Illustrating Children's books assignments

[Leontine]

Here are my first two assignments. Its so much fun working together with you all!

[Leontine]

@Thrace-Shirley-Mears The squirrel is really nice, Cant wait to see your fox!

[Fabienne]

@Thrace-Shirley-Mears Woah, thank you for the kind words. blush But my daily routine hasn't been like this ever since:
In the past years I have struggled many times with me and my path as an artist (Do I make fine art, children's books, are my skills too bad?). I had the feeling that I doesn't belong anywhere… After I quit my fine art studies and work as a seller to pay my bills I had no time to draw. No drawing - no fresh portfolio. No portfolio - no success as an artist. In the past months I realized I had to do something to get out of this vicious circle. So I became a self-employed illustrator, quit my job and work hard for commissions and my portfolio.
So don't let anyone or anything distract you from your way! Hard work always pays off.

[Fabienne]

@Leontine-Gaasenbeek These foxes are so adorable but my personal favourite is the left squirrel: I like his expression (He seems not happy with only ONE nut for dinner).
And thanks for your comment! I think everybody has a naughty side - but didn't show in public, hihi.

[Leontine]

@Fabienne XD

[Fabienne]

@K.-W. Thanks for the pointer! I will correct that mistake immediately.

[Thrace]

@K.-W. Thanks so much for the great advice! I hope you will critique my foxes I will post later today. I am glad you thought I drew the squirrel with a pencil but I drew it on my new cintiq that I am trying to like.

[Thrace]

@Fabienne Thank you for the words of inspiration, I can't tell you how good your timing was as I was really feeling down about my progress. I have had the exact same thoughts as you I too am trying to make a living at this but I have not had the confidence to look for work yet. I am giving myself time to take some more courses and get some better pieces on my website. How did you start getting jobs?

[Thrace]

@Leontine-Gaasenbeek These are adorable. What great expressions!!

[Lee White]

I love seeing the work you guys are doing here. Really nice (and inspiring!). Keep it coming!

[Steve Young]

Great work everyone, I am doing the forest 25 object challange at the moment!

[Thrace]

Really have struggled with the ears. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Isaac Vargas Cardenas]

@Thrace-Shirley-Mears try to give the ears a more loose feel , you're going pretty well

[Thrace]

@Isaac-Vargas-Cardenas Thanks!

[Leontine]

@Thrace-Shirley-Mears HI Thrace, I think the ears are pretty good. The fox with the suite is very cute! Try to use lose lines, don't make them to stiff. I really like the friendliness that they are showing. keep up the good work!

[Fabienne]

@Thrace-Shirley-Mears First of all: these foxes looking very nice especially the ringmaster. Well done! And the ears on the left fox are fine.
I think you should use more 3-dimensional shapes and take the "Posing characters" course to learn how to draw the bean-shape and become more "loose".

To bring it back to your question, i highly recommend @Will-Terry as a wonderful inspiration boost itself! Watch videos on his Youtube-channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJzBjR65pXg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsLf8Nek91s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6xrt5ko1uw

Don't let it get you down! I'm starting getting jobs as well. I don't know how it looks abroad but the job prospects here in germany are not the best for illustrators. Publishers on the Frankfurter Book Fair or the Bologna Children's Book Fair said my characters are not "cute" enough or I have an "english style". But it all depends on the person that's sitting in front of you during the formal audition.
I also do layouts for flyers, posters or catalogues as a second focus. For me it's easier to get those jobs but it's not satisfactory. Mostly these assignments coming from your friendships, the university… you had to know someone. And I'm not good at this. BUT: I try my best to present me on the internet and call publishers for dates.

I hope this was helpful, Thrace. If you have more questions – ask.

[Leontine]

assignment number 3

[Thrace]

@Fabienne Wow, thank you for all the advice but especially the draw overs they really help me see what I am doing and how to do it faster. It really helps when someone actually shows you on your own work. I am so glad to have this forum to do this!!!!

[Thrace]

@Leontine-Gaasenbeek Thanks, I will try and work on that. I love your illustration by the way!

[DanetteDraws]

@K-W wow, thanks so much for the in-depth critique & draw-over, that's super helpful! Now that I see my fox with your box (I'm a poet!) I can totally see the paw placement is off. I'll have to give the drawing through technique a go going forward.

Your revised squirrel is much better! Now he looks like he has defined legs and a bushy tail Your feet studies are great too! I'm sure it helped doing them.

@Karim-Benyagoub love your squirrel! Very awesome eye. I like how you put in the line depicting the top of the fence he's standing on too, it gives context with his little paws over the edge. One thing I'd point out is that his left arm seems like its too far forward/going across his centre line. I think the only thing you need to do to fix that would be to put in a little chest line from his chin down to the nuts to show that left arm as actually reaching around his body instead of growing out of his front.

@Fabienne love your mice and squirrels! I can see you did the same as me on the first assignment: once you got the 'simplified character' down, you couldn't help but then take it a step further with anthropomorphizing him I just love the pose of your 2nd mouse - she's got 'tude! Great storytelling.

@Thrace-Shirley-Mears good going with your foxes! I think your ears are just fine - pointy like a foxes' ears should be I got this same advice which I'll give you too - drawing through and doing a centre line would help. Your paw placement looks off on your left and middle ones and in places your form looks a little flat, so I think that would help you too. The top hat looks like its on his head on an angle because of brim placement - if he were wearing it proper the up-turn of the brim would be toward us and front and back would be the flat part of it (with the up-turn of the brim again on the side that's behind the hat). One more thing: I find it a bit strange that two of them have their tails straight up in the air. I think it would seem more fox-like if it hung down (like in the reference photo). I don't know if foxes wag their tails like dogs do, but for me, I think of the tail being up as more of a dog-like characteristic.

@Leontine-Gaasenbeek you have such a nice, soft feminine style! Your foxes are great, nice variety between the three characters. The one fox's head looks far too big though - the bottom one in your first image.

Also - your mouse image - sooo cute! and OUCH! That little crab is up to no good lol. The only thing that looks off to me is the feet - there's no way that left foot could anatomically face that direction. If you meant to make her in a pile-squat sort-of stance both feet would need to be angled since her hips are facing to the right rather than straight-on at us. Currently it looks as if her right foot is facing straight and her left foot is completely backwards, facing behind her. For storytelling purposes - I wonder if you can do something about her big ears? That is a defining characteristic of a mouse. Maybe there's little slits in her head-wrapped towel that they're poking out of, or coming out the top somehow dripping wet.