This is an odd art project. I bought several small whittled woodcarvings at a garage sale several years ago. They mostly went onto the "get to it eventually" craft pile. Miracle of miracles, "eventually" happened. At least, it did for a duck.
I cleverly draped some blue cloth for a scenic touch. Yay.
The duck got several layers of paint as I experimented with color schemes. Then the color scheme I decided on got extra coats to ensure decent coverage. I used cheap acryllic craft paints, but they worked well enough.
I'm not entirely satisfied with the outcome, but it is at the point where I don't hate it. Less was insufficient. More would probably spoil what I did. So I stopped here. And now I shall do the same with this post, because I think it is reaching a similar state.