Computer Paint Santa: 17 Steps Behind the 50 Hour Mouse Drawn Masterpiece 30 Million People Watched

The computer paint Santa video is the kind of thing you watch once and then send to everyone you know. A hobby artist sat down with a plain, old school computer paint program, the same kind of simple tool many of us used to doodle in as kids, and spent nearly 50 hours turning a blank white screen into a Santa Claus so lifelike he looks ready to step out and ask what you want for Christmas. Squeezed into a few minutes of time lapse, it has been watched more than 30 million times. Here is how a portrait like that comes together, step by step, plus a handful of cozy ways to make your own Santa art this season..

Computer Paint Santa: The 50 Hour Christmas Portrait

Picture a cozy desk on a winter night, a mug of cocoa going cold, and a screen slowly filling with the kindest face of the season. That is the feeling behind the computer paint Santa that has charmed viewers for more than a decade. There are no fancy brushes, no special tablet and no expensive software. There is just a mouse, simple tools and a whole lot of patience. Once you see the finished face, you will never look at that basic paint program the same way again..

You will need: A computer or tablet, any free paint program, a mouse or stylus, a Santa photo or ornament to look at, patience and a warm drink.

How to make it: 1. Open a blank canvas in any simple paint program. 2. Set a picture of Santa beside your screen for reference. 3. Plan to work in short sessions, saving a new copy of your file each time so you can see your progress.

Who Made the Computer Paint Santa and Why a Basic Program

The painting comes from the YouTube channel Eclectic Asylum Art, which has around 236,000 subscribers. The video description says the artist spent nearly 50 hours drawing, and that the black and white stage was done with old school paint tools. That is exactly what makes it so special. Most digital artists use pressure sensitive pens and layers, but this one stuck with the plainest tools possible. It feels a bit like building a cathedral with a teaspoon. Would you have the patience to try?

You will need: A sense of curiosity, a basic computer paint program, a mouse, a comfortable chair and good lighting.

How to make it: 1. Explore the pencil, brush, fill and color picker tools in your program. 2. Practice drawing smooth lines and small dots with the mouse. 3. Zoom in and out often so you get used to working at the pixel level.

Step 1: A Blank White Canvas and a Plan

Every computer paint Santa starts with an empty white screen, and that can feel scary. The trick is to begin with a plan, not perfection. Rough in an oval for the head, a triangle for the hat and a big soft shape for the beard. Keep a picture of Santa nearby, even a favorite ornament from the tree, so you can check proportions as you go. These guide lines will disappear later, so there is no pressure. Which Santa will you use as your model?

You will need: A blank canvas set to a large size, a light gray pencil color, a Santa reference picture.

How to make it: 1. Make the canvas large so you have room for detail. 2. Using light gray, sketch an oval head, a hat shape and the outline of the beard. 3. Mark where the eyes, nose and mouth sit, about halfway down the face.

Step 2: The Computer Paint Santa Starts in Black and White

In this computer paint Santa, the whole face was first worked out in black and white with old school tools, according to the video description. Working in gray first is a clever artist trick. It lets you focus on light and shadow without worrying about color, so the face already looks round and real before a single red pixel goes down. Darker grays sink back and lighter grays come forward. It is the same idea as shading with a pencil at the kitchen table. Have you ever tried drawing only in shades of gray?

You will need: Black, white and three or four shades of gray, the pencil and brush tools, your reference picture.

How to make it: 1. Fill the big shapes with a middle gray. 2. Add darker gray under the hat, beside the nose and under the beard. 3. Use lighter gray on the forehead, cheeks and the tip of the nose to show where light hits.

Step 3: Blocking In the Face and Beard

Next comes blocking in, which simply means laying down big flat areas of color. A warm peach goes on the face, soft white fills the beard and a placeholder red marks the hat. It looks flat and a little silly at this stage, a bit like a paper doll. Do not panic. Every realistic portrait goes through an awkward middle, and the magic comes from the layers on top. This is where you will want to keep going, even when it looks odd. Ready for the awkward stage?

You will need: A warm peach, a soft white, a medium red, the fill and brush tools.

How to make it: 1. Choose a medium skin tone and fill the face area. 2. Fill the beard and mustache with an off white, not pure white. 3. Block in the hat with red, keeping the shapes simple and clean.

Step 4: Skin Tones Built Pixel by Pixel

Zoom way in and a computer paint Santa looks like a mosaic of tiny colored squares. Without soft blending brushes, an artist has to build smooth skin by placing slightly different colors side by side, over and over. Pinks go on the cheeks, warmer tones on the nose and cooler shades near the beard. From a distance, your eyes mix them into rosy, glowing skin. It is slow, careful work, and it is why the video took so long. Can you imagine placing that many pixels by hand?

You will need: Five or six skin tones from light to dark, a soft pink, the zoom tool, the pencil tool set to a small size.

How to make it: 1. Zoom in to the cheek area. 2. Dot in a slightly darker tone along the edges and a lighter one in the center. 3. Add a few pink pixels on the cheeks and nose, then zoom out often to check the effect.

Step 5: The Twinkling Eyes

The eyes are where Santa comes alive. A kind, crinkly smile around the eyes and a tiny white highlight in each one make the whole face feel warm and real. Artists often say that if the eyes are right, people forgive almost anything else. Fluffy white eyebrows go on with short, light strokes that curve upward. Take your time here, and step away for a few minutes if you get stuck. Fresh eyes really do help you paint better eyes. What color will your Santa have?

You will need: Blue or brown for the iris, dark brown for lashes and pupils, pure white for highlights, light gray for eyebrow shadows.

How to make it: 1. Paint the iris in a mid tone, then a darker ring around the outside. 2. Add a dark pupil and one small pure white dot for the twinkle. 3. Stroke in eyebrow hairs with white and light gray, curving them up and out.

Step 6: Hundreds of Strands for the Computer Paint Santa Beard

A computer paint Santa is only as good as his beard, and this is where the hours really add up. Instead of one white blob, the beard is built from hundreds of single strands, each one a thin line of white, silver or soft gray. Some curl, some overlap and some catch the light. Layer darker strands underneath and bright ones on top, and the beard suddenly looks soft enough to touch. This step is perfect for a quiet evening with music on. How long do you think your beard would take?

You will need: White, silver and two grays, the pencil tool at its smallest size, patience.

How to make it: 1. Fill the beard area with a middle gray as a base. 2. Draw long curving strands in light gray going in the direction the hair grows. 3. Add bright white strands on top in the areas facing the light.

Step 7: The Red Velvet Hat and Fur Trim

Now for the most famous hat in the world. Velvet has deep shadows in the folds and soft shine on the raised parts, so a good red hat uses at least three reds: a dark wine color, a bright true red and a pinkish highlight. The fur trim is made like a mini beard, with fluffy dabs and short strokes instead of a hard edge. Get the folds right and the hat looks heavy, warm and cozy. Have you noticed how many reds hide in one hat?

You will need: Dark red, bright red, light pinkish red, white and light gray for the fur.

How to make it: 1. Paint the whole hat in bright red. 2. Add dark red in the folds and where the hat bends, and light red on the top of each fold. 3. Dab the trim and pom pom with white and gray in small clusters.

Step 8: Highlights That Fool the Eye

The last touches are tiny, but they turn a nice drawing into a picture people swear is a photograph. A small shine on the tip of the nose, a gleam on the lower lip, a few bright hairs in the beard catching the light. These highlights tell your brain where the light is coming from, and that makes the face feel three dimensional. It is the same trick painters have used for centuries, done here with a humble mouse. Would you have guessed this was painted on a computer?

You will need: Pure white, a pale yellow or pale pink, the smallest pencil size.

How to make it: 1. Decide where your light comes from, like the top left. 2. Add tiny highlights on the nose, cheeks, lip and forehead on that side. 3. Zoom out, look at the whole face and add or remove highlights until it feels balanced.

Computer Paint Santa Payoff: 50 Hours Into a Few Minutes

Posted on December 30, 2013, the time lapse squeezes nearly 50 hours of drawing into a few minutes. When our researchers checked it, the computer paint Santa video on YouTube showed 30,165,300 views and 1,337,998 likes, and it ranked first in a search for painting time lapse videos sorted by views. Every December it finds a fresh crowd of families watching together. It is proof that patience and simple tools can still make jaws drop. Who would you watch it with this Christmas?

You will need: A screen, a cozy blanket, a cup of cocoa and someone to watch with.

How to make it: 1. Watch the time lapse once just for fun. 2. Watch it again and pause at each stage to see how the face builds up. 3. Pick one stage, like the beard or the eyes, to try yourself.

Try It: Your Own Computer Paint Santa in Any Free App

You do not need 50 hours to join the fun. Open any free paint app on a computer or tablet and try a simple cartoon Santa in one sitting. Start with a circle face, a triangle hat and a cloud shaped beard, then add rosy cheeks and a big smile. Kids love this because mistakes vanish with one click. Print the best one and stick it on the fridge as your family Christmas mascot. Who in your house will draw the silliest Santa?

You will need: A computer or tablet, a free paint app, a mouse, finger or stylus, a printer (optional).

How to make it: 1. Draw a circle for the face and a triangle on top for the hat. 2. Add a cloud shape for the beard, a pom pom and two dot eyes. 3. Fill everything with color, add pink cheeks and save or print your Santa.

Try It: Pixel Art Christmas Ornaments

If the pixel by pixel idea fascinates you, bring it off the screen with fuse beads. Each little bead is like one pixel, and kids can build a Santa hat, a tree or a candy cane on a pegboard. An adult irons the beads under parchment paper so they melt together, then you add a ribbon loop. They are bright, nearly unbreakable and perfect for little hands to hang on the tree. Which pixel ornament will you make first?

You will need: Fuse beads in red, white and green, a square pegboard, parchment paper, an iron (adult only), ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Copy a simple pixel pattern onto the pegboard bead by bead. 2. An adult covers it with parchment paper and irons it gently until the beads fuse. 3. Let it cool, flip it, iron the other side and thread a ribbon through the top.

Try It: A Homemade Santa Christmas Card

Turn your Santa art into a card that grandparents will keep for years. You can draw it on paper like this sweet one made by a six year old, or paint it in a free app and print it at home. Simple is best: a big red hat, a round body and a happy face. Add a short handwritten message inside and mail it early. A card made by hand always feels warmer than one from the store. Who is first on your card list?

You will need: Card stock or printer paper, markers or a free paint app and printer, envelopes, stickers (optional).

How to make it: 1. Fold the card stock in half. 2. Draw or print your Santa on the front, keeping shapes bold and simple. 3. Write a short note inside, sign everyone in the family and pop it in an envelope.

Try It: A Sponge Beard Santa on Canvas

This is the real world cousin of the computer paint Santa, and it takes about an hour. Paint a red hat and a peach face on a small canvas, then dab the beard with a piece of kitchen sponge dipped in white paint. The sponge makes a fluffy texture that looks amazing with almost no skill. It is a lovely project for a family craft night, and the canvas looks sweet on a shelf all December. For more beginner friendly projects, try our easy canvas paintings. Ready to grab a sponge?

You will need: A small canvas, acrylic paint in red, white, peach, pink and black, a flat brush, a kitchen sponge, a paper plate.

How to make it: 1. Paint a peach oval face in the middle and a red hat on top. 2. Dip a small piece of sponge in white paint and dab a big fluffy beard and hat trim. 3. Add two dot eyes, pink cheeks and a little red nose.

Try It: Paint Santa on a Wood Slice Ornament

Wood slice ornaments are cheap, rustic and easy to personalize. You can buy a bag at the craft store or have an adult cut thin slices from a fallen branch. Paint a simple Santa face on the front, or write a sweet family message like the one on this ornament. Seal it with clear coat so it lasts, and add the year on the back. In a few years, these become the ornaments everyone looks for first. What will your family write or paint on yours?

You will need: Wood slices with a hole drilled at the top, acrylic paint, fine brushes or paint pens, clear sealer, twine.

How to make it: 1. Lightly sand the face of the wood slice. 2. Paint a Santa face or write a message with paint pens, then let it dry. 3. Brush on clear sealer, add the year on the back and thread twine through the hole.

Try It: Santa Beard Rocks With Puffy Paint

Here is the last idea and maybe the most fun for kids. Smooth rocks become little Santa faces with a red hat and a puffy paint beard that dries raised and fluffy. They make adorable paperweights, garden surprises or tiny gifts for teachers and neighbors. Every rock looks a little different, which is half the charm. If the computer paint Santa inspired your family to make something, this is a sweet place to start. How many Santas can your family paint in one afternoon?

You will need: Smooth flat rocks, acrylic paint in red, peach and black, white puffy paint, a small brush, clear sealer.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the rocks, then paint the top third red for the hat and the middle peach for the face. 2. Squeeze white puffy paint in swirls for the beard and hat trim. 3. Dot on eyes and pink cheeks, let it dry overnight and seal it.