Good looking portofolio!
For childrens publishing I would pick one of your current images and create two more in that series with the same character(s). Ideally telling story of some kind, but just showing character consistently is fine.

@hoppershaun Big changes! That is admirable. I know from first hand experience how hard it can be to move away from an initial sketch that you really like. But there's no question that this second image more effectively communicates your intention for this piece!

@mrsdion In my experience and understanding of copyright law you are fine.

It appears that you are simply using photos to better understand what a lion looks like and are not specifically copying any one photograph. Your reference for the lion is comprised of 5 different photos.

The only area that brings in a bit of a question is the specificity of the lamb's legs as they hang over the lion's leg. I would encourage getting 3-4 more photos, again to encourage an understanding of the forms and anatomy and avoiding reliance on a specific photo. But honestly that's because I tend to be over cautious when using photo reference I don't have a license for. I wouldn't have any real worry from a copyright standpoint here, especially when you factor in "transformative use".

@mrsdion No pressure. I know how frustrating it can be to figure this stuff out.

@mrsdion It is a very good idea to get a clear understanding about copyright. Both for your own work and when you use the work of others. Please post the images in question and I'm happy to offer my understanding about copyright and how to use images you don't have a license to (i.e. images found on pinterest)

@hoppershaun Totally understand how a drawing can get started without any real goal in mind. I do it all the time. I think of that as the "drawing from your gut" stage. But at some point -- and it's usually when you start asking yourself "how can I make this better?" -- you need to clarify what you want to say. What is the piece about? How do you want the viewer to feel?

You can absolutely do that kind of thinking at this stage of a project.

Do you get rid of the jaggy lines that currently are a shorthand for "rock"?
Or do you get in there and really start rendering out the natural landscape?

Both have the potential to improve the piece. But one shifts the focus onto the characters while the other places more of the focus on the environment.

Does the baby's pose become stiff and unsure (first time on a narrow ledge) while the parent's pose becomes relaxed and confident? Hard to say when the person offering critique doesn't know what you are going for.

BTW, that's the narrative I see in this piece, but to confidently offer suggestions I'd want to KNOW that is what you are going for.

I love the idea that you want to make your work better! The tricky bit is that "pushed further" is a really subjective goal.

For some that means adding in more stuff, and for others it means taking stuff out. Sometimes it means altering the character design. For still others it means repositioning the POV (the composition), and on and on.

It is challenging to offer useful advice without knowing what your intention for this piece is.

What I'm going to ask you is tough (I know -- from experience) but what are you looking to communicate in this image? How do you want the viewer to feel?

In @Lee-White and my SVS Illustration 1: Turbocharging Your Creativity, class we call this your "keywords". Once you can articulate this then not only will you get more focused feedback, but you will also be able to evaluate that feedback as something you should or should not implement.

@LauraA Too true! But in this case I want to give props to Imari Kiuru and Bruno Herfst for taking that original anthology story and designing it to perfection!

I first read "Eric" in Shaun Tan's "Tales of Outer Surburbia" in 2009.

But in 2010 I discoveredthis standalone edition. I immediately fell in love with the conceptually appropriate tiny format. And the best bit is the oh-so-smart change to the title type treatment!

"We found it very difficult to pronounce his name correctly [...] told us to just call him Eric"

-- For you typophiles out there, can you spot the change?

I spend a lot of time dissecting picture books. Trying to understand why I love certain ones and why I'm non-plussed by others. Then I try to bring that insight to my own books.

This is a page turn from one of my favorites "Nothing" by Jon Agee.
Check out how he uses the slow build of sequential images on this spread . . .

. . . to really pay off the utter insanity of this one*.

*That said, I do think there is a missed opportunity here.
Dutching the camera to shift away from the perfect 90 degree angles of this spread would have added to the overall sense of frenetic energy, and the kind of social pressure craziness that ensues for the next few pages.

This is a super smart book. Totally worth a check out from your local library.