I've hit a compositional snag.  Here's my current picture I'm doing because I'm procrastinating on my big Christmas image because I'm intimidated with the modelling work that I'm going to have to figure out how to do.  It's another in the Buster series (Conniekat is giving a huge assist in his texture dept.)

So here's the good news, I learned a new trick to make deciduous distance forests.  As you can see in the hills in the background, they're covered with small wooded areas.  To keep it from only being coniferous, I did a usual "Add Noise" forest, but then said to myself I was sick of pine trees, can I make them look rounded.  So I slapped to clicks of "smoothing" on the terrain editor on it, and son of a diddly if it didn't look like bulgy deciduous trees!  SO that's the upside.

What isn't complete yet is the cloud work.  Oh yes... there will be big 3d clouds.  I'm having fun with those... especially after what I did for the "Wake the Dead" composition, we're just getting the hang of this.  I also have to get the right set of trees and vegetation into the foreground, and I would love to figure out a way to do a road trailing off into the background... 

but...

... it's not feeling right compositionally.  I need to add color, so I think I'll ahve to find some banners or flags or something to add to this.  Also, I'm torn on just the layout of the composition.  I want enough castle for it to make an impact on the image, but not so much that it waters the whole thing down.  But at the same time, my background landscape isn't meshing quite as nicely as I'd like.  So... opinions people, I'd love a new set of eyes on this to give me an idea of what I could be missing,  if you would please.  ;c)

mdb