Ink fairy wip. Take 2

[Coley]

I ditched my first idea for ink fairy, it seemed kind of boring to me. I decided to redo another sketch I recently did to fit the criteria. I had several ideas, initially the fairy was jumping on the mushrooms but I also tried it with her flying on a quill/brush type broom ( i might redo this and consider a feather quill too). Any thoughts on what works better? Also tried fairy at two different sizes and locations. Thanks in advance

[Jacy13]

@Coley I'm leaning towards the last one. I think I like the really mischievous aspect of the fairy jumping on mushrooms and spilling the ink! The concept is really fun

[Coley]

@Jacy13 thanks! I keep changing my mind lol. So I appreciate your comment, it helps

[mamadraw]

@Coley I love her on the brush/broom but maybe could you add in the signs from the last one to it - like "NO fly bys" and "No spilling ink!". I think they add to the story but definitely prefer the flying fairy!

[kimmypie]

I think you have a sweet little illustration here. I like the mushrooms and mouse for the environment. I like the motion indicated in the 3rd one. I would just be careful about having your character so close to the edge. Also maybe try varying the size relationships between the characters? It looks like the mouse is trying to catch the ink fairy in her crime. Maybe you could add some surveillance cameras to the area to add to her arsenal of equipment. Good luck!

[Coley]

Thanks @kimmypie and @mamadraw ! I’ve started incorporating some suggestions, much appreciated! I might update tomorrow. Thanks so much for the feedback!

[miranda-hoover]

@Coley Cute! I think the last one is my favorite. I love her mouse slippers If those are supposed to be wings, maybe make them a bit larger? I can't quite tell if they are wings or bow on her dress.

[Coley]

I wanted to try out a feather quill, so I have her riding it! Obviously her hands need to be finished lol, and her dress, whatever pattern I end up going with....
I made her wings a bit bigger, actually she’s a bit bigger too, and pulled back more from the edge. I have some of the ink drops dripping down towards Ellie. Hopefully that connects them a bit.
And Ellie is about to push a button on a camera on a tripod.
@miranda-hoover i love her slippers too.....eeek lol. I have to render them a little more to pop them out a little but ....eeeek lol.
Not sure if she needs the cane, will toy with getting rid of that.
Oh, Ellie might end up having a splat of ink on her head or something like that too.

Thanks everyone. ️

[Coley]

Another update. Pretty close to finished I think. Maybe even finished. First time really doing any cross hatching I think! Not the best cross hatching but I was surprised I liked it more than I had expected to.
Does Ellie stand out well enough? I darkened the mushroom behind her head a little. She’s also supposed to have curlers in her hair, I don’t know if that reads right. Or if the male judges will even know what those are lol!

EDIT; having trouble uploading image. Will try again later

[mamadraw]

@Coley I think it's super cute! The story reads really easily to me too. Well done!

[Rachel Horne]

@Coley This is such a lovely concept, can't wait to see it finished!

[Jeremy Ross]

Looks great @Coley!

[Kim Rosenlof]

@Coley This is a really fun concept! The characters are great too.

[Coley]

Thanks @mamadraw @kimmypie @Rachel-Horne @Jeremy-Ross !

[kimmypie]

Just a thought. Have you considered adding a bit of contrast? Idk if you’re going for more of a line drawing style or if you want to use shading. I like what you have! You may want to watch out for that tangent on Ellie’s nose/forehead area.

[Coley]

@kimmypie oh yes, great catch on the tangent. I might darken up the mushrooms a little but I’m not overly confident with crosshatching. This is digital so I can always try it out! I. Definitely working on the tangent tho, thank you!

[Gary Wilkinson]

@kimmypie how about having the trees dripping with ink almost like how chocolate/sauce drips over ice cream? I think it would create some nice shape variety.

I would also suggest to turn the face slightly for the mouse character to more of a 3/4 view to make her feel more 3d

[kimmypie]

@Coley If you’re wanting to speed things up a bit there is a cross hatch brush in the texture folder (if you use procreate). I think it’s called Hessian. I made a quick pass and it’s messy but I’m sure you could do better with more care and attention than my short pass especially if it’s on a separate layer. Good luck, whatever you choose!

[kimmypie]

@Gary-Wilkinson I like those suggestions too. I wonder if she has enough time.

[Coley]

@Gary-Wilkinson i’ll try that out if I have enough time! Cool idea.

@kimmypie , I didn’t know that about the cross hatching brush! Will play with it. Thanks so much! Currently toying with lowering and raising the height of the mushroom behind Ellie’s head, none of it looks right to me lol. Will stop and look at it tomorrow with fresh eyes. Not sure I can solve this problem before the deadline but I’ll try . Always so many problems to solve