@skeletortoise my pick is the right one. The secondary story works nicely with the dragon and groom scene in the background. I recommend moving the baker out of the center though because centering characters often creates a challenging composition. You could move the baker and the cake farther to the right. The cake could even go off of the page a bit. As long as it is still clear what has happened to the cake it should work.
I like the right side image as well. I feel like it tells more story. If you’re leaning towards the first maybe have the baker protecting his cake?
@skeletortoise I hate to say it now that you did two more but I personally think the 3rd one from your previous sketches is stronger. I feel like the cave isn't adding to the story in the new 2nd one. 
I like that you can see the people running around up above the baker in the 3rd one.
Also I agree he may need to look like he is protecting the cake, or is worried. He almost looks a bit frightened of the cake in this pose. Perhaps if his hands were on the sides of his face or he was fanning the cake, or he looked like he was garding what's left of the cake?
This will be really cool once you get it all finished up, can't wait to see the end result I think it is going to be really good when it's all finished once you find that composition. 
@MerryMary thanks for the feedback! Honestly, even if I go with one of the first three, I’m still really glad I did these - I think they pushed it somewhere I wouldn’t have originally thought.
I do want to say though that the “cave” is really supposed to be the inside of the building and the dragon had broken the wall, exposing the outside. I’m just noting this in case you think it might be better if that as communicated better?
Thanks again!
@AngelinaKizz that’s a good idea! I think that might communicate his emotional state better.
Thanks!
@Griffin-McPherson wow, I did even realize he was central! Thanks for pointing this out!
@skeletortoise I think the reason the 3rd one is stronger from what I can see is because the baker is close enough involved in the action that it is easier to pick up the irony of the situation. In the new 2nd one, when he is so much closer to us, and facing so far away from all of the havoc around him in the distant background it feels less impactful to me. The bride and groom are so far away it seams like he would have less reason to be involved in trying to help them, he is just the baker and not a knight after all. His cake is also out of any more danger and its just the after math bummer. When he is closer to the action it makes it much more clear that he is completely focused on the cake and doesn't care who or what else is getting eaten.
Though I do think it is hilarious the the bride is up in the air about to be swallowed! Love it!
That is just my general gut reaction from these little sketches. I think you have more vision for what you are going for and will have a clearer idea of what will work for the piece because of it
@MerryMary thanks so much for the in depth explanation! I'm working on a tighter sketch right now, trying to bring the best of everything, but we'll see how it goes.
I just wanted to post an update on the sketch I’m doing now. The assignment is really just to get to the sketch phase, but I’m hoping to get the values to read as well. Any thoughts on this stage are welcome.
@skeletortoise this looks really good to me, I like it
@skeletortoise Just wanted to say this last one communicates the story a lot better to me! I think even more chaos / busyness in the background (more people fleeing, etc) would work, as long as you keep them distinctly grouped into foreground and background like you are doing with value and level of detail. Nice progression from your first sketches!
Hello all,
I am now doing the second illustration for Assignment 2 is Will’s course, and I would appreciate some feedback. I have 5 thumbnails and I would like to know which one seems the most interesting and present the most storytelling opportunity.
The story: a kid has been trying to grow a plant successfully for some time, but he had no success. One day, a tree he planted bursts to an enormous size!
Thanks in advance for any notes you may have on the story or composition!
@skeletortoise Hi! Wow, you've chosen a tough idea to convey! I suppose the main way to show that the tree has grown overnight is in the child's expression, and maybe some destruction around it - like lumps of earth that have been pushed aside?
Here are my initial thoughts:
Number 4 looks the most effective to me, though it might be a clichéd point of view (though maybe it's overused because it's so effective...) but it really gets the point across that this is one enormous tree and that that it's surprising somehow.
Yes, the bird's-eye view, number 3, does seem impersonal. It looks more like a good establishing shot for a story that's about a tree and takes place near a town, but doesn't make the tree seem unusual or weird.
Number 1: it's hard to tell how large the tree is... Though if you want the focus to be on the child and his reaction, this might be a good starting point.
Number 2 is maybe a bit uninteresting. It's an image you'd see in any book. But maybe with the tree closer and more upheaval of the earth etc, it could be more effective.
Number 5 looks though the story is more about the child in his room than about the tree - the tree just looks like a background element. Though I suppose it could be right up close to the window as if it's trying to get his attention, or even pushing through the wall?! Then he would probably have noticed it and be reacting in some way. 
Well, I hope something I've rambled about here will prove helpful in some way.
I hope you enjoy the illustrating! 
@Robyn-Hepburn thank you for taking the time to give such an in-depth critique! I think I agree with your points. I wonder though if the bedroom scene could work if the plants strewn around the room conveyed his goal. Might be really tough to make it read though.
I’ll keep working on this. Thanks again!
I would mix 1 and 3.
What I like about 1 is that you have the past on the left and the present on the right. However the point of view of 3 allows a better understanding of the size of the tree, and it is more dramatic. The expression of the kid should still be visible though, as it will help telling the story. I don’t think the view of the city is needed though; you could skip it if that make things too busy?
One more thumbnail trying to blend 1 and 3 together and I’ve included the text as well. I like this one but am open to tweaks to make it more effective before I go into the rough sketch phase.
@skeletortoise Great! I can definitely tell now that the tree is big and the child is reacting. 
Just throwing some additional thoughts out, feel free to ignore:
Just finished! The assignment is for a “rough sketch” so I think that about does it for this one. I like this one a lot better than the first one I did.
Please feel free to leave feedback if you have it. Thanks to everyone who helped me with this assignment!
So you’ve changed your mind at the end
Very nice work! It was really interesting to see you explore different solutions.
@skeletortoise my pick is the right one. The secondary story works nicely with the dragon and groom scene in the background. I recommend moving the baker out of the center though because centering characters often creates a challenging composition. You could move the baker and the cake farther to the right. The cake could even go off of the page a bit. As long as it is still clear what has happened to the cake it should work.
