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I painted in the cats spots with Ivory Black, which is more transparent than Mars Black and leaves a softer edge. The last thing I want is for the spots to look painted on. After securing the position of the spots, I used the same color to establish the dark areas of the panther. Most people don't realize that "panthers" are not a seperate species, but just melonistic (black on black) versions of a leopard or jaguar. I then washed over the entire cat with a dark mix of Raw Umber and Paynes Gray, bringing the values very close together. I then enhanced the spots and blak areas wit Mars Black, and softened the edges with more Ivory Black. I picked out some highlights on the fur with Paynes Gray and white, washed over a little Raw Umber and picked out a little more hightlight with the Paynes Gray and white again. This helps give some depth to the fur. The cat is done for the moment but I'll be coming back to it later. I also planted the feet into the moss to set the cat on the branch.