background

Now I've added another green and blended the background and the left side of the page, the body. I used an old wash cloth to blend the green because it's a big area and I used a tortillon (paper blending stub) to do the details.

Oh, I should also point out the two teeny dots of coffee-colored pastel in the bottom right of the page. Well, actually it's not coffee-colored pastel, it's coffee. You see, my daughter Liz bought me some Ethiopian coffee for Christmas and some cute, little esspresso cups to drink it from. So, anyone who knows me knows I usually drink coffee or tea while I work. It's my very personal touch added to the art - and I'm not a bit worried that I can't cover it up. This is high quality Mattson paper (you can buy it at Dick Blicks) and high quality pastels - unisons - so, no problem, you'll see. Maybe I shouldn't admit this but I once spilled a fair amount of hot chocolate on a pastel I was just starting (thank goodness I hadn't gotten far) and was able to cover it right up because of the supplies I use. So, maybe you're thinking I would have learned by now? Well, it's only two tiny drops. : )