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Another one done with Polychromos and mineral oil (I decided to just refer to the baby oil as mineral oil, since that's what it is, plus 'fragrance'.)
This one is 5 x 7 on illustration board.

I almost think I like working on Stonhenge paper better, but its a close call. I do find that there is a certain amount of finessing required when painting on the oil, and if there is too much pencil layered up it can make 'muck' very easily. So its not as dainty and easy as it may seem.

Funny, the thing that gave me the most trouble was my signature. I realized that I don't usually sign things, and decided I'd better start. I was never one to sit and practice my 'art signature' like a lot of folks in school did. I usually just went with my first name on things, and that was good enough. I was reading somewhere (someone's blog no doubt, and who's I can't remember now, so if it was yours, please speak up) about how important your signature is, and how you really do need to have both names on there so that future generations will be able to identify the work.

So this one started in color, and its was TOO MUCH, so I erased it, but it didn't erase well, being colored pencil, so then I put oil over it, on and on, and finally settled for a signature over the stained bit. It will have to do, since anything else at this point would just make it worse. Luckily I can photoshop it out if I use it for anything. But if someone buys it, they'll be stuck with it. Maybe some artful matting can cover it up.

I'm thinking of putting small pieces like this up on ebay again, and/or maybe a separate blog. Can't decide tonight, but sometime this week hopefully I'll figure it out. I really do like making these small pieces, they're very satisfying and scratch an itch I have that doing a whole illustration doesn't. Illustrations take sooooo much longer to do, and there is no immediate gratification. With these, I can spend an afternoon and have a finished piece. That feels good.

This morning I worked out the better part of a sketch for a new children's book self promo piece, then I needed a break and switched over to this. Tonight I will knit while I watch Miss Marple.

Tomorrow the cable man is coming to switch my phone over. I can't believe how complicated these things are now, and all the wires and cables and connectors and what all I have streaming into my house. Or at least it feels complicated. I can remember (said in a shaky old person voice) back when I had just one phone line, and no cable or anything, and it was a big deal to have the phone guy come and install a second line for that newfangled contraption, the fax machine. Recently I just had them delete my second line, and the dead fax machine is sitting on a pile of stuff that's trying to decide where to be buried. I do not feel old, no....

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