Super fun concept (I love steampunk-y dirigibles, I have one in my portfolio too 😉 and it looks like you already have some great feedback. These forums are a great place for getting critiques, and its especially awesome when one of the instructors drops in 😉 lucky you! My only comment is your linework seems a little big inconsistent to me--its definitely all there on your dirigible and the dad and the house, but in places like the backpack and the bushes it looks more rendered. Variation in line work can be OK as long as there is some consistency and rhyme and reason to why things are different, which I'm not seeing in the way you have it right now.

http://forum.svslearn.com/topic/2409/round-2-sept-3thurs

New concept, @Lee-White

0_1471137671909_OZ.jpg

0_1464389596866_June Contest.jpg

Capon Crusader is the only Cockeral that doesn't care for Cackling Cornish Crooks.
Please give input for this. I wanted critiques before I colored it.

Thanks,
Chris

@Lynn-Larson Thank Lynn. That tree was a lot of fun! I don't have my technique down yet so I wasn't too confident when I started rendering it. But with some play and trying different brushes it came out well.

Last submission here, I promise... I think, hehheh. I submitted my illustration last night and became restless thinking of all the details that would help push the image. I added some falling leaves to the tree, some sparkles and an abstract tool to the toolbox. I am much happier with the results now.

Thank you all for the kind words and comments! Happy 3rd Thursday.

0_1461254294518_Brad-A-Yoo---Lucys-Magic-toolbox.jpg

@evilrobot Thanks for bring that up. I was unsure too, if the conveyor belt is a tool or not, as it is described in the text?
In the first one she is holding the box and the belt with the bottles are flying out. Maybe if she was reaching in and yanking it out. Unsure if that would be confusing or not?
Thanks for your input.

@Rich-Green Happy to hear it! I obviously am a dog lover, I have a black and chocolate lab and my in laws lab is visiting so I have three underfoot at the moment.

@Dulcie a second piece!! i think I will, but maybe not for 3rd Thursday. Took some pictures of a toy train at work, I think I'll use that as reference.

thanks for the encouragement.

Love the color scheme. the green is lovely.

@Lee-White

Thanks for the feedback. The kind words are appreciated and the tough words even more so.

Still working on some solid ideas. I find Christmas related illustrations so tough. There is a lot of regurgitation of concepts and imagery in general.

@AWall said:

I liked your first drawing but I really dig your second. It might be taken farther if you can do something to distinguish Poe from the other characters. You might try a variation in size to isolate him since they are so tightly packed. Just an idea but play around with it a bit more, I think it can get even better.

I'll second that. You will either want to change the value of those characters (probably go lighter) or go with a different color for them.

The other main thing: you will want to really work at getting their organization just right. As it is, it more resembles a cut-n-paste/randomly placed crowd milling behind him. You want their placement to be very deliberate and designed. Don't be afraid to use different angles (you have most of the figures vertically aligned) and the figures can (should?) bleed into each other.
Related to that: you might want to vary their shapes/sizes more.

This is a really great image--one of the stronger ones I've seen so far for this contest. Really excited about it. I think you nailed the Poe figure and I like the composition of him and the text.

@Dulcie Welcome 🙂 I'm relatively new as well (I think) and it's nice to be able to interact with other illustrator's this way. By the way, awesome image!

@Rich-Green Thanks Rich! @Dulcie Thank you Dulcie! @Joy-Heyer Thank you too Joy - I hope i did not sound too pathetic! - really i have been quite busy that is why i sat this month out though i tried to stay active in the forum - i built a UV exposure box and have been experimenting with creating etchings of the Charly drawing - my friend is a printmaker and has an etching press - the plates we are using are called Solarplates - they have a photo sensitive layer that hardens when exposes to UV light - i think we just figured out the exposure time for the transparency...after 3 plates - i have three more coming - when we get a good print pulled i can post the process if there is any interest in making etchings from digital work -... Thank you again for your kind words!!

@Steve-Young Thank you I am revising the fire/logs and dancing pigs. And I think the scene does need another character , so Peter (as in Peter and the Wolf) will go in there, playing some kind of musical instrument (maybe a trumpet or trombone..). Stay tuned...

Thanks so much for the feedback! I debated on the red radio, I was hoping a pop of color against all that blue green would be a nice touch. I'll try a few color variations on that and see which works the best. I love the idea of adding some other things to the table! I've give that a shot.

I'm really at a loss for how to do the contrast. In black and white I can do it, but how to implement those changes in the color version really escapes me. That is definitely something I will work on. I almost NEVER draw backgrounds, so this was a huge step for me!

I'll work on some of this feedback, and post variations. Thanks again, really excited to continue illustrating and learning here with this awesome group of people!