Oh I like that idea for a background! I'm sketching it out now :)
Who's Vince-sama? lol Does he have any tutorials is probably the question I should be asking :P
As for the paw, I think it doesnt like me, but ah well I'll keep trying. Thank you though, you information was very helpful!! I am finally beginning to get some of the coloring down. Thank you. -hugs-
With the way he's stepping forward bravely, I think the light source should definetly be up in the left corner. I think if you did a background with the full moon, that would look really awesome. Having the actual light source in the picture might also help you figure out where the shading is.
I'm not too skilled with shading myself, but I try to remember that 'shading' is kind of a misleading term. There is really three things you need--a base color, shadow color, and highlights, to make a picture stand out. Vince-sama tells me to 'find the third line' when I'm shading--think of what part is closest to you, and shade over from it. Just look at as many references as you can, because things like photos can really help you figure out exactly how light curves around things.
As for the paw, include the toes, like you have on the other one. I would make them bent back a little as he's stepping forward.
Good luck!