Park scene for local magazine

[kylebeaudette]

A local magazine asked if I would contribute a where's waldo type drawing of a waterfront park. I drew one for them last year and it was popular, so they've asked me to do it again.
Its a scene of animals enjoying a park. No humans, this is a Richard Scarry type of thing.
My issue is they asked for the majority of the animals populating the pic to be canada geese, as they overrun our local parks. I was all for it until I remembered that their heads are black, and it will be hard for me to make cartoonish expressions.
I'll be posting my workflow here, any helpful criticism is more than welcome.

Ive drawn a rough layout of the park so far, no structures added yet.

Here's last years snowbunnies (I've shared this before..)

[Nyrryl Cadiz]

Great park bacground! Do you have any sample sketches of the geese?

[kylebeaudette]

@nyrrylcadiz

Some fast pen sketches

[kylebeaudette]

well I had to redraw the picture as I drew it in A4 and it needed to be 8 1/2 by 11, which is a different pixel dimension. A major pain in my butt, but I think the new pic is much better and looks less photoshoppy so far.

[juliepeelart]

@kylebeaudette Of the sketches my favorite head shape is the full drawing on the upper right. The idea of the eyeball on top of the heads is pretty funny too!

[Coreyartus]

I love the re-draw!! The colors seem more vivid, and I prefer the new trees over the older ones somehow. Very cool!!!

[djly]

The redraw with the playground equipment and park benches adds some extra whimsy that is very nice. The sketches of the birds thus far are also looking good. The eyeballs on the top of the head may help to maneuver the issue of the all black head you were worried about in your first post.

[theprairiefox]

@kylebeaudette I love the new background. It is really working for the whimsy much better. I think you have a much better value system going on as well.

Only comment I would have is that you may want to watch your tangents on the trees on the left side. The leaves are really close to the edges. You might want to either move them in or further out of the picture.

Good work, will be fun to see it with the geese! (I like the eyeballs on top...)

[kylebeaudette]

Thanks people! Yeah, I agree the redraw works better. I hadn't drawn anything in about a month, and it kind of shows. I think this picture will come together as it gets populated with animals and other things like more park equipment, picnic tables etc..
They've asked for it to be densely populated, and I'm going to do what I can to make that happen.
Thanks for the help on picking a goose sketch. I think those eyes on top will work, but I really wish I was drawing some other animal

Thanks for pointing out that those trees are too lined up, I'll try to keep things like that in mind

[kylebeaudette]

added in some characters. It's taking me a long time to draw these bird characters, and I have about 8 days to turn this into a Where's Waldo level of crowded scene...yikes. These 5 took me like an hour and a half. I'm not being paid much to do this, so I need to make it a labour of love!

[kylebeaudette]

Drew some more. I feel for Waldo artist Martin Handford. Populating a scene with many little jokes and stories takes a long time. I have about four days left to land this thing, gettin' a littttllle worried. :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat: The perspective isn't perfect and the line weight is kind of all over the place. D'ah well. I'm essentially being paid peanuts for this so, it is what it is.

[kylebeaudette]

Onwards and upwards. As I'm drawing this, I'm constantly thinking about how simple this style is, and whether or not it looks like garbage. The lack of shading/details make this look pretty childish in many spots. Thoughts?
Also, click the image to see it clearly...

[Coreyartus]

I think this is lovely and fun! The only thing that I would note is that you have some bird people with arms that look like wings, and other bird people with arms and legs that appear caucasian. It makes their heads appear to be stocking caps with really big grins instead of birds... I'm just saying that's what it looked like to me at first glance. I had to look a little deeper to see what you were going for. Perhaps the beaks and bills could be a different color on the dark-toned geese? Or their arms and legs could be feathers as well? Or perhaps you're planning that still.

Everything looks wonderfully vibrant and fun!!

[kylebeaudette]

@Coreyartus
Yeah, I hear you on that. They're canadian geese, black necks with a white stripe under the chin, and then tan/white feathers on the body. I was going to give their arms and legs the same colour as their necks, but it wasn't accurate... I'm left with this look.
I agree that it looks like a great big grin, but I'm hoping once ppl see the actual beaks/mouths they will looks past it.

As for some having more winglike arms, I think you're right but it's too late.
The rules of this world are sketchy at best...

[braden H]

@kylebeaudette Considering the where's waldo aspect of the piece, I think relatively simple and cartoonish is definitely the way to go Doesn't look like hot garbage at all.

I like the 'no geese' sign.

Will you be having one goose chasing a solitary human figure off the page ?

[kylebeaudette]

@Braden-Hallett haha, thanks man! I keep going between thinking it's a fun picture to thinking it's an embarassing Microsoft paint crapfest.

I've thought about having a human pooping, or humans flying in a V formation in the sky, but I think I'll stay away from it altogether.
The magazine has asked that there be many hidden animals, so far I have a skunk...and the skunk isn't anthropomorphic. I'm torn. I think it will be easier to hide them if they're not, but there could be some good interspecies jokes if I care less about the hiding. Like how I have the old man goose on the bench feeding the pidgeon teens his chips.

[kylebeaudette]

Another bunch of geese added.

[theprairiefox]

@kylebeaudette coming out nicely... I am digging the geese. They are really starting to fill in.

One thing I noticed (or distracted me) was that the goose throwing the frisbee looks like his other arm is resting on the top of the tree? If you could move him or change the angle of his arm I think it would not do that. Just a thought.

But what a fun piece!

[kylebeaudette]

@theprairiefox that's a very good point, thank you

[kylebeaudette]

Ok this is what I turned over to the magazine. It is not as populated as Where's Waldo, but it's still got a lot going on. Thanks for your help!