VCD: Blythe Setting Concepts 2

I want a setting similar to the picture below, warm colors and browns, a bit of natural light, but maybe not too much. I like the idea of having the scenery pretty dark, so that the little objects and details don't take away from Blythe and her transformation.
 I did a quick copy of the image below for practice. They are both very similar, but I picked the top one because it is simple, and has a simple colour scheme.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHcpdDrHdbuFS_kCvlVMU9kkELjBlyUW26T45Kn3IJli2Z3WJz4LsGNbDYtlRRoZ7ctgSQIn1QFulJxQSiyv7cT9h4RZjTWGfIO0kLshUmC30ARRRhkJhBDy0z1sRVymhRXkq8GNBeERT/s640/RAPZ003.tif



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTULCrfkCePRsns7Qm1fZcUNDSXqvZ6IKXZaVppQkXvZ0m-SzSxcuOStfPwXuEvTwA4KDw_f8PphQkVlSwT_6k5Lu0DZjOxKZharM3Z764D2JXEpnzfXZCCq1_rJVIuK11vAXoSaXxatW/s640/Bastion_Rapz.jpg

This is the final product. A quick sketch and colour. It took a lot more layers than I thought. I'm not used to drawing backgrounds and/or settings in photoshop and I feel like it's not my strong point just in general. But I'm fairly happy at how it turned out. It could've been worse.
I usually use a free downloaded program for drawing, which is much simpler, but photoshop comes up a lot nicer. It's a bit difficult learning all the things and tools in Photoshop. Slowly I'm getting the hang of it. I need to remember to group and label my layers so they don't get mixed up.

Also the smudge tool didn't work as I thought it would, or how it does one my free program. I thought it would smooth it out and mix it better. But it just moved the paint around and made it look like a oil spill. So I have to learn the brushes and how to achieve different and appropriate effects.



Here are a few concept ideas of what I was planning for her concepts.

I thought a cottage might be a nice sweet look, and the trees and thorns can be made to look menacing. A bit of a juxtaposition between good and bad, like Blythe and the witch.
                                                                                                           






A drawing of inside a cottage. Unsure if this should be Blythe's or the witches home. The toasty fire and big, bright open window make it look a lot friendlier. The fire and candles can easily be altered too looks more threatening or eerie with colour and lighting changes.





Maybe a "cursing site" would be suitable. Tall carved rocks showing the curse symbol, fire, stone carved floor and nice mountain scenery. I thought it would be a cool idea, but maybe not too warm or even Disney-like, which is the feeling I'm trying to get. And something like that isn't mentioned in her story, so It might not be suitable.

I think I have decided on a indoor scene. A outdoor scene might take away from the transformation project, and a indoor scene can be much more easier to manipulate. So I'll darken the room a lot, letting it be lit by candles and a fire under the pot. Maybe a few small rays coming from the cracks in the window.  Even though it's going to be dark, I want it to be clear it's the witch's house. I added a big stove and pot, and looks of interestingly shaped bottles. I'll mainly be using colored hues to give off the witchy feeling.