Hi Steve, nice progress That's the way I do: without any sketches I immediately block in and then I use as much colors as I can similar as you did in the first stage but I tend to blend the brushstrokes a lot more (that's the very first blending, the most aggressive one), then I blend with the "hard out smudge" knife, when done it's time to go back to the brushes a bit to touch up things, them go back with the knife again and then it's the turn of the frosting and blur knifes and finally I go back with the hard out smudge again to get a clearer picture. In the whole process some things are deliberately left rough and loose to keep the painted feel. Keep it going!!