WIP: Critiques Please! Riley's Garage Project {Miriam}

[Larue]

I LOVE the concept but I don't think his garage should look like a humans garage. I could see it as one he built in nature made from found objects/plants etc.

[Miriam]

@larue Thanks for your comment!
I was wondering about that, too. One problem I was having is: how would it be obvious it's a garage? But I guess having the text makes that less of an issue. I'll work on it!

I'm glad you made me think about that again, and it gives me a new idea: I could have the hang glider made of objects from nature, too — like a twig for the handle and leaves for the sailcloth.
Or reconsider my idea of Riley building a paper airplane. (I thought it might look cute, but wouldn't be very messy to build.)

[Miriam]

This could also help me show that Riley is a similar size as the bug friends, and not a larger frog.

In my research, I learned there are super tiny species of animals like frogs, chameleons, & bats.

(That's not a quarter — it's a dime!)

[jenn]

@miriam maybe the garage could be made from a half-flowerpot on its side or something like that, with a small cart or scooter in it or some other simple vehicle

[Miriam]

@jenn Good ideas, thanks!
I was also thinking of adding a boat, if I keep Riley as a frog. (Or at least have an oar leaning against the wall, if there isn't room for a boat.)

[Miriam]

Some other things I need to decide are:
• Do I want the characters to be specific species (real animals)?
• If they are specific animals, does it matter if they are from the same region / habitat?

[miranda-hoover]

@miriam Cute concept! Your composition looks great. I don't think having (or not having) specific animals or animals from the same region would affect your concept, so I would go with which direction motivates you most.

I personally like the human garage idea, but a creature garage assembled from nature and stuff would also be cute if you want to go that direction.

I don't know anything about aerodynamics (so I could be totally wrong here), but I'm not sure if the glider alone would be enough to get him off the ground? Maybe including a propeller on his contraption or a fan behind him would give him going (thinking of Chicken Run, lol). Although thinking about it, his strong jumping legs might be enough to get him into the air...

[stayhomejoe]

@miriam I love this idea. The only thing I would try differently is to move the frog up a little to draw the eye towards it. Awesome. Keep up the good work

[jenn]

@miranda-hoover I think if the glider were larger that would help get him airborne (larger surface area = greater lift)

[Miriam]

@miranda-hoover Thanks!
Yes, I was thinking he would run & jump into the air to kick-off the flight (+ a little fairytale / suspended disbelief ). Or maybe he lives in an area with some good updrafts .
A propeller or fan is also a good idea.

[Miriam]

@stayhomejoe Thanks!
In my original thumbnail, I used a 3rds grid & his face was on the intersection of the lower 3rds. Somehow I got off of that when I enlarged my drawing.
Currently, the face is on a vertical 3rds line, & the values are helping I think, but yeah, I can try moving him around to see if that works better. I'm also thinking about maybe making him bigger (but that may cause other problems!).

[Miriam]

@Larue @jenn @miranda-hoover @stayhomejoe @KathrynAdebayo @Kevin-Longueil @AngelinaKizz
All of your comments and support have been very helpful & also increased my commitment to keep working on making this illustration better. You guys are great!

Here's how it looks so far.

I've looked up a lot of reference to compare sizes for the animals and objects, & decided to use realistic sizes, but not worry about specific species & details. At first, I was going to use the size of the smallest frog in the world, but since that's literally the same size as a ladybug, I thought I'd go with a larger frog to make him more compatible with found objects & the larger animals. These animals give a good character line up of various sizes — with "big" including a bumblebee hummingbird !

I want to add more stuff to "trash" the garage, & hopefully refine & color the image. (I'm a beginner, so I'm still figuring out how to make a drawing look finished, but the SVS classes are helping me progress. )

[miranda-hoover]

@miriam Very cute! I love the lady bug and the details on the boat.

[Miriam]