My next acrylic painting is for two of my grandchildren. The Teddy Bear and Toy Bunny lean on each other, holding paws and posing with three wooden blocks that spell out the children’s initials. The toys lounge on a waffle-weave, soft yellow crib blanket. I want the painting to have soft colors and show the cozy, fuzzy texture of the toys.

I drew the still life with charcoal, erasing it entirely or partially several times until the proportions seemed about right. Then I fixed the charcoal drawing with casein spray so it wouldn’t smear into the paint. Next I painted the toys with a wash of raw umber and the drape with Naples yellow. Next week in class I will add more colors and darker values to the figures and background.