Step 7
I work the background colors in close to the figure. I don't need to be too exact, here because acrylics are opaque and I can easily clean up any details later.

Step 8
Here is the finished background. This part of the painting has taken about 10 or 15 minutes. No problemo!

Step 9
I want the wings to be lighter but mostly cool colors with some warmer highlights. I start them with a wash of lighter blue. I leave some brushstrokes showing the direction of the wing shapes.

Step 10
Time for some knife-work! I like the differing textures a palette knife can provide. I start with some darker yellows and add in lighter and lighter values. I like to work from dark to light when using opaque mediums.

Step 12
Here is a close up to show the detail of the palette knife strokes. Sometimes, when viewed close up, details can look a bit rough, but can look quite clean and detailed when viewed at a little bit of a distance. Because of this, I like to step back from the work often.