This is an illustration I did for my first childrens book.

A sketch for an illustration I am working on titled "The Crazy DogLady".... ok, it's a selfportrait
Had big challenges pushing the gesture and drawing the dog, this is propobly my 4th or 5th version of it. I googled a lot of references on dogs and dynamic gestures. Next phase, polishing up and coloring.

This piece was inspired by feeling disconnected from family and friends due to the covid-19 virus and finding new ways to communicate via iPad and digital apps.

Here is the finished version.

#sketchbook #procreate #ipad![alt text]

Link to the video on youtube.
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WIP putting down initial color and shading, still not quite finnished.

Here is my input.

A difficult topic. The principals in Dunns book are the same general principals that have been thought in artschools and artbooks or videos for a long long time. Just have a look at Winson Guptile rendering with pen and ink. These are not new principles and Dunn did not invent them. For example rendering with 3 or 5 or 12 values is not a new thing. Neither are value scales or drawing the line around the form (they already knew how to do that in the reneissance period, just ask Glenn Vilppu). They explain all about values and scales on the New Masters Academy beginner series also as do other instructors. These are all the basics of art so it makes me kind of angry when watching the youtube video it sounds like he invented the value scales, well he did not. He arranged the information in his own way and compiled it together and that is copyright protected not the information itself. His book actually looked interesting and like something that I would like to buy but now I am just kind of mad.

Here is my current stage. I think I am going to try to finnish this piece before it finnishes me Getting a bit annoyed with it really, feels like pulling teeth. Still a couple of things to fix like the dogs eyes (the expression is wrong). Going to fix that, then the final render and calling it done.

@jsnzart there's your angle of approach then, politics is nuts.... now start drawing

Here is the finished piece after many many corrections. Thank you all for your help and feed back. Now of to the next challenge of drawing

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Thank you for taking the time to draw over! This is super helpfull. I think I am going to try to fix the issues.

I think I might have avoided some of these problems if I had done more initial sketches and thumbnails in the early stages. Note to oneself "make more thumbnails". I started this piece as a sort of a portrait of the 3 then realized I needed a background to put them on. Should have planned this image better before starting. That is propobly why it has given me so much trouble.

Here is my current stage. I think I am going to try to finnish this piece before it finnishes me Getting a bit annoyed with it really, feels like pulling teeth. Still a couple of things to fix like the dogs eyes (the expression is wrong). Going to fix that, then the final render and calling it done.

@Lovsey Thank you that makes a big difference. I was having such problems with this piece. Sometimes when I start a piece everything seems to go well and then other times... I just cannot seem to "feel it". Something is off, but I cannot pin point what it is. This helps a lot!

Testing out a few quick fixes. Would this work better? The idea is that this is a couple and their dog walking. The woman and the dog are usually the enthusiastic adventurous ones always plunging ahead. The man is more calm and following them.

@Lovsey Thank you for the feedback. Some good pointers there that I will look into and see if I can fix them.

Not entirely sure what the exclusive license right means in practice. All of the things you mentioned should be agreed upon in the contract before you start to work. Very clear definition of who owns the rights and what rights are transfered and if the compensation is work for hire or a flat fee and share of the profits etc.

I know that it is good practice to allow the illustrator to use the images on their portfolio and to market themselves at least after the book has been published. Sorry that I cannot be more helpfull.

This is a sketch I am working on, had a lot of challenges with this one and already solved many of them. Still feel like it could use a bit of polishing. Any feedback or advice would be welcome before I move into the painting phase. As I have learned, no amount of paint can cover up mistakes made in the drawing stage That is a headache I would like to avoid

Kalajoki, Finland.

@danielerossi Thank you Your Franky Banky character looks quite interesting by the way.