Blood & Knavery, Cold

I've started a new painting. I have two version of these same elements, one very warm in tone, the other - this one - very cool. It's another in the Metamorphosis series.
I worked on the top book, roughed in one of the metal printing plates, did the wooden corners of two other plates and part of the pages of the bottom book. Worked on two wooden printing blocks, the number eight and the letter p.
This painting, named for one of the plates, is relatively subtle in color. It will go slowly because the detail is exacting. The background - one of my favorite parts on this one - is going to get a lot more texture and detail. The shifts of color and pattern on the piece of sheet metal that's the background are the result of it being tempered and colored by frequent exposure to heat.