brown trout, the front cover for the book Renegade's Magic by Robin Hobb, showing the work in progress

brown trout rising, watercolour, work in progress

brown trout rising, watercolour, work in progress, at the ugly stage with underpainting for background where gold leaf will go

brown trout rising, watercolour, work in progress, partialy gilded

brown trout rising, watercolour, work in progress, gilded but needing the fish to be worked into as the painting seems bleached out by the gold.

finished? cover for Renegade's Magic by Robin Hobb with more colour in the brown trout.

finished? cover for Renegade's Magic by Robin Hobb with more colour in the brown trout and showing the whole of the image.

The gold leaf, negative image of rising trout that remains after the gilding is done, a goldfish!