Velvety Blackness

At first, I thought using Mars Black for the background would convey a sense of a steamy, muggy summer night, but when it dried it looked completely flat and dull. I just put a coat of Payne's Gray on top of it, and am much happier with the sense of depth. I need to check

it again in a little while to make sure the lap marks are leveling out, but here is the latest version of

Rita's, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger version)