painting progress

I got some work done on my painting. I'm really liking my progress though I'm still having a bit of hard time with the lips. I think I need to let them dry and come back to them. Also I think if I got more of the finger in it might look better. I also need to wait for the hair to dry so I can put in the ear and then of course add more hair back in. The hair isn't done anyway.
I did try that clove oil and I'm just not impressed at all. If anything my paint dried out faster. I haven't painted since Friday but really I didn't think it would be this dried out. There was a skin over everything, the alizarin crimson included (one of the last to dry out usually). I put some in there tonight but the smell was so horrible I just won't be using it again. I'm going to try to paint to paint tomorrow, but I may just have to spend the night washing my palette again. I think I will try putting a wet sponge or paper towel in there. I've done that with acrylics before so I'm not sure if it will work out. I'm actually thinking of getting a set of acrylics after I run out of my oils. I may get a set before running out of oils. I seem to spend a lot of time waiting for these to dry, I might benefit from a faster drying time, and I work so thin anyway the paint really doesn't even stay wet over night anyway. I haven't let that stop me from blending, I've found a dry brushing technique that really works for me.
Also I have been published in The Battered Suitcase, an online literary magazine. My art work is featured as well as a few other artists, who have some very interesting work.