I'm so excited that you extended this deadline! Thank you thank you.

@ShannonBiondi 110%

This is exciting!! I definitely want to join in this year - I’ve been waiting for months! I love your word list - it’s way more inspirational than I found the OG prompt list.

Great idea!

This is heartbreaking news and I have no words for the loss... I, like others here, feel as if I know you through the years of watching you open up about your life and work, and see you as a mentor and an inspiration. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I think it’s really interesting that you’re playing around with this. I’m already a big fan of your work, but I think you’re right - adding graininess gives the work more of an oraganic, down to earth feeling. Up to this point, everything has had a nice gloss to it(which btw Is stunning). But I do think this treatment in the right places can warm up your current work. The treatment of texture on his face is perfect - it doesn’t distract at all, but gives the piece uniformity(is that a word?).
The arms feel a little dirty though, maybe use the technique a little more subtly on flesh(like you did with the face).

@burvantill
I definitely understand the fight you went with this piece, but I think this came out really strong. It reads perfectly for your age range and has a real professional touch to it - I can see this being in a book store. I also really enjoy the color nuances you’ve added this time around, chiefly the coloration of the crystal shards and the cave - I like how you balanced out what objects receive your line weight, as opposed to parts of your illustration that just received color treatment. It’s 100% you, with new treatments that I haven’t seen in your previous work, yet fit and make me, the viewer, strongly engage with it. I’m really curious to see how this piece influences your future work. In fact, the composition feels like it would work great as a spread too.
My crit is a little late in the game :p I’m sorry. But for next time, the boy holding out his arm - it might work better in the future to have him holding out his right arm, so that he is more open to the viewer and rounds out his shape more. The scary guys on the back are doing this and it really gives a sense of depth.

Nailed it.

@burvantill
Oh gosh - I’m so happy! - and thank you for the feedback - all I have is my boyfriend in the back saying “yes the color is good” or “add more detail to the nose” - so it’s nice to get a full look through from you, finally!!!
I used gouache - which was fun - but while I planned out values and color I did a lot of experimenting on the work itself, which was a long process and used up a lot of paint. Also recharging gouache with water to make it useful again is OMG not as easy as they’d make you believe in tutorials. Wow - gripe much Kaitlin? :p

I agree with every posting here! I got to watch your first class, and it demystified so many questions I had on color and process - thank you. And it's so cool to see your work all together like this.
So looking forward to learning more from you!

Wow Chip - I love this.
I am way into the grunge of it.
Like super into it.

For the William Golding what would it be like if you put the William on the left side of the spike, and Golding on the right - a little larger? Did you try that already? I'm just curious.
I image when you say Final Detail you may mean tightening up the flies a bit more - I think that would be really delicious.

Also, total side note, but I would LOVE to see your work on some vintage "Weird Tales" magazine covers.

Oh man - I'm just so excited about this piece!!!