yellow; jacket yellow, thin white stripes; trim silver; trousers white; base yellow.
  • Mint and chocolate Mint green, chocolate brown, cream, gold. Hat brown with a mint band; jacket mint; trim cream and gold; base brown.
  • Pastel candy soldier in pink and mint Pink, mint, white, gold. Hat mint, pink band; jacket pink; trim white braid, gold buttons; trousers white; base mint.
  • Peach and coral with gold buttons Peach, coral, gold, cream. Hat coral with a gold band; jacket peach; trim gold buttons, cream braid; base coral.
  • Peppermint stripes on the legs and hat White, red, silver. Hat red and white spiral stripes; jacket white; trim silver buttons; legs striped; base red.
  • Rainbow sprinkles on white White, six brights. Hat, jacket and base all white; trim short dashes of every colour, scattered like sprinkles.

Modern 10

  • All white with gold details White, gold. Two coats of white over everything; trim gold on buttons, belt, hat band and boot tips only; base white.
  • Bare wood with painted details only Black, white, red, gold. Leave the wood unpainted; paint only the face, buttons, belt and hat band; base one red line.
  • Black and gold Black, gold. Hat black with a gold band; jacket black; trim gold buttons, braid and cuffs; trousers black; base gold.
  • Blue and white china pattern White, cobalt blue. Everything white; trim cobalt sprigs and scrolls on jacket and hat, a thin blue line at each edge.
  • Harlequin diamonds on the trousers Black, white, red, gold. Hat red; jacket black; trousers black and white diamonds; trim gold buttons, cuffs; base red.
  • Knitted jumper bands round the jacket Red and white, or navy and cream. Hat ribbed like a bobble hat; jacket banded with zigzags, diamonds and snowflakes.
  • Navy and copper Navy, copper, cream. Hat navy, copper band; jacket navy; trim copper buttons and cuffs; trousers cream; base copper.
  • Red and white with bare wood showing Red, white. Hat red with white dots; jacket left as bare wood; trim white hearts and a red belt; base red. Sand first.
  • Team colours: your own two, no crest Your two team or school colours, white, black. Hat colour one; jacket colour two; trim white; base colour one. No badge.
  • Woodland in moss, bark and toadstool red Moss green, bark brown, toadstool red, cream. Hat red, cream spots; jacket moss; trim brown belt; base brown.

How it works

An unfinished wooden nutcracker is a stack of decisions: hat, face, jacket, trim, trousers, base. These nutcracker painting ideas make them for you. Each of the 50 schemes gives its colours first, then what goes where, from Classic red soldier to Penguin in black tails.

Read the full guide

Look at the hat on your blank first

23 schemes are written for a tall cylinder hat, which becomes a toque in Chef with the hat as a toque and terracotta in Gardener with the hat as a flower pot. 4 need a crown, such as Mouse King in grey with a gold crown, and the other 23 suit either. Paint the big blocks first and the trim last, once the blocks are dry.

Why the classic one is a soldier

Nutcracker dolls come from late 17th-century Germany, the Ore Mountains above all, and the toy soldier is the most common form. Early 19th-century makers also dressed them as miners, policemen and kings, hence Miner in black with silver buttons. Lathe production began in Seiffen in 1872; the ballet, based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's 1816 story, followed in 1892.

  • Check what your blank is made of. Craft acrylic is used on wood, but porous engineered board such as MDF is usually sealed first, so read the primer's label before the first coat.
  • Team colours: your own two, no crest works because two colours carry it. Leave badges, crests and logos off: they belong to the club.
  • A handcrafted nutcracker is made of about 60 pieces, so expect grooves and joins, and load less paint near them.

Questions and answers

What paint works on an unfinished wooden nutcracker?

These schemes assume craft acrylic, a small flat brush for the blocks and a liner for buttons and braid. We do not test paints or varnishes, so whether yours suits a shelf above a fire, or a child's hands, is a question for its label.

Which schemes are not red and green?

Most of them. The Pastel group holds 14, from All pink, five shades to Lemon sherbet with white stripes. Modern holds 18, including Black and gold, Navy and copper and Blue and white china pattern. Two are for October: Halloween orange and black and Skeleton in black with white bones.

Will a painted nutcracker still crack nuts?

Probably not, and it may never have: many modern nutcrackers are decorative and cannot crack nuts at all. Keep paint out of the mouth if you want the jaw to keep moving, and keep nuts out of it too, since craft paint is not made for food unless its label says so.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Painting Ideas