Composition Advice with this Barn Owl Painting

Savina has sent me this picture she has almost completed and she is having difficulty with the composition should she continue.I have to say this is a very ambitious piece of work as the only reference she has used is a photo of a barn owl; the rest is from her imagination. This kind of picture is something that is impossible to comment on as I would have no reference areas to compare with, this is very much a personal venture by the artist.There is one problem that needs to be addressed if Savina decides to continue with the painting and that is the Owl appears to have only one leg with lots of claws. If you study the section of the photograph Savina sent me you will note that there is a leather strap hiding the back claw, see black arrows. The two claws indicated by the brown arrows are in fact the claws to the other leg that is behind the facing leg and hidden from view. When viewing a photograph such as this that gives off misleading information it is up to the artist to decipher the details and then present them in an acceptable way. In this case the two claws of the other leg can be placed in shadow this would help give the illusion of the fact the Owl does have both legs.I would suggest that Savina completes this unusual painting as I am sure that just the fact that it is a charming study of a Barn Owl people will love it.If you would like feedback on your artwork then please join Colin's exclusive membership and also access all his drawing and painting tutorials.