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.

@amelia-bothe

Hi Amelia,

So first of all, your work is fantastic. It's absolutely breathtaking and I'm surprised you're not working for major publishers and companies already. I wouldn't worry too much about having too much work on there. I know the "rule" is 8-12 pieces, but I see lots of phenomenal and successful illustrators with many more (ie. http://rfkelly.com/). If I were to pick your top five I would say:

-Sushi Chef Kitty
-Courtship Duet
-Thriving Autumn
-Red Panda Sparrow
-Leaf and Berry

You have an excellent sense of lighting, composition, animal anatomy, and giving a wonderful expression to your characters. (My one anatomy critique would be careful not to flatten cat faces in the more realistic pieces)

If I were to nix anything, I would say the "lion sketch", "cat", and "peacock sketch", since they are more like studies than full illustrations. But really they're so well done I think they're fine left in.

Regarding your bio, you are incredibly talented for your age (more so than many artists, myself included, probably ever will be). Though it's impressive, I might caution you against putting your age out there though once you start trying to work professionally. People can be very biased and may think that despite how incredible your work is, that your young age may mean you don't have the professional skills to handle a job yet. Additionally they may feel that since you're "just a kid" that they can take advantage and severely overwork/under pay you.

From a technical standpoint, I don't know whether it's my computer or the site, but after visiting your bio and then clicking "Portfolio" at the top to go back to your work, the link seems to be broken and won't load. Probably just some extension missing here.

At some point if at all possible I would suggest purchasing a domain name so that you don't have to have such a convoluted url.

Overall I think you have a beautiful style and are headed in a clear direction. Keep it up and you'll do just fine!

@andrewgthomas I graduated with a BFA in illustration about 6 months ago. While I was in school I took on a hand full of freelance jobs and honestly I think it was crucial. Not only did it build my confidence so that when I graduated and took on other gigs I didn't have that fear of "oh god, I've never really done this before", but additionally I had some really great supportive instructors who I was able to approach for their insight on various things. I showed thumbnails to one teacher before presenting them to the client to get his take on how I could present my best work in the early stages, and on a different project when I had some communication difficulties with a client, I had a teacher who was happy to listen and offer advice. If you're in a program where you're able to forge real connections with your instructors and be their genuine friend, they're often happy to lend an eye to look over things or make sure you're not going to screw yourself over with certain contract terms.

The thing I imagine this fellow is saying is to not get ahead of yourself and think you're all that and a bag of potato chips just because someone is paying you. If you're able to remain humble, acknowledge that you're still learning, and it won't take time away from your studies then I would say go for it.

The biggest thing I've learned since graduating is that I didn't feel like I was ready, and probably never will. We continue to learn and develop both our artistic and interpersonal skills the more we practice them, so I'm a big supporter of 'fake it til you make it' as long as you're putting your best effort into everything you do.

@smceccarelli Ha ha, that may be true but at least you're giving off the right impression to outsiders. That's a very good point about identity. I think especially with things like Instagram I get caught up in the "hey, look at all the things I can do and look how often I'm doing it and don't stop looking at me because I need to stay on everyone's radar all the time or you'll forget I exist..." I'm very quiet and chill in real life but when it comes to art online I become that kid in class that won't shut up and needs constant attention and validation. I think it's because I'm at a point where I'm putting a lot of work in to my art and marketing but not getting enough jobs and my massive student loans from art school are weighing heavily on me. I work hard, but I need to learn to work smart.

@joen-söderholm I've done Inktober once successfully and twice not so much. Illustration Friday is a great weekly challenge if the daily ones are too daunting. http://illustrationfriday.com/

@gary-wilkinson I would say go for it. They're very cute and showcase your talent with creating vectors. I will caution you though that once they're out there on the web they're much more likely to get ripped off and used without your permission. Vectors seem to be in high demand and I made the mistake of putting several on my deviantart page a few years ago, which are now in use (only to my knowledge since doing a reverse google image search), by several small bands, retailers, and print on demand shops. Even if you don't post a high res file, it's super easy to vector image trace and recreate them. So just be careful if this is something you might worry about.