Haley did a report on Matryoshka dolls at the end of her Russian studies.

I bought unpainted wood nesting dolls, fine-tip paint pens, and The Littlest Matryoshka Doll for inspiration.

I printed a template and challenged Haley to design her own set of Matryoshka Dolls.

Haley designed all five dolls with a different pattern on each.

She primed the dolls with a simple white base coat.

Next, she picked out her paint colors.

She started with the biggest Matryoshka doll and gradually worked her way to the littlest one.

She used her paint pens to create each face and add patterns and texture to the dolls.

They can be set up neatly in a row…

But for now, they remain nested within each other sitting on the shelf…just waiting for an adventure.