Hey everyone! I've completed a couple of pieces in the last couple of months and just wanted to share them. One piece is a master study of Lee White's beautiful composition of the boy and the moon. Creating the luminous glow with the white ink was so much fun. Another painting I've done is 'Ada building a hut', which I did after watching Lee's 'Loosening up in watercolor' class. With both of these pieces the main aim for me was trying to keep the painting loose, but not letting it get too messy/out of control. It's a tricky balancing act and I have a long way to go I think. I have also painted 'girl playing with her dolls'. I was going through the creative composition class after I had already started this one, so I wish I had done small thumbnails before I began it. Nevertheless, I tried my best to focus on the values in this painting and provide enough contrast/focus/interest, whilst keeping the colour palette to a minimum. I know there's room for improvement, but I do like it overall I welcome any feedback here, all about improving! My aim is to get to the point where I'm really happy with my watercolour paintings and then start learning digital illustration and how I can incorporate my watercolour. I also want to create enough quality pieces to go in my portfolio Thanks!))

@AbbeyK I think they mean just enough to understand see how the tones in the image will work. If you have regular soft lighting it's probably not necessary to include it in your thumbnail. But if you have lighting that plays an important role (spotlight, dramatic lighting, etc) and it changes everything about the tones of your image, then it's necessary to test it out at this stage.

@fmb I’m so happy to hear that! Good luck ️️️

@skillydan that’s a great idea, thanks!

Hey SVS people! what do you think about these thumbnails? Are they clear? Do they look ok? Any critiques and comments are welcome. Thanks! Also it goes from bottom to top. )

@Chip-Valecek @theprairiefox – Thanks! Having both Bongo and Clyde visible would indeed seem more appropriate...

You made amazing improvements!! I really like this new cover compared to the old one. My only comment is I think you should still say "by pheonix yip" and maybe less kearning on that so it's easier to read. Also, maybe adjust the cloud shape around 'Battle" so it overlaps with the letters just once. It's getting hard to read there too.

@aprilshin Thanks April! ️

@theprairiefox great! Thank you!

@Georgios-Christopoulos Ah sorry I misunderstood your question! I agree with @TessaW, I think this style could work well for a mid-grade children's book (approx 8-12 years) but maybe not for younger kids. Depends what market you are aiming at really. I'm absolutely no children's book expert btw but I do work with children and as a result see lots of children's books.

Thank you!

@jaepereira I redid the panels a little. What do you think? Sorry, the opacity is low.

This a follow-up to a post I shared a little bit ago, but I want to make sure there are no competing contrasts. So, I'm posting the values of what I added so far. The theme is that both characters are under water. I want to keep the overall look of the characters: the woman's darker skin and the bird's two-tones. My goal, however, is to make sure that the viewer looks at the woman first. Am I succeeding? Am I on the right track? If anyone has input on areas I can improve, I'm open to suggestions

My eyes go to the woman's face first and then drop to the bird where they like to stay. So I am drawn to the bird more than the woman, I would say. I am wondering if you could add just a bit of white or color to the woman's hair, not much, but enough to bring my eyes back again since she is the main object you want to emphasize? I like the bluer sky in the first one in contrast to the woman, I think the woman pops more. Now, I just took another look and I think I am drawn back to the woman more than I thought so, I guess I don't really know what I'm talking about The yellow eyes are what draws mw back. I love the colors and it looks good!

@Ashton-H Aw, this took me by surprise! Thank you, and it's equally inspiring to me that you're working on your own self-published art books. Keep going!

@sketchbook This looks amazing with the darkened tone, and the dramatic lighting, wow! Thank you all for your comments. I'll have another look at the piece. This is really great feedback

@whitney-simms Good idea about finding my tribe. Thanks!

Great thumbnailing! When you narrow it down to the one you want to do, I'd encourage you to do thumbnails with a bunch of value variations.

@mwinkelmans Top right. A bay window: It's not a capricious suggestion. A bay window is the perfect solution for what is proposed in the specifications. In short: I agree, in every point, with @bharris.