Nuts Once More

Prismacolor colored pencil on Strathmore charcoal paper, "Golden Brown"

I posted a work-in-progress shot of this piece back before Thanksgiving, and just got a chance to finish it.  (You can read that first post here.) Thankfully, nuts don't wilt or shrivel up like some botanical models, they just waited patiently stuck to a piece of foam core board until they got their call-back:

I was originally going to do at least one more row of nuts, but the square format of these three seemed finished to me. This was such fun—almost monochromatic, it was a great practice in seeing and drawing textures. And I love using toned paper, but it's a pain to scan, as it loses its texture. I'm going to take some camera shots and I'll let you know if it's an improvement.

On another topic, I'm thinking of re-doing my blog banner—all of the images in this one are at least two years old. I like really simple banners, and yet, I want a first-time visitor to quickly get a feel for what I do. Maybe I can come up with a few ideas and get some feedback from all of you! How about you...exactly what do you like a banner to convey?