The Grateful Gobbler Free Tutorial

Are you looking to add a little handmade charm to your fall decor? Look no further than our “Grateful Gobbler” door hanger tutorial! I had so much fun creating this festive turkey. Isn’t she cute? This design will bring a welcoming touch to your entryway or home, just in time for Thanksgiving. Plus, I’m sharing the tutorial for free as a thank-you for being part of our creative community.

In this post, I’ll guide you step-by-step through the painting process, starting with a warm background, followed by adding the turkey, feathers, and final accents. You’ll also find a link to download the tracers and supply list, so let’s dive in and bring this gobbler to life!

What You’ll Need

First, head to the link below to download the tracers and complete supply list: Download Tracers and Full Supply List Here

This project is demonstrated on an 18-inch round board, but you can adjust the size as you wish. Here’s a quick list of DecoArt paint colors we’ll be working with, but any similar shade will work beautifully:

• Burnt Umber
• White
• Spiced Pumpkin
• Desert Turquoise
• Primary Red
• Cadmium Orange
• Black

Painting the Blended Background

First things first, transfer the tracers onto your door hanger. I suggest using a black Sharpie to outline the lettering and major details, which will make painting easier and keep your design nice and sharp. Begin by preparing a warm, textured background that will make the turkey pop.

1. Using a large flat brush, dip into Burnt Umber and White, adding a bit of water to help the colors flow smoothly.
2. With loose, sweeping strokes, cover the board, blending the colors naturally. This background doesn’t need to be perfect — we’re going for a rustic, cozy look!
3. For an extra touch of fall color, add a bit of Spiced Pumpkin here and there to give the background a lively, seasonal vibe.

Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly blended — we’re going for a soft, rustic look that brings warmth and texture to the piece.Let the background dry completely before moving to the next step.

How to Paint the Adorable Turkey

Now, it’s time to bring the Grateful Gobbler to life! First, paint the main part of the turkey’s body in Burnt Umber, then blend a lighter shade of brown onto her belly to add depth and dimension. Switching to red paint, use the color Primary Red to paint the turkey’s wattle.

A turkey isn’t complete without her feathers! For a vibrant feather display, start with an ombre effect. Use White at the base of each feather, blending upward. Next, paint the middle section of each feather with Desert Turquoise for a rich, contrasting hue. As you reach the tips of the feathers, switch to Cadmium Orange. Don’t worry if it overlaps a bit with the turquoise—it adds a nice blended effect! Finally, finish the feathers off by adding white to the very top. To give the feathers a crisp look, use red to outline each feather. 

It’s time to give our turkey a little personality! Use a black paint pen to outline her eyes and add some character to her expression. Next, mix a bit of yellow and orange to paint the beak. Finally, use black paint and a liner brush to carefully outline the inside of the mouth. 

Adding Details to the Background

To give the door hanger a professional look, add a few details around the background and turkey! Once the background is dry, trace of the “Thankful” lettering with the black paint pen. Then add a bit of orange paint to the center of each letter to give the “Thankful” sign a warm, fall feel. 

Next we’re going to create some budding branches to add around the background. Use brown paint on a liner brush to create small branches around the background.Next, Mix orange and white paint for leaves, adding some in clusters across the branches. To finish out the leaves around the background, switch between white and red or white and brown paints to create multi-colored leaves for a more natural look.

Finally, add some fun accents to the turkey’s feathers. Use orange, teal, and white to add soft strokes that highlight the feathers. Finish with thin white highlights throughout for a final pop.

Watch the Video Tutorial 

Your Grateful Gobbler door hanger is now complete and ready to welcome guests into your home! Do you want to see the video tutorial of how I painted it? Watch it below! 

I hope this tutorial adds a touch of creative joy to your Thanksgiving decor and inspires you to keep creating. Don’t forget to grab the tracers and supply list that you need to get started here! If you aren’t already following me on Facebook to make sure you don’t miss out on more painting fun, you can do that here. I can’t say thank you enough for being part of this creative community! Happy painting, friends!