Thank you all for your kind words.
There were a couple questions;
I use holly and when the blank is sanded to about 600 grit I have a squeeze bottle of 1/2 water and 1/2 latex paint, whatever color our walls are, eggshell I think, anyway I squeeze a little on a paper towel and apply it sparingly with the lathe running then sand lightly when dry. It does not change the color of the wood. That treatment seems to seal the wood and keeps the watercolor from traveling up the grain or blotching. As for the time it took, I painted it in a couple of hours but then I would notice something wrong every time I looked at it so after about a week of corrections I just finished it before I overdid it. I have a tendency to overdo.
And for the Patrick O'Brian fan, I am almost finished with "The Yellow Admiral", Book # 18 of the 20 novel set. I don't want it to end.