Unabased Glee or Unchecked Rage

I’m at a stopping point because I need new brushes — already! I’ve managed to go through four #2 tips before they started to fan, so I’ve decided to hold off until they arrive. Meanwhile, this kitty is still boasting two looks, though the unchecked rage is finally starting to fade and the glee is starting to emerge. For a while, this kitty was looking a little like a werewolf; I had to tone down the lower eyelids and decrease the size of the mouth, and now I think I’m on the right track. My base color frame is violet and yellow, but as you can see, I didn’t limit myself to just those colors. Monochromes are really hard for me to tackle because I love color the way a fish loves the water. I sort of overkilled on the gesso texture, so I have to decide how to incorporate those textures into a background that neither takes over nor hinder the attention away from the cat — but this is also the first time I’ve employed gesso as a texture instead of a canvas cover — my art teacher gave me this idea — so I’m allowing myself to experiment a little, just enough so that if I screw up, I can work with the screw-up to make it right.