Final Sketch for Udolpho

I am working on the last of 10 illustrations for The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe. Some of them, I have recently put up on my website, and I am very pleased with the project as a whole. I am now working on the final image, which will probably be the cover.

I have here a rough greyscale workup of my plan, and I would like some constructive criticism. Does the castle look imposing enough? Does the figure stand out? Is the ground believable

? How well does the contrast work? Does anything stand out as glaringly wrong? What would you change or add?

Thanks for the comments.

The Children's Book Proclamation

Wacom's "A Thousand Forests" Competition

Every artist out there should go and enter Wacom's "A Thousand Forests" competition.

A Thousand Forests

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not only are free competitions a no-brainer, for every entrant Wacom has agreed to donate $5 to the International Child Art Foundation. The Foundation aims to integrate art with sports, science, and technology, to provide more access to the arts for children around the globe. With all the educational cuts being made lately, you can support art in our schools with just a tiny bit of effort, and maybe win a prize while doing it.