@MarcRobinson Thank you for your feedback. I understand what you are saying about designing things. I have been looking at some other artists and you nailed what it is that I couldn't figure out about their pieces vs. mine. I knew I need to talk to other artists! Thanks again.

Chicken and Geese 2.jpg

Alright here is my piece! I feel pretty happy about how it turned out overall. I tried out a few different things and was able to make some positive changes that made the piece a bit better. Thanks again!

@AngelinaKizz I think what would be helpful is if you made the sky a deeper red and then also scattered more of the light across the snow since the sun. would be low on the horizon at dusk. making the shadows longer and more dramatic will help too i think. Also if the sun is low on the horizon and coming through the middle of the canyon I think you may want to change the direction of the shadows of the penguins in the middle ground. Another thing is I agree with what R. Fey Realme said that it would be nice to move the dude more towards the center so you give him more breathing room. It feels a little visually heavy on the right. Maybe it would also work if you had the dude looking to the left of the canvas or maybe almost behind himself that ways it doesn't feel like all the focus is going straight into the border. There's also a tangent between the yellow bird and the little ice platform in the bottom right quadrant but that should be an easy fix. Hope this can help! Also I really like the penguins they are so cute 🙂

I shoehorned the flight prompt into my own october art challenge where im doing a few different things in tandem to hone in on my illustration weaknesses. Major breakthrough of the month:shadows make a big difference!
Anyway this isnt done yet, but pats on the back are still apreciated 😉

IMG_3087.jpeg

@makekong the course?

Late to the party on this thread but here was my week two (all in one go). Loving everyone's work. I really enjoy seeing everyone's different takes on the same prompt. I'm really not a fan of my toad one, I did the tongue all wrong but... 'finished not perfect'.

Lizardillo_Inktober23_weekly_002.jpg

Hiya all, sorry I've been off the forum for a couple of months but found this Inktober thread. I've was enjoying seeing everyone's prompts on Instagram but they seem to have completely dried up on my feed now (algorhythm?). Everyone's on here is so great, nice to be able to see them all in one place. I'll add mine but I don't want to spam with 7 images in one go so I've put them on one document. This is my first Inktober and I'm finding it tough! 😬 Trying to use one character to give myself some sort of consistency (not that I've managed it! 😂) Every image is riddled with errors, but as Jake says... Finished not perfect!

Lizardillo_Inktober23_weekly_001.jpg

@MarcRobinson thanks for your input. I was planning on using watercolors so I may need to fall back and do some playing around coloring thumbnails first. I tend to get excited for inking and get ahead of myself. Thank you again!

I agree with everything @alexw said. 😁
And I don't think you need to change your style too much in order to fit in with what you think children's illustration is. You'll want to make your sample be art that you're happy and enthusiastic about illustrating an entire book in.
I think your loveliest art is on the top row of your website - all those textures and flowing forms! 😍 They would not be unwelcome in a children's book, though I'm sure it takes a whole heap more time! But maybe you could incorporate a bit of that in this piece, if you'd like to.

Here's one suggestion: at the moment the dog is looking straight at the viewer and doesn't seem to know the boy is there. Maybe you could turn his head to face the boy, or he could be looking at his sore foot, or at the stethoscope? Creates a bit more interaction.

Aha! I think I've finally realised what it is about those flat shapes that doesn't quite sit right with me: I think they contrast too much with the more realistic shapes of the boy and the dog. I know it's hard to make veterinary cabinets and tables interesting... Maybe you could make the dog and boy more flat colour if that's something you like?
In fact the dog almost looks like a photo, even more realistic than the boy. So maybe you could make the boy and background more realistic to match the dog, or vice versa?
(I like how you've got the boy and dog's heads framed by the cabinet behind them.)

I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole, looking at other children's vet books. I'm not sure these are going to be any help, but I had fun "researching!"
IMG_2988.jpeg
I can't find the name of this illustrator (😖) but I think it's great how they've got texture in even the flat things, fun details everywhere (those posters! 😆), and a dynamic perspective.

IMG_2989.jpeg
On the other hand, Catalina Echeverri has kept this one very simple, with enough texture and contrast to show what's important.

And this one's my favourite, with a similar colour scheme and perspective to yours!
IMG_2990.jpeg
IMG_2991.jpeg
Everything in the background is desaturated purples and grey, with more saturated colours in the characters and a few props.
This is Paula the Vet by Julia Donaldson and Joelle Dreid and I recommend the read! I love how the vet gets more frazzled as the day goes by, and the silly surprise at the end.

Sorry that I've rambled on and on! I hope something here is helpful.
Have a fantastic weekend!

@Larue thank you!

@dinky very fun! I like the texture of your lines.

@jvartandillustration yes! I will post a new thread each week on Sunday for you to upload that week's artwork. Really excited to see what everyone is going to make!

Thanks so much, @Asyas_illos! I'm happy to step in. It always inspires me to see what everyone is working on! Enjoy this exciting time in your life with the move, school and weddings.

Thanks for the post @Jeremy-Ross! I appreciate it.

Wow! I really thought that was traditional. If you didn’t tell that it was traditional, I would’ve never known.

Hey everyone, my latest WIP... I am needing your thoughts about this image I am about to send to the printer for my physical portfolio. I have time blindness and can't see if I am missing something, been working on it so long I can't see what needs fixing. Do you think I should increase the size of the girl and fox, and drop the bear back? And trying to maintain the time of early evening... yet does it seem too dark? Insights welcome thank you 🙂 Singing Time Lighter Grass Reduced.jpg

I think your second version is nearly perfect!! I love the duck teasing the cat -- more than water for that cat to worry about... 😉 Really heightens the contrast between the cat's stress and everyone else's peacefullness.

I like the lily pads -- for some reason I want more of them around the left edge, but that's just me. 🙂

The Tray and Tea Set DO bother me. If I were in this tub, I'd place the tray with the long edge facing me (horizontal to the picture frame). Then I'd have the teacup and it's handle close to my right hand (I'm right handed). I'd have the cookies close to me (maybe on the opposite side of the tray from the cup, then the Pot farther from me in the middle. Arranging it this way is "logical" to me, and it just might solve some tangency vs scattered concerns.

Looking forward to more of this one!

Hi Luke! Welcome! I really like your style. The first thing I noticed was that the last (farthest) cross rail on the fence doesn't decrease in width like the first two. Second, the point of highest contrast (IMO) is at the pinky finger/elbow up against the white of the fence. Intentional? (Is holding the ice cream the main point of your story.) Finally, the edges on the left side of the page are so "lost" / fuzzy as compared to the right side -- maybe this was intentional to show distance, but then the street and sidewalk between his legs don't follow the same rules.
This makes me want to see more of your work and i would love to see your next version of this one. Very intriguing style. ** LIKE **

As the title says. I've been drawing for a couple of months now. I am currently focusing on lineart, colors, light and shadow. I'm going through some personal stuff right now, but my plan is to start with learning how to do proper backgrounds and composition soon.
What would you say about this piece? I'm looking for feedback mostly on proportions, shapes, lineart, colors, light and shadow.

Thanks a lot for taking the time!

014 - Cowboy Bebop Swordfish_1.jpg

@kayleenartlover Super fun piece, and it’s great to see you working so hard on it.

To me, the dresser does not read as white. I think there are two things that might be working together against you here:

One is that the cats and bed in the foreground do not have the same value or hue of shadow placed on them (i.e. the cats are still pretty bright orange and the bed is very blue compared to the dark greenish shadow in the BG.) I think the left thumbnail above you have is better at making the characters fit into the scene overall.
(This one seems like a stretch but I thought I’d throw it out there.)

The other (probably more prominent) is that the value of the dresser is lower than the value of the wall behind it. I know the lamp is casting some light on the wall, but the way it’s framed, most of the wall we see is quite light and to me, it makes the dresser appear dark.

Ways to help might be:

The lamp light could be dimmer, making the wall darker. I think that the main light source seems to be coming from the moon outside and this is really pretty. Maybe the lamp light being dimmer could even help the mood of the piece somewhat.

Try to lighten the value of the dresser.

Try to darken the foreground characters some. (This would be my last resort.)

Just to be clear, I do not think these “issues” take away from the piece at all - just addressing the dresser problem. The piece seems really nice and cohesive already and I like the colors you’ve chosen.