I finally broke down and got some corn cobs. Filling all the voids can be a pain in the neck. It is good looking stuff in a creepy sort of way. This is 3 views of the same pen.
Thanks all.
I bought the cob pre-colored. I know that sounds like cheating, but until I tried a few cobs, I really didn't want to start way back at the beginning. I did a couple more since this one. I think I am comfortable enough now to start from scratch.