Sketch for Portfolio

[ArtistErin]

Just wanted to share an initial idea for a piece I'm working on for my portfolio. I love drawing kids and animals, and showing their personalities and their relationships! So that's been on the radar lately for me.

Anyway, wondering what your thoughts are, is this too much of a "decorative" piece? Is it good enough to keep going for a portfolio or does it look too much like it would be better suited for the greeting card market?

[Asyas_illos]

@ArtistErin very cute but yes it does look like it’s intended for licensing. Do you need the words? It would look better in a portfolio for children’s publishing without. But if you intend to do licensing too then I’d keep it the way it is.

[ArtistErin]

@Asyas_illos Yeah I thought that right after posting this! Thank you

[Robert Henderson]

@ArtistErin

Beautiful sketch, definitely put me in happy place. Nicely done.

[ArtistErin]

So here's more progress, I am seeing the difference in colors somewhat on my screen vs. my Cintiq, which I know I need to work with values more. I love the blank white background without words @Asyas_illos! Any feedback is welcome and definitely appreciate your input!!

[Robert Henderson]

@ArtistErin

It is very well done, I was wondering if the dog would have a wagging tail? It is a great piece for your portfolio.

[ArtistErin]

@Robert-Henderson Love that suggestion! It works! Thank you...

[Asyas_illos]

@ArtistErin looks great! The tail is much better

[ArtistErin]

@Asyas_illos Here's another sketch! Working on poses, getting the interaction vibe. And I'm really liking the simpler approach to creating content by capturing the pure emotions of children. Hoping that is starting to come out here!

[ArtistErin]

Oh so slow in getting this posted! Thinking I'll keep the background like vague sketches, what do you think?

[PenAndrew]

@ArtistErin It is coming along well-yes you could just have one colour and value for the background. It would throw the rest forward- Or just try a spot like the previous one. I really like that child and dog.

[PenAndrew]

@ArtistErin Better with the wagging tail.

[Meekipink]

@ArtistErin This is absolutely gorgeous!! It's perfect with the wagging tail, and I love the body proportions of the child (especially the oversized head).

[HeatherB]

I like the wagging tail best too. This reminds me of a tote bag I had once that said “bloom where you are planted”, this would be a cute tote!
I love the birthday party best but I might be biased because that looks just like my dog, Fozzie. I think you need to either finish the background or take it out though, it keeps it stuck in a wip zone appearance like that. Even cleaning up the lines would help

[Asyas_illos]

@ArtistErin this is looking good, I think the head could be bigger on the dark skinned girl though. Generally in kidlit the smaller the child the bigger the head. But your style is a little more realistic so maybe it works? I would still try and see what it does or you illustration, if you increase the size a tiny bit.

[ArtistErin]

@Asyas_illos Yeah, that's much better.. Tell me if it needs to be bigger? More like the other little boy and his puppy? I'm thinking to stay consistent piece to piece the kids should somewhat seem like they're coming from the same artist?

Oh and do the two types of illustration work well together?

I'm going to do some more shadow/ value on the kids so those two illustration styles seem like it makes more sense.

Ok gotta go start dinner

Thanks so much!!!!

[ArtistErin]

OK I kept noticing my perspective was off on my facial expressions. I am playing with how to create cute kids, with expression, without being too "realistic" yet relatable. Overthinking? Maybe!! lol
Are the kids cute without looking weird? I need feedback!! Starting to want to move on to the next piece and wonder if I'm getting any closer to tying this up. I don't like the static look of the birthday girl's feet, I suppose I feel like she should be showing more movement to match her excitement for getting a puppy for her birthday.

[Kim Rosenlof]

@ArtistErin This illustration is very cute. The characters look good and I like the colors. I also love the background being subtle. Very nice!. I like the new expressions of the birthday girl, but I am wondering why is she not looking at the puppy if that is what she is excited about? It looks like she is looking upward to something, but I am not sure what. Personally, I feel like the boys eyes are drawing a lot of attention, and would tone them down a bit or make them not as big. There is just more contrast with the boy's eyes than the middle character who I think is supposed to be more of the focus. Great job.

[ArtistErin]

@Kim-Rosenlof Thank you Kim!!! I will make some changes! I loved your submission to the "Storm" challenge, BTW!!! I'm watching your posts and you definitely inspire me so just wanted to thank you for being in this forum:)

[kirsten-mcg]

I love your handling of the characters and background in this! The background has a lot of detail, but doesn't overwhelm the characters because of it's lack of color. The kids are cute and stylized. Not weird. Awesome job with that! I agree with Kim about the Birthday Girl's eyes looking at the puppy. Also, you mentioned her feet. Little girls tend to bounce on their tip toes when they're excited...at least mine do! Changing her feet to look almost like she's dancing might make her pose a little more interesting.