WIP March book cover composition. Critiques welcome.

ArtofAleksey

So the last couple days I’ve been doing some research and asking people I know that understand art and art history better what it is they like about my art. Trying to hone in on when does my art “work” and some of the feedback I’ve been getting on my pieces is that it reminds them of older illustrations done in the 1900s but more cartoony so After doing some research and a few renditions I think I understand it a tiny bit better.
So here is my rough sketch, what iz thoughts?

Sas

@Aleksey This looks great! I cant wait to see you work on this further.

CobaB

@Aleksey looks good, but I hope the background won't distract from the main detail and title x

ArtofAleksey

@CobaB if i do this right it should draw your eye to the pond firsr. But even if it doesnt im having lots of fun with this piece

andersoncarman

@Aleksey I like this most recent thumbnail except for one thing. The title. I love this as an illustration if you take the title out. but when you add it in, it just becomes too bottom heavy. As an illustration, I like that it has that breathing room on the top third but it is so overcrowded down at the bottom now. I would suggest placing the title up in the top third. not just because that is where title normally goes, but your composition is made for it! you could even make the title out of the rocks and have the water flow around them into the pond! Also, don't forget the author "Brothers Grimm"

Love this! such a clever idea! can't wait to see it complete!

ArtofAleksey

@andersoncarman these are some good points. Thanks ill try that out. Leaving the bottom open makes it look a lot better.

Laurie

So interested to see how this turns out! Love all the changes you have already made and I really like the reflection concept!

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ArtofAleksey

Ok so here is the pre inked rendered pencil version.
Im slowly learning what my preferred drawing process is. It seems that it’s banging my head against something until i figure it out anyone else share that process?

So what im going for is im trying to surround the scene with lots of details and tones to make the eyes focus on the frog/reflection because the frog is surrounded by less detail and tone.

Is that working? If not, what is working?

Heather Bouteneff

@Aleksey I love this, especially the clever reflection, the ripples on it like it's representing disturbed life (like interrupted from being a human) and especially that you put the pond up against a natural little waterfall.
My only other comments are so nitpicky and probably just me so honestly you can ignore them- but I wish the ball was bigger, unless this is a person size frog the Princess has lost her golden marble. I am not convinced his expression matches the personality he had in the story either. Here he looks lost and timid and sweet and I love him, but the frog prince was a bit more like a clever bargainer

ArtofAleksey

@Heather-Bouteneff these ar good point! Yeah he was but there have been several adaptations apparently sometimes the frog doesn’t suck.

ArtofAleksey

Ok here is the inked version.

ArtofAleksey

And value guesstimates

NessIllustration

@Aleksey I think there is an opportunity here for you to be much bolder with your values and make contrasts that stand out from afar (as a book cover should). The pool can be a brilliant white, the frog a much darker figure standing out over it. I'm also not sure I understand the shape behind the frog. Is this a rock? It seems to be melting into the water of the pool, but it's not water because on either side we see trickles of water. What is that?

ArtofAleksey

@NessIllustration thanks for the feedback. it is a rock yeah I’m trying to use it as a framing device I for the frogs figure. Is there another way you would approach that?

NessIllustration

@Aleksey I think what's throwing me off is that the rock is a different value than the other similar rocks around it, and is instead the same value as the pond and its surrounding tiles. I'm also not sure of the rock's structure. The lines of where it lays on the ground are enveloping it and hiding the structure of its base. The lack of lines inside of it (while I'm guessing you omitted them to clarify the frog) makes it hard to see what kind of volume this is, and which parts are jutting in or out.

ArtofAleksey

@NessIllustration yeah that makes sense I did that intentionally but maybe I can add a bit more tone onto it with line I want to keep it minimal.

What do you think of these values? I might darken it On the top rocks

NessIllustration

@Aleksey Ohhhhh nice, that pops so much more!

MichaelaH

@Aleksey I like the new value also very much, looks great

ArtofAleksey

Ok whew.. what do you guys think? I had some trouble with the shining water because I ended up inking with a different light source in mind.p but I like this too

MichaelaH

@Aleksey I would make the frog in lighter color, the leaf darker. I like the color of the background, the water is to bright so for me, so it doesnt feels like shining water, but more like very bright water. But it is really great how it changed from the thumbnail. Love to follow Your progress. Really good.