October Prompt WIP
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Hi all,
I've done some sketches for this month's prompt "Misunderstood Monsters." Which do you think is strongest? And what do you think needs improved?
Here's the first one:
And here's the second one:
http://twiggyt.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/twiggyt_art/
Twitter: @twiggyt_art -
I like 1 mostly because the concept seems reversed in 2 but I also think one has some good action
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@twiggyt I have to agree with @rcartwright with the first one. The message is more clear that he is misunderstood.
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Yeah, nr#1 I also understand right away.
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Thanks @Chip-Valecek @Ailantan @rcartwright That's what I was thinking, but it's good to hear it from other people.
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Playing with some color. I did have it as daylight, but I decided to change it to sunset to up the spooky factor a little. I need to dim the kid in red down some and add shadows so that the monster is the focal point. I tweaked the composition some, too.
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I think your concept is excellent. The monster looks so pure-hearted! I know you're just blocking in colors right now, but it might help the readability of your piece to separate the arms of the boy in red and give each a clear silhouette. Looking forward to seeing the progression of this illustration!
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Great idea, @KathrynAdebayo ! Thank you!
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It's gettin' a little woolly here.
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That expression on the monster is just perfect. Kinda reminds of of a monstrous hamster
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@art-of-b Thank you! I kind of like the idea of monstrous hamster, ha ha.
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I love your monster, especially his teeth hehe! Plus I like how you've made him look more fuzzy & fluffy rather than slimy etc, I can definitely see how he can be portrayed as 'misunderstood'
Are you going to add any shadows for the monster & kids?
Look forward to seeing how it progresses! -
@hannahmccaffery Yes! I just have to figure out how to do it properly. I took it into Photoshop the other day to add rudimentary shadows, but it did weird things when I re-opened the file in ClipStudio Paint, so I deleted the layers. After I did that I realized I could've locked layer opacity and painted over the 'shadows' and gotten the same effect that I had in Photoshop. Oh well. I'll re-add them at some point, though.
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Adding some more detail. I am not sure about the shadows.
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It's getting closer to finished. I'm trying to make the monster the focal point, but I don't know if I've watered down the kids too much or not.
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I changed the composition slightly. Are the colors getting too muddy? Is the monster too bright?
http://twiggyt.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/twiggyt_art/
Twitter: @twiggyt_art -
I love the expressions on all of your characters and the way that the colors are playing out. The monster is awesome. Also, I think the more defined plant in the most recent draft in the foreground is an improvement.
I'm not an expert on this myself, but I think something that could improve your piece even more is the placement of shadows. I'd double check the monster's shadow, since it seems it is at a different angle than the shadows of the children. I'd also look at the shadow of the boy in the foreground since it looks like his knee is very near to the ground as he's running. I'd consider how the shape of the leg's shadow could stretch further out beside him to change that illusion. Finally, I'd consider the shadow of the football. One way to estimate where it would be placed is to consider how it's about "head-height" when compared to the boys. Where would the shadow of the football fall if it was the head of a body that touched the ground? Perhaps it would even be off the page. I find shadows challenging, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from analyzing your piece. Thanks for sharing its progression with us. I like it better each time.
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I like the overall composition. As was stated the shadows/lighting could be adjusted to make it more believable. The shadow would be tightest/darkest as it emanates from the source. There is also a tangent with the monsters foot and hair. Based on the positioning, the boy running in the foreground doesn’t appear to be looking at the monster. If you place all the monster on a horizontal sliders, it’s placement would pass between the football and the boy pointing. The partial face in the foreground could add event more to the composition by showing a gasp expression (show the mouth). In addition to the shadows, the light source doesn’t seem to be believably applies to everything. Light source, top right. There perhaps needs to be more contrast on the monster and running boy to better reflect the lighting scenario. I can’t wait to see the final.
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@Art-Dud @KathrynAdebayo Thank you both for your input! I felt stuck and didn't know where to go. My husband suggested changing the light source to the top left, making the shadows trail the other direction, which is also something I'm considering.
I find it difficult to work out perspective on the computer... no matter what program I use, I find the rulers and guides difficult, and I don't know of a single program that lets you set a focal point off the page. If anyone has any tips or has found any art programs or add-ons that help them, I'm all ears. I have Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop CS 5.5, and Autodesk Sketchbook. There's got to be a solution somewhere.
http://twiggyt.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/twiggyt_art/
Twitter: @twiggyt_art -
Trust me, I know the feeling. I am “newer” to illustration....we to the extent I am doing so now. I have found it helpful to workout as much as I can in advance. On projects with complex lighting scenerios, I try to work out the shadows in the 2nd or 3rd pass on my presketch. It saves me the headache of when color starts to confuse me. Ha I have done the same...acquiesce to simpler light source.
