Hi, I had a lot of fun doing it, really good works here, that wasn't an easy one!

With text :

Hi everyone, this is my entry for the contest! I used a poem as inspiration, I had fun doing it! Great entries so far, congratulations to everyone!

Hi everyone, Here is my submission!
It took more than I expected, but I think I learn a few things doing it, so worth the time investment! Have a nice day!

I just finished this image, hope you like it !

Hi Im finishing the wizard of Oz Cover and I see somethings that I really like but others dont fit well, need some opinions and sugestions!

Do you see the robot integrated in the composition? I feel the color is not right, but I dont know what color use.

Any advice, something wierd that you see? About composition, color, or drawing, or anything else, any feedback is very wellcome.

*The dog is still work in process xD

Thanks!

Hi everyone, new here. I did this to practice a little bit with photoshop, still looking to find my way using brushes and feeling comfortable, hope you like it.

@Nyrryl-Cadiz @NessIllustration @TamaraDomuzin thanks for all the feedback!

Im going to use this post to show my portfolio progression. So anyone is wellcome here to share their opinion and feedback!

I started working on fairy tale as Nyrryl told me, I choose cinderella. Probably I will do more fairy tales was funny but challenging.

I share here what I did also If you can help me to choose what version of the 3rd images work on I will appreciate it. Thanks for all the help awesome forum!

1 - This for me is 100% finished

2 - This one still need a little bit of work, but Im quite lazy to finish it

3- Here I dont know what image will work better, if you can tell me what version do you like more i will appreciate it!

References are really important. We learn and we improve to draw by observation.

I think what you did is good. Its good to push our imagination and force to recreate the image we have in our heads and try to recreate it without reference. But if you want to keep improving is time to look for some reference and then this "aha!" moments will start to come, looking on what you did and looking on what you saw in your references. Then you start to improve, like, "oh, ok that pose was wrong, or ok this arm go like this, is more natural etc"

For finding references you can use google images, shutterstock, adobe stock, any image browser, also films ( Im not doing it now, but in the past when I was watching a movie I took screenshots if I saw good reference ).

You're not searching for an image that represents 100% the image you have in your head. You are looking for similar references, looking for the mood, something that make feel that is near on what you have in your head. And usually you look for diferent reference and then do a mix with the reference you got and the image you have in your head creating something new!

For exemple you will look a reference for the expresion of the girl, one for the expresion of the man, other for the pose, maybe other for the background, and you will adapt with the original idea you already had.

When you start progressing and getting better probably you will need less and lesss references, but its always good to have a references. References are to observe and understand the nature of things. Before we didnt have milions of photos so artist go outside and observe, took their references sketching daily life etc. Now this had change!

good reference searching!

@Annabishop hmmm honestly Anna I like more the last version.

It feels your darken more the image and burn it a little bit, the last version everything feels more organic, I dont know how to explain it!

Just my honest opinion! Anyways as I told you is a very good image you will be selected for sure ;)!

I did some paintover of I was pointing on my last coment, you already had a good mood on that image so if you want to improve it, its about adding little details here and there, working with adding some shadows or lights but being carefull to dont break all the value armony that you already have ( becouse its working! )

I will like to add some personal reflection I had these past weeks.

My brother is a music composer and works for a videogame company in Barcelona, called Social Point. He told me that they opened a position for concept artist, and he encourage me to give it a shot. At frist I was very excited to give it a try, but that means start working in a new whole portfolio and changing totally the style I been working on. I did some master copys to catch up with the style of the company and start drawing and painting in the style they have.

But I dont know, I didnt feel it at all, Also it means doing a lot of work and start over a new portfolio, working on diferent styles from scratch, looks like a titanic work, also I dont have expirence in working on videogames.

I spend some months working on my children illustration style and I already finished my website. And I think Im very near to start looking for an agent and have a good feedback from them.

I like children illustration, I mean, as an artist I think its important the value and the impact that your work have and what service you put on. I like the idea that the children that will read an illustrated book by me can be fascinated by the magic of illustrations, that the story awaken something good in them in some way.

If I put my service on the videogames for me the meangiful and constructive impact that you can do on children get lost, is just feeding a money maker machine that encourages wasting time and "kill" creative. I mean if you are playing you are not devoloping some hobbie or talent, and I speak for personal expirence! So many time lost!

I think Im just starting at children illustration, is still a lot to learn, last day I was checking the Wizard of Oz contest and I saw really amazing illustrations and very good ideas but one of them shock me! the illustration @carriecopadraws did was just to much! I realized "Man, I dont know nothing! Still to muuch to learn!!"

I think drawing can be the "easy part" of children illustration, the most important is how to conceptualize an idea, how an image can explain something, make you feel something more than wow its a good drawing...as we say here...A picture is worth a thousand words

What I want to say to excel, to master something requires sometimes a life commitment. Jumping to one thing to another doesnt feel right for me anymore, I did a lot in the past, I think it has good things to know a little bit of everything but at some point you need to focus and specialize in some area.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I need to take this out hehe

Hi, there is my work in progress on the monthly contest.

Any feedback is very wellcome!

The idea of the illustration: is about the modernization of the Fairy Industry to make wishes. When centurys ago a Fairy made whises true here and there, becouse she felt it and she wanted it, now in these days of the modern society everything had become and industry or a company. Also the whole business of whises! that push and stress fairys to make whises comes true!

so...Is the illustration macthing the idea? Any suggestions on the drawing, composition or values?

Also, Im unsure on what direction take in that illustration

Option 1: only one character, she is in the office cheking mails, and you can see the logo of the company in the background, maybe I can add a more stuff in the back to make it more like an office.

Option 2: She has another fairy behind, looking at her in a bossy way (drawing and character design still need some work! ), its cool, it add more story to the illustration, but maybe is to much things? I saw that usually I put to much information on the illustrations. I will like to make them more "empty" and have more space. But then I see option A an maybe something is lacking, I dont know! can you enlighten me?

hi @arielg ,

One of the best ways to learn is to "copy" the masters. That means find artist that you really like the way they do their compositions and try to study them to understand how they work space and shapes.

Now with photoshop or illustrator that can be a very fast process.

Here I share some studies I did on composition and value work of one of my favourites artist David Sierra Liston.

So,
Frist you study, try to understand how they work the space, the shapes etc, compare it to your work and see what needs to improve.

Second, You try to apply what you learn in your own artwork.

Third, compare again, see on what you improved and what still lacks and need more work.

Repeat until you are satisfied

@Annabishop hmmm honestly Anna I like more the last version.

It feels your darken more the image and burn it a little bit, the last version everything feels more organic, I dont know how to explain it!

Just my honest opinion! Anyways as I told you is a very good image you will be selected for sure ;)!

I did some paintover of I was pointing on my last coment, you already had a good mood on that image so if you want to improve it, its about adding little details here and there, working with adding some shadows or lights but being carefull to dont break all the value armony that you already have ( becouse its working! )

option 1 and 3 are really good, If I have to pick one I will choose the num 3. Everything works really well. The frist one is also cool but I dont know maybe there is to much clouds?

@Annabishop hey its a beatiful piece!! Ready to go!

If you ask for adjusments...I think the image is already working but..mmm maybe you can add a little more light on the big flower to generate some contrast, but as I said is already working, good job!

Hi @DanialGlover ! My advice, before working on color and do advance things such ambient occlusion I will focus on value work, I took your image and I put in grayscale and everything is almost on the same grey.

If you want the image to pop-up and be interesting...values are one of the most important aspects to make an image appeling! Keep the good work!

hi @aprilshin I think your ilustration is already lovely, the chracaters, the mood, everything fits really well.

But if you ask for things to improve I will say that everything is to much "rigid", they are playing music so I will add some pasion to it, you already have interesting poses but you can exagerate a little bit more, I did a quick sketch so you can see...

Hi everyone, this is my entry for the contest! I used a poem as inspiration, I had fun doing it! Great entries so far, congratulations to everyone!

References are really important. We learn and we improve to draw by observation.

I think what you did is good. Its good to push our imagination and force to recreate the image we have in our heads and try to recreate it without reference. But if you want to keep improving is time to look for some reference and then this "aha!" moments will start to come, looking on what you did and looking on what you saw in your references. Then you start to improve, like, "oh, ok that pose was wrong, or ok this arm go like this, is more natural etc"

For finding references you can use google images, shutterstock, adobe stock, any image browser, also films ( Im not doing it now, but in the past when I was watching a movie I took screenshots if I saw good reference ).

You're not searching for an image that represents 100% the image you have in your head. You are looking for similar references, looking for the mood, something that make feel that is near on what you have in your head. And usually you look for diferent reference and then do a mix with the reference you got and the image you have in your head creating something new!

For exemple you will look a reference for the expresion of the girl, one for the expresion of the man, other for the pose, maybe other for the background, and you will adapt with the original idea you already had.

When you start progressing and getting better probably you will need less and lesss references, but its always good to have a references. References are to observe and understand the nature of things. Before we didnt have milions of photos so artist go outside and observe, took their references sketching daily life etc. Now this had change!

good reference searching!

@EliaMurrayArt

You are the one who decides when your art is finished.

For me its also hard to "finish" my art. It can be endless, but at some point we have to stop.

The illustration that you post for me is very solid and its already complete. The idea is clear and everything is well rendered. So, congratulations! Go for the next one!

The only thing I will point, is about the wind in the background, I think is not needed. For me it breaks with the style or dont feel integreted with the other parts. Without the wind stroke the image can still work perfectly, probably even better.