The Magic Nesting Doll

One of my favorite things to do at my dad's aunt and uncle's house was play with a nesting doll from Russia. I think most children love nesting dolls -- the way they all fit together, the way you can hide them inside each other, the shiny texture, etc. So when I saw a set of blank dolls I picked it up.

I didn't know how I would decorate them. Should I try a traditional doll? I have seen sets of animals or characters from books such as The Wizard of Oz...Then I saw the book, The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn and illustrated by Laurel Long. The story is about a girl whose grandmother gives her a set of magic nesting dolls that help her save the prince from an evil vizier.

So I painted the set of dolls based on the dolls in the story. But there were only 4 dolls in the story, and the set I had contained 5 dolls. The fifth doll I painted to look like my cat, Maggie, just because. I sketched the designs on the wooden dolls with a pencil, then colored in the designs with acrylic paint. Any outlining that was needed I used a fine point paint pen to draw in the lines.