Thanks so much, everyone! And sorry for the delay--got sidetracked with a lot of different things, unfortunately.
Myriam, you're absolutely correct--I darkened up the background. How is it now?
JabyReART, you're right--there were some issues with the underlying drawing, but it actually wasn't the leg. When I superimposed the reference image, I discovered that I had drawn the torso and the arms a bit off. I've fixed them both--do you think the leg looks better now?
Monkeybread, I love your suggestion, but at this point, I'm not sure I'm willing to invest the time it would take to make those changes--altering the light source would be a very time-consuming challenge for me. For now, I'd just like to move on, but it's not inconceivable I won't revisit this in the future...that's the advantage of a digital format! As for the text, I'll be getting a critique from the creative writing group I go to shortly, so hopefully they'll be able to give me some useful feedback!
Thank you again, all of you!!!