Careful painting is as essential to the success of a toy as good construction.
Drive an inch brad into some part of the toy that will not be seen, such as the lower edge of the animal toys, and attach a short length of string or wire to this and hang up as before described. This nail will be handy to hold the toy by while painting and when hung up is out of the way, is not touching anything to cause marks on the paint, and is high enough up to be where the temperature of the room will assist in the drying process. Remove this nail after the toy is dry. If possible toys should dry in a special room where it is quiet, with no dust stirring or drafts blowing, and where the temperature is fairly uniform, not falling below 60 degrees.
Paint should be applied with the tip of the brush, holding the brush nearly vertical, using a uniform stroke and taking care to prevent "tears" or surplus paint running over an edge. The brush should be in proportion to the size of the article painted, and the strokes should be outward toward the edges rather than from the edges inward.
Features and fine lines on the toys may be placed with No. 3 round sable brush or with India ink in an ordinary drafting pen. The latter method of outlining and drawing in features has proved most successful with the writer's classes, as the solidity of the pen allows a firm pressure on the surface of the work and insures a uniform line. Fine or coarse lines may be made by adjusting the pen to suit the desired need.
Considerable skill is needed to satisfactorily place lines with a fine pointed brush held in the hands of an inexperienced boy, and the drafting-pen method simplifies the problem immensely.
Adjoining colors, outlined by this method, improve the appearance of the toy fifty per cent.
Dull colors may be "livened up" by applying a coat of white shellac or varnish.
Toys having parts of various colors, such as carts, etc., should have the different parts painted before assembling.