Hi Eddysage

This is an opinion but I'm not a fan of the mailing list pop up the second you go to the site. Is there a way to make it come up later once the user has had a chance to look around instead? Additionally I'm always wary of giving away my email for something like a quiz when I haven't even seen the quiz yet. I think you're on the right track with gathering info but as Jake Parker has said in one of his talks, you need to give before you ask. Aside from that the site seems to run smoothly and has a nice modern feel to it.

Hi Mag, I think it looks very professional. If I were to nix any of your pieces it would be the last two since they're a lot darker and don't flow as nicely with everything else in your portfolio. Aside from that everything looks nice and cohesive. Regarding the about page, I personally am a fan and would be more likely to hire/buy from someone if I could learn more about them as a person so I would encourage you to put something up there. There are tons of great resources out there for writing a stellar artists statement and bio that are almost formulaic.

@Tyler-Hallstrom This is epic. What medium did you use?

I went with The Little Mermaid but more the dark original story instead of the Disney-fied version we all know.

I just wanted to give you feedback that my cat enjoyed this episode too. He sits next to me as I draw and listen and every time the cat was meowing in the background of the audio my cat would perk up and start purring.

Hey Leo,

Classes and books can definitely be expensive. I would suggest visiting your local public library and just checking out everything they have to offer in the art section on drawing. Some ones I really like from personal experience:

-Picture this by Molly Bang (for composition). Very simplified but makes valid points
-Drawing on the right side of the brain by Betty Edwards (general drawing) Full of neat exercises to expand your perspectives
-Color and Light by James Gurney possibly the best book you could ever use - really comprehensive once you get to that point
-Any sort of "classical anatomy for artists" type books

Also any book from Andrew Loomis - an excellent illustrator who had a tendency to make things really understandable/digestible. These are really old so you can maybe even find these available as free pdfs online (or send me your email and I can send them to you).

Additionally sketching from life is so important, whether that means going to local life drawing sessions and pitching in a few bucks towards the model or doing landscapes and still life drawings. Learning the rules and fundamentals helps you break and warp them if you want to stylize things later on.

I think it's really nicely done. I like the composition and idea, your animals/figures are really cute and full of character, and I like the textures you've got going. My one suggestion would be to up the contrast a little (particularly darken some areas in the background like under the van and behind the animal characters) to make the firelight really pop. Additionally I might give the van a specific shadow or reduce the lighting on the bottom of the wheel or something because it's giving the impression that the van is sort of floating and not grounded.

@Whitney-Simms These are adorable. I especially like the spacing on the sushi one. Congrats and good luck!

@IanS I really like your original concept. It has more story telling involved than the newer version. The first one is so obvious that the man is in an ice cream cone whereas without the hungry ice cream character the concept may be lost and just look a bit more like a graphic element decision. The big thing that I don't like about the composition is that the window panes divide the illustration in half without a lot of overlap. My quick remedy would be to incorporate the arms of the ice cream character so that he's eagerly reaching into the window (either with open hands or a fist full of cash?) It would help bring both sides together into a cohesive image and add some more depth to the piece. Additionally you might kick out the leg of the man in the cone that is currently pointing down to add another point of over-lapping. In general I think it's funny and cute and is a very clever and well communicated idea.

I prefer the second one and would encourage you to pump up the value contrast even more on the body to match the head.