Lines or no lines?

[hayleyannececil]

Hi all. Which do you prefer? Lines or no lines? The no lines I think I prefer but feels lacking as I’m used to drawing with lines and trying to veer away from it...!

[Laurel Aylesworth 0]

@hayleyannececil Maybe with line but more subtle? The no line one is blending in with the background without it.

[NessIllustration]

@hayleyannececil I like the no lines!

[Naters.Art]

I like the lines but they're too stark. You could lower the opacity of the black or change the line color to a dark brown.

[hayleyannececil]

Thank you all. Going to have a bit more of a play with shadow vs more subtle lines!

[Melissa_Bailey]

@hayleyannececil -- first off, your yeti is adorable! Love how you're saying so much with so little.

There's something charming about the "no lines" version. However, the values are so similar, details get lost and the neck fades into that darkest part of the swash.

Being a fellow line lover, there's also something nice about the lines, as they define the shapes and bring the character forward. But I agree with @Laurel-Aylesworth-0, perhaps instead of having stark black lines, you lighten them or color them?

Really sweet piece, and I love how you're playing with shapes in the composition!

[hayleyannececil]

Thank you @Melissa-Bailey-0 yes I was trying for a minimalist approach

[hayleyannececil]

So I’ve tried to add some more shadows to define it a bit more (hopefull there is a difference!) and next I’m going to try with more subtle line art

[Melissa_Bailey]

@hayleyannececil yes, those subtle changes did help a lot with readability. ️

[Julia]

For me, no line but more contrast!
The image is very cute

[Tiffany Thomas]

@hayleyannececil I love them both, really nice design and composition! I think the softness & texture of this character lends itself better to the "no lines" version but there are some areas where the values of the colors are so close that you loose a but of the depth, like where the neck meets the grey smoke. I think if you just deepen that neck shadow a tiny bit it might help balance it out a bit. Soooo good though, I totally want to hang out with this Yeti!!!

[Tiffany Thomas]

@hayleyannececil Haha, just saw this version. Apparently I should read through the whole thread before replying. I like the changes, it definitely gives more depth!

[hayleyannececil]

@Tiffany-Thomas haha thank you! If I have time I’ll try one with lighter lines and see what it looks like vs this one, I’ve just always drawn with lines so it’s hard for me!

[chrisaakins]

@hayleyannececil I understand the desire for no lines but also loving lines. What I sometimes do to compromise is I make a selection of my shape and on the clipping mask, just barely brush the edges with a dark analogous color to define the shape without an obvious line.

[Richard Matthews]

@hayleyannececil when I first saw the lines I was like "oh definitely lines" but I prefer the no lines! haha. Great work! It looks so soft without the lines.

[hayleyannececil]

@Richard-Matthews hahaha! It’s a struggle, I’ve now done a soft line version, going to post the 2 new ones below! Think I still prefer no lines!

[hayleyannececil]

@chrisaakins ohhh good tip! Thank you ️

[hayleyannececil]

Ok...soooo I THINK I prefer no lines in the end! Here’s both options together :)! Edit, ignore the dark blob on foot, thought I rubbed that out ‍️

[joosterwijk]

@hayleyannececil Beautiful! I love the softness of it. Still I prefer the ones with lines, it ads a little bit more readability to it. Maybe you can tone them down even more, for instance on the left foot (also the tangent there makes it a bit less clear).
Very nice work!

[Richard Matthews]

You don't have to change the words but I love making things rhyme so thought I would add "The Yeti cooked with flare and secret spices. With aroma in the air to keep it nice". No pressure at all :). I still prefer the no lines, great work!