Hello! And Isolation WIP

miranda-hoover

Hello! This is my first time posting a topic, so I wanted to start with a quick hello! My name if Miranda, and though I've loved drawing all my life, until recently, I've been scared of pursuing illustration as a career. I've started to reboot my art education, so any input/critics you have are very appreciated! This looks like a great, supportive art community, and I'm excited to become a part of it!

Now for the WIP part...

Here are a couple of sketches for the character I'm creating for the May illustration contest:
Screen Shot 2020-05-24 at 4.00.49 PM.png

Does she look like a nesting doll (Matryoshka doll)? The concept I'm going for won't work if she doesn't, so I want to make her design as solid as I can. Her pose, expression, and held item may changed based on which composition I go with--I'm still working on 4 comp mock-ups (after finishing 51 thumbnails, yay!), and plan to have those finished by tonight.

Thanks

korilynneillo

@miranda-hoover

She definitely reads as matryoshka doll to me! It’s the first thing I thought just glancing at the images before I read the text of the post - “ooo, I wonder how this person is going to use matryoshka dolls in an illustration for “isolation”?”

JudeKillory

@miranda-hoover In image 1 the tapering of the base is reminiscent of a Russian Doll. A cast shadow in the 2nd image and more clear tapering like the 1st image would help the 2nd image read better. I almost wish in the 2nd image we could see some seperation between the two pieces. A tiny little glimpse of what lies beneath. They are nice drawings for sure.

Julia

@miranda-hoover I love your lines! Both drawings are very pretty!! And the character looks like a Matriochka especially when you add the detail of the typical Russian flowers on the skirt.

theprairiefox

@miranda-hoover you hit the nail in the head. Can’t wait to see the thumb.

miranda-hoover

@korilynneillo Yay! I'm glad to hear it. Thanks!

miranda-hoover

@JudeKillory Oh, interesting thought! I'll play with that a little when sketching out the final image. Thanks for the tips!

miranda-hoover

@Julia Thank you! I'll be sure to include the flowers for the final version, thanks!

miranda-hoover

@theprairiefox Yay! Thank you

miranda-hoover

Here are the mock-ups I have, but I'm a bit worried they don't translate right away.

She's standing on land by the water, looking up at a large crack in the sky. No text.
She's on a cliff over clouds (holding a walking stick), looking at a large crack in the sky. Text reads: "There was a crack in the sky! A growing crack in the sky!"
She's on a cliff over clouds (holding a lantern), reaching for the crack in the sky. Text reads: "And then she thought... 'Maybe I can touch it?'" <-- the question mark is a typo, and should be a period.
She's on a tree over clouds, reaching for the crack in the sky. Text reads: "And then she thought, 'What if I touch it?'"

My intent is that the world around her is opening up like a nesting doll, so she's discovered a large crack in the sky. My biggest concern is that the crack doesn't actually look like an opening yet. Any thoughts on which of these reads best? Or how any of them can be improved in any way? If executed well enough, does it seem to fit the isolation prompt?

Kevin Longueil

@miranda-hoover great concept! first one looks perfect to me - my eye moves around the composition much more on the first one - the curve of the crack reinforces the story too

miranda-hoover

@Kevin-Longueil Oh good! Thanks for your input; that's very helpful!