Jody, thanks. The beard, though part of the t-map, was done in PSP6 via the smudge and soften tools (1px & 2px brush size). cybeo, perhaps you have work viewable online to enlighten me on the way things "should" be done? Until then, your "critique" is a bit... well... you know. Good effort though. Just has to be channeled in the right direction. blood, thanks. Your correct, the shadows are from trees off camera. The fog, in addition to the effects of ambience and perspective on color make it a little hard to see the shadows in the background. I tried a few other camera angles in order to include a glimpse of the trees, but they were not complimentary to the rule of thirds. I would have panned left, but... the far centaur would have become centered and created a focal point at 0,0. -Rob