Haycorns

My kids, when they were small, called acorns 'haycorns' thanks to Winnie the Pooh, which I thought was delightful.  I keep this in mind as I begin to paint them.  When looking at the Whole Painting, and wondering where to start, I find the best approach is to begin painting the thing that is the most difficult or important.  Just get it done so it isn't hanging over me in a worrying sort of way.  Since the acorns in this painting are really the focal point, and also quite tricky, I'll begin here.  I won't paint them completely, just the basic form and shape and the first few layers of color.  Just enough to squelch the fear that I can't do it, but not too much to affect the balance of the painting.  It is important to try to build the whole painting in stages, rather than finish every little square inch as you go along.  I'll talk more about this later.  For now, enjoy the haycorns, as they take shape on the paper!