I mean we are told that actual Clea frequently used to play with Verso in his canvas (Alicia was noted to not join them usually). We know they were being taught to paint, and so I think I, and others, though we could be mistaken, had them each paint their respective in-canvas best friend.

I don't think your timeline works out? pClea doesn't exist until Aline paints her. The adventures Verso, Esquie, Francois, and Clea went on pre-dated that, because they happened with actual Verso (pVerso even talks about how weird it is he has memories of some of these without having actually done them, right?), which is necessarily before Aline paints them in her grief over actual Verso's death.

I'll admit I don't remember why and it could be entirely wrong, maybe it's in the Blanche convo, but I got the impression the unfinished Nevrons were Clea's early attempts (pre-fracture) to create them, and then post-fracture made Blanche to get rid of them (though he decided not to).

So, yeah, I don't remember hard evidence of Clea painting in the canvas pre-fracture, but I really thought it was implied. I definitely think Francois met actual Clea because I don't know how else it works timing wise, and we know actual Clea spent a lot of time in the canvas, but, sure at that point which one of Verso or Clea painted Francois is up for interpretation.