Opinion pretty please 😊

[AnnaFleet]

Hi guys, hope everyone is ok?
I just wanted to ask your opinion on this kind of style for a children’s book. I’m in a process of trying different things and ways of drawing and painting but I always seem to gravitate towards this kind of loose, watercolour/ink whimsical kind of style.
This is just a random piece I’ve recently played with, not a huge story teller other than the cute little girl singing her little heart out which her dog obviously can’t cope with !
I see a lot of your guys amazing and very professional work and there are a lot of very detailed and very rendered pieces (which always amaze me as they probably require some superhuman kind of patience) well, my attention span is shocking so I’m wondering if there is a place for pieces like the one in children’s books?
Would something like this work with a bit of a background?
Thanks in advance x

[Jeremy Ross]

Hi @AnnaFleet, great piece and has quite a bit of storytelling! She has such a care free attitude with branches in her hair and even a little mouse friend.

The dog is obviously annoyed yet smart enough to cover his ears with a pillow.

This is a great spot illustration and well suited for children’s book. I don’t think it needs full background.

Nice work!

[NessIllustration]

@AnnaFleet This is cute and well suited for children's books! But in order for a looser, sketchier style to work for a professional context it will need impeccable presentation. I know this is just a quick photo for the forum, but it's just something to keep in mind A good quality, high-resolution scan, cleaned in Photoshop would do wonders.

[AnnaFleet]

@Jeremy-Ross thank you! Care free is definitely what I was going for so I’m glad you picked up on that! Appreciate your thoughts

[AnnaFleet]

@NessIllustration thank you so much for your feedback. Oh no, by no means is this a finished piece! It’s just a quick Unedited snap I do agree with the digital editing bit, sadly I’m not yet comfortable in the whole photoshop world but it’s on my list to “master” in the near future I think I might ask someone I know who’s a bit of a whizz and see if they could have a little play with it in photoshop under my “supervision” I’ll happily play with it in Procreate but I’m guessing it’s not the same.
Thanks again for your comment

[NessIllustration]

@AnnaFleet Procreate is great for digital painting, but for cleaning scans and formatting work (to prep professional files) Photoshop is a better suited tool. Professional presentation and formatting is always important, but perhaps especially so when you have a sketchier style. A clean presentation pulls it all together! Good luck with Photoshop dear, you can do it!!

[AnnaFleet]

@NessIllustration thank you so much I’ll get there one day I’m sure! X

[Miriam]

I think your characters are cute!

The dog & pillow are the same color, so it's a little hard to decipher at first glance (and it seems to me that most pillows are bigger—sure they come in all sorts of sizes, but if you use the standard size, it makes for a quicker / easier read). The light spot on the dog's nose / mouth looks unintentional, but the rest of your colors look good. I especially like the blending on the girl's face & hair, and on the dog's body & spots. The variation in the 'white' colors is nice--and something I would forget to do!

If you are enjoying this style, I think you should keep going with it. (I have no idea what is selling in the illustration industry, but that's my opinion as a viewer!)

[gavpartridge]

Hi, I think this is nicely painted, and its a nice image, but this month in the Contest I rightly got picked up on my hand anatomy, as people naturally just notice that stuff straightaway. The left hand here is ok, but the right one isn't. The feet also look like an afterthought. Its those little details that would bring any image down, regardless of style.

[AnnaFleet]

@Miriam thank you yes, having looked at it again, I agree, the pillow could be a bit bigger, that would help it to stand out more. I’m not sure if maybe a different colour would make a difference? I don’t think I’d put patterns on is as it would make the whole thing a bit too busy.
It’s a valid commitment though, thanks again. X

[AnnaFleet]

@gavpartridge thank you! You are right hands and feet are a bit of a nemesis (along with the perspective in other cases ) if I was to polish it up I’d definitely have to spend much more time on little details. Well done on your contest piece, I watched and voted in the critique arena

[gavpartridge]

@AnnaFleet cheers, yeah was great fun this week, loads of cool pieces, fun format too. Hands are a nightmare for everyone i think. I'm not much cop at drawing at all really, I try and draw as little as possible and hopefully colour can compensate for it. Most of the time I try to draw characters looking away too! gonna have to get that sorted eventually.

[TessaW]

I could definitely see this style in children's books today. I have young kids and I frequent the library (well, not so much since covid ), and would be attracted to a book in this style. After looking through your instagram, I'm of the opinion that it's one of your strongest pieces. The character design, concept, color choices, and paint/ink application are all working well together. I'd seriously consider continuing in this style! I second the comments on upping your presentation game. Even if you are casually taking snapshots of your work, I'd look into how you could up your photo presentation as well. Your work deserves to be shown in the best light possible. Allow your work to shine!

[AnnaFleet]

@TessaW thank you ever so much! The finish and presentation seems to be the common theme here
I definitely know where to take it from here. It also reminds me to clean up my Instagram from all the random scribbles I used to think was ok to post
I’m a fan of your work btw, it’s amazing! Xxx
Thank you again for your contribution