Focus on landscape

JessicaLinnEvans

Hey all! Happy New Year!

I'm new to the forum and haven't submitted any images, so please let me know if I'm doing it wrong or asking the wrong questions.

Here goes... I tend to focus on characters in my pieces and not give much thought to environments so I’m taking some time to focus on a landscape or two while finding my artist’s “voice.”

Here are three samples of the same scene. First I rendered a watercolor scene, then I wanted to see what it would look like if I used pen and ink (I used photoshop for this one just as a style test). Then I overlaid the linework over the watercolor for a third option. I added another image with the line work in a dark gray.

I’d love to hear which of the three voices you think is most appealing—my goal is picturebooks with a fairytale/folktale feel.

Also, constructive criticism on execution, composition, first impressions, etc. is very welcome!! tree path valley_small.jpg tree path valley_brown line small.jpg tree path valley_both small.jpg tree path valley_black line_sm.jpg

demotlj

@jessicalinnevans I personally like the third one because it looks more like an old school illustration. When you said you rendered it first in watercolor, did you mean traditional watercolor or did you do it digitally?

JessicaLinnEvans

Hi there! @demotlj

My first one was traditional watercolor with the linework in pen and ink. But the linework thereafter was in photoshop. I'd probably do any final work in traditional ink but wanted to see if I like the effect of the linework over the watercolor.

Thanks so much for your input! I really appreciate you taking the time. I'd love my illustration style to move toward old school. (Arthur Rackham is my hero!) So I'm definitely taking your words to heart.

Cheers!
Jessica

Lisa Clark

@jessicalinnevans

I like #3 too! I think that looks really cool. It would be fun to see more like that!

JessicaLinnEvans

@lisa-clark Thank you so much!

I'm thinking about finishing my work with brown pen and ink instead of black just to give it a more golden-age of illustration look. Probably no one is in the market for that for picturebooks this century, but it's what I love! So I'm going for it! Haha!

Mara Price

I love #2

DoodleMick

Nice looking trees. Very Waterpainterly looking