It looks familiar - I thought it was older than that!
I love the process, working with a textural background that shimmers through the layers - something I myself prefer also, as opposed to the practice of the "purists" of mische technique who go to extreme lengths of hiding their brush strokes and flattening out layers with razor blades! (I had some heated discussions about this almost "religious" approach with Brigid Marlin).
This is a excellent tutorial! Pay attention, kids!
Interesting you quoted Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. I did also about one of my drawings, quoting Snakes and Ladders - a very wise man ... and no wonder the Ayatollahs wanted him dead.