For this image I wanted to create a scene with an old abandonned watchtower, perched on a rockface, and overlooking a distant landscape. I spent a bit of time trying to decide what to put in the foreground - I originally thought an old statue would be cool, or maybe a gargoyle of some kind. But I eventually decided on a raven, which was inspired a little by the spies of Saruman in Lord of the Rings, with the idea that it is scouting the peaks and valleys on the hunt for the Fellowship.

I used Photoshop and my Wacom to paint this image from scratch, using a few reference photos for the mountains and for the raven. All done for practise and for fun.

Crits and comments very much welcome. Thanks.