The next step is to begin painting the mid-toned fur of the head and paws using linear strokes of the No. 2 brush, paying particular attention to the direction of the fur and leaving the underlying darker fur showing through. Do the same on the paws.

Make sure you are happy with the painting of the coat and bow then continue painting the fur using the same basic colour mixes, which have been lightened with white. Here and there add a little Winsor yellow to create a slightly more golden colour. I’ve always been a BIG fan of teddy bears, and now that I have a little niece, I wanted to create a classic teddy bear for her that she could cherish for years to come. As you paint in these strokes use a feather-light touch. Only the tip of the brush must touch the canvas.

Using a long piece of tan yarn, push the needle through the top center of one leg then thread all the way through the body so that it comes out the body on the other side where you would want to place the second leg. So I think you can tell already that you will need to be patient when painting your teddy bear, because if you don't add all these layers, your teddy won't look fluffy. Create the shading on the flatter areas of material by dry brushing – dragging the darker colour over the lighter colour. The tooth of the paper and the chalky surface of the gouache makes subtle texturing achievable. Paint the dress and its folds with a mix of white with a little raw umber and yellow ochre. Model the folds in exactly the same way as the red dress.

Gouache contains a lot of finely ground pigment, which makes it ideal for portraying vibrant colours that show up particularly well when jewel-like colours are needed. Techniques you will learn in this tutorial: This classic crochet teddy bear is made with size G crochet hook using Bernat softee baby cotton yarn. The bear parts are crocheted separately and then stuffed with poly-fil before being stitched together to create the final product. I chose to add a bright aqua bow to complete the look (optional), but you can customize the bow or other attire to your own liking. Using the long tail of yarn, sew the arms onto the torso. The top of the arm should be sewn to the edge of the opening at the top of the torso. Repeat for the second arm. Finally, using ultramarine and burnt umber suggest the shadows on the dress under the edges of the coat.

Hook: Size G crochet hook. This is my favorite crochet hook and yarn needle set I got from WooCrafts. The set is really affordable and comes with 9 different-sized crochet hooks, 8 yarn needles, stitch markers and a cute carrying case.

Once you have done that, using the base colour that you made for the pads of the feet, paint the pads of the paws.Yarn: one skein of Bernat Softee Baby Cotton yarn in tan. Scrap amounts of Bernat Softee baby cotton yarn in cream/ecru and dark brown. A favoured method is to draw the subject in a sketchbook, where you can make corrections and alterations. When you are happy with the drawing, transfer it onto tracing paper and use the old-fashioned method of rubbing a light-coloured pastel pencil on the reverse side of the drawing then carefully position the image right way up on your chosen surface. Go over the drawing again to transfer your light lines to the surface. Now, mix a little raw umber and white and dot it over the snout, leaving some of the previously applied colour showing through. Finally, paint the base nose colour using Winsor red with a touch of burnt umber. Use strokes that follow the direction of the embroidered stitches.