He held the carved wooden figure in his worn and wrinkly hands. He had painted the arms and legs a pale peach. The head had a coat of the same color and he was ready to paint on the face.

The face was the most important part. Expression could change with the slight curve of a brush. The whole personality of the marionette was sealed in the painting of the delicate features.

He started with the eyes. They had to be spaced between the nose and the forehead, not too close together, and not too far apart. He shaped them round and large, for a youthful innocence. He painted the irises a bold blue. He added white highlights to the pupils and irises, then finished it off with thin lashes, barely visible.

Next he used a dry brush technique to rouge its happy cheeks a pale pink. If he made them too dark it would look feverish, too light and they wouldn’t be visible from the stage.

Finally the mouth. He sometimes painted jaunty smirks, sometimes full lips, but this only needed an honest little smile.

“Pinnochio!”