Grade: D-
This is the first in a series of studies, the goal of which is to regain comfort with blending. I essentially gave up with this one and began adding distinguishable strokes to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal.
I tried a fan brush and found that, with this small of an image (12"x16" total), this brush doesn't work well and I am left with using either the latest brush I've loaded with paint or another brush that I set aside solely for blending.