@Lee-White When all the dust settles and the time is appropriate, maybe a similar topic could be featured on Three-Point perspective on how to handle negative feedback on social media, professional courtesy, or online rights, and of course what to do when you think your copyright is being infringed upon (or vice versa). Thanks for taking my suggestion into consideration. By the way, thanks for taking care of this tough thread with such grace and level-headedness for your friend and colleague at a time when he needs it most. You are leading by example and it is much appreciated.

I know you asked us to wait to make any judgements, but without seeing either book and not having seen the video, I must point out that I am disappointed one artist used the internet to accuse another without contacting him directly. Bad form. If you have the time to make a one hour video, you have the time to speak with a colleague. I have not changed my intention to buy Jake's book. Please let him know his reputation as a generous teacher and artist carries weight with his community. I wish him well.

This is a respected agency and I have interacted with several of the represented illustrators as online colleagues. They are successful and have no public complaints—and they are getting work. As I compiled my list of potential agents, immediate visual connection between me and my work was something I looked for, for me personally, but it is not a sign of incompetency. I'll let you in on a secret about the industry: illustrators still don't get the recognition they deserve but we're working to change that. Think about all the cover reveals and book birthdays you've seen on social media without the illustrator's name. (By the way, I often politely ask for this information and each time the poster has apologized for their oversight and posted more carefully the next time.) Take note that for MG and YA, the illustrator's name still appears only in tiny print on the back and on the copyright page, yet they have a huge impact on how well the book sells. (Remember, book making is a team sport. The editors and art directors often get even less recognition than that.) LOL, give non artists a break, they just don't think visually—yet. Here are some things to keep in mind: 1. You can always request that your portfolio link or even a single image be placed within one click of the homepage or some such. Communication is your most important tool with your future agent. Let them know this is important to you and you feel it is important for their entire client list. 2. This is not an art rep, this is a literary agency. If your number one goal in the current stage of your growth is getting illustration contracts and manuscripts are not in your near future, then you may want to look elsewhere. The colleagues I mentioned earlier all had immediate aspirations of writing and illustrating and gained projects quickly on both sides of the manuscript. 3. Note that while ADs sometimes look at agent websites, they more often troll your social media output and respond to requests, to postcards, and to previously published work. They hear from agencies without having to waste their time going to the agent's website. 4. Are their current clients getting the kind of work you want? You'll know by talking to other illustrators and also looking at their goals and career trajectory to see if this is a good fit for you. 5. Are you willing to switch agents if you are unhappy or down the road when your goals change? or are you the kind of person who will stress about switching? It makes a difference when you consider if the website is a deal breaker. Sorry I talk so much (can you tell I over analyze everything?) These are just some of the things I think about as I evaluate potential agent partners. Hope this helps you choose your path with joy and confidence

Hi! I'm new to SVS forums so I hope this is okay. I like a lot of things about your piece especially the world you've created here. I wonder if you could strengthen the focal point by darkening the flowers etc? As is, the three flowers, the girl on the dragonfly, and even the large lily pad on the bottom almost read as on the same plane? Good job and good luck!

@danielerossi I always challenge myself to do the inking on that day because I use challenges to improve my abilities and decrease my indecision/procrastination. As I push myself to move away from "safe" drawings, I need a bit more time to get the drawing right and do the research. Consequently, I sometimes do pencil work ahead of time. I think a lot of Inktober (or other challenge) process decisions are about what you want to get out of it. Also, to successfully complete a challenge you have to think about realistic time management. I can go from blank page to finished ink drawing in about two hours if everything goes well. IF...
And I don't always have two hours a day during October solely for this challenge. Just some things to consider.

I think you have set a great goal and it seems to be working for you. Challenges are all about what you personally want to get out of it, and this is obviously what you want. Congratulations on your 100 drawing pages in 20 days. I see some from the classes here. I hope you are getting a lot out of them. Developing a process and a daily habit will both definitely benefit you. I am excited to see where you go in the next month. !!!!!!!

#1 is very good: clear and appropriate, but I feel like I've seen it before. Besides, #3 is fantastic. a great silhouette and clean design! Hope that helps

Congrats!

@Chip-Valecek said in Dragonfly SlideShow:

http://cshellmedia.com/clients/svs/

Thanks!! Lots of interesting subs

Oh. my. So much more story going on in the second sketch. More personality. I do not have any advice on the new sketch. It is perfect. Go with it!!!!!!!

@KariBu wow. This is creepy and cool

Did you get your answer? I've backed projects on a lot of different platforms, so I can't remember exactly, but usually there are 3 reasons you get that type of email. They always confirm your email and address this way, so make sure you reply in some fashion. They give you the opportunity to upgrade your pledge. Lots of people do this, especially when bonus goals have been unlocked. So you'll just reconfirm your choice. And third, you'll need to check your transaction specifically. Many projects don't actually charge you until the project funds and the campaign ends. I couldn't tell from your post, but see how much you were actually charged when you originally pledged. Sometimes you are not charged at the outset. Or were you charged the price of the item? then you'll still need to pay the shipping, which may be the point of that email. Hope that helps and lets you know how to follow up.

I think you have set a great goal and it seems to be working for you. Challenges are all about what you personally want to get out of it, and this is obviously what you want. Congratulations on your 100 drawing pages in 20 days. I see some from the classes here. I hope you are getting a lot out of them. Developing a process and a daily habit will both definitely benefit you. I am excited to see where you go in the next month. !!!!!!!

I have a lot of opinions on this subject, but here are three points to consider. If it were your photograph, would you recognize it from the painting? If someone copied the pose from your photos, how much would you expect it to be changes before it didn't feel like yours? Secondly, is this a process you intend to continue in your professional life, or are you working toward not relying so heavily on one posed photo? Third, you don't have to be an amazing photographer to shoot your own reference. Even if you are adamant about copying the pose completely, wouldn't you be changing the lighting, color, movement, and emotion as well as details like hair and clothing? So photographing your own pose just got a bit easier. Also, right now you are using the photos to help you draw, to help you compose illustrations, and to help you with your dummies, right? I can't see that would be a problem at this stage, because the goal would be to move past that seed and make an image your own. The finished product is what gets published, though of course none of us would want to infringe on another creative's artistic property. Brett Helquist didn't want to deal with this problem, so he developed a style which couldn't be mistaken for anyone else's. Vanessa Brantley Newton relies heavily on photos for inspiration, but clearly makes them her own. Jan Brett takes all her own photos (they are in no way professional. I've seen them) yet her style is highly detailed. James Gurney spends so much time painting from life that when he shoots photo reference, it doesn't need to be very accurate. Tony DiTerlizzi has posted you tube videos about creating characters from plant photo reference, which are nothing if not uniquely his own. While his subjects may be fantastical, his style is very true to life. The Hildebrant brothers believed they needed accurate photos so they went to great lengths to create them. I believe "stealing like an artist" (see Ausin Kleon's book) means synthesizing something new from multiple sources + imagination. Hope this helps.

I've used Jimdo for years and I love it. It was created for businesses and photographers, so it is image focused, which attracted me at first. They have a nice free version you can try for an unlimited time. I used carbonmade years ago which is marketed to artists. hope that helps. Good luck.

I'm not having any trouble. Perhaps it is the device? I am on a desktop mac.

Thanks. I had no idea. Are there instructions or best practices for the forums anywhere, because they aren't very self-explanatory. Thanks

Someone here at SVS recommended a video recently (was it Jake?) If I find the link, I'll post it here. It talks about value. I think perhaps it would solve your atmospheric perspective and path problems. The gist of the video was that in the light areas, the light/middle/dark values should be light. In the dark areas, the three values should be dark. On a scale of 1-10, maybe the lights are 1-4, but in the dark areas the light/middle/dark are more like 7-10. In other words, the highlights in the dark area never go brighter than a 7ish unless it's a reflection. Does that make sense? So for example, the highlights on the bushes behind the elf, the highlights on the road, the light areas of the trees in the far background as well as the highlights on the detailed trunks at the right are all a similarly light value. I think that's why the path looks like water. It seems to be reflecting light. Maybe at the farthest part back where it bends into the distance it would be hit with that sort of moonlight, but in the foreground, it looks like the other foreground objects are in shadow. While the modeling on the trees in the background are good in isolation, when you add them to the picture as a whole, the highlights on the trunks of the trees (which should be shadowed by their leaf canopies) are the same light value as the tops of those trees that are directly in moonlight. Hope some of that makes sense. And thanks to whoever recommended that video! It was really helpful for me.

II like this. Thanks for posting it. Actually, while I agree with the comments about tangents and focal point, I really like the composition in general. You've obviously worked hard in that area and I think you've done well getting all the elements into the picture, establishing distance, and creating a chaotic marketplace vibe. Maybe attention to hierarchy of shapes, color temperature and value are techniques that could emphasize your main character and help the details read in order. And you may want to take another look at the awkward angle of the kid's right hand. A really fun bit of storytelling!

So I love the textural areas and the pattern like the green stripe wall behind the child. I can't wait to see how pattern and texture continue to figure into your style. I think the strength of these pieces is how the kittens show movement and emotion, while the weakness is that the kids are static and quiet (though about half of them do have a storytelling aspect). In fact, I think except for the profile of the little girl, the eyes are all closed. So maybe challenge yourself to work at adding some of that emotional range and movement into your children pieces? Congratulations on all your hard work and progress.