Sometimes it helps to do a color study before diving in to a major painting. In this case, I was looking for a particular rocky feel, with some of the detail in a Maxfield Parish work. I spent a couple of hours doing this one on canvas paper (which sucks, by the way, I don't recommend it), and it really helped with the finished piece. In fact, I'm pretty happy with this one; I think it stands up on it's own, if completely by accident!
