Here's my effort for this month. What a challenge this was! I'm looking forward to going through all the entries now and enjoying them - there were so many great ideas and so many beautiful images. Well done everyone!

What fantastic entries there are this month. Here's my effort! I hope I'm not too late either. As usual I was having trouble reducing my file size from Procreate without losing image quality. I need to master this for next month! I now notice there are a few other space themed entries, apologies, but I am far too slow a worker to change my image at the last moment! I am not speedy!

I'm uploading a second version of my picture because I finally managed to reduce it's file size! The one I posted previously was terrible quality as I had to resort to taking a photo of it on my ipad! Loving the fantastic entries this month, I'll now have a chance to enjoy looking at them all.

Thank you @Braden-Hallett - I’m really looking forward to watching your recording. I feel similarly “clueless about digital art” @Coley so it’ll be great to get some pointers. However, your digital art looks amazing to me!

I absolutely love both these images. I agree with others that the version with the writing would be an excellent book cover. If you were going to use the version without text I also agree with @baileymvidler that you could perhaps add a little more of the splashing stars she mentioned falling on the ground as that is such a beautiful effect. It’s a beautiful piece either way! Well done!

@Chip-Valecek - So sorry to take up your time with what are likely very obvious technological errors! I couldn’t find a way to reduce my image from Procreate to under 500kb without it being a PDF, please could you advise if there are ways to do this so I can send jpg or png (the file sizes were still too big when I converted to either of these formats). Thank you for your advice, it’s my first digital painting so I’m pretty clueless, apologies!

@alisa - these images are beautiful. I meant to give feedback on your falling tiger WIP images but my kids as usual needed something so I got sidetracked. I just wanted to say I love your style and the characters and effect with the black sky and stars are gorgeous.

@Chip-Valecek - thanks so much for your help posting my image. It’s so appreciated! The slideshow looks awesome, so many talented people!

@Braden-Hallett - I always love your style and this image is great. I just love the idea that the wee lad is in a world of his own tucked away from the chaos below. I’d like to be in his tree house just now! Nice unusual point of view too. Your work inspires me!

We’re living in Toronto just now but I’m from a tiny village in Scotland, so I’m kinda wishing I could hop back to my rural house in Scotland for the lockdown where there’s loads of empty space to roam!

@franksandovalart - Thanks very much! I'm a novice to digital art so it's riddled with mistakes and beginners flaws but I had fun doing it!

@franksandovalart - I just LOVE this picture, couldn't stop looking at it. It's my favourite this month. Your colours used underwater are beautiful and the composition is just fantastic with the overwater/underwater scene. You are so talented - well done! Loving the touch of the knife and fork too

@Ryan-Ehr -I love this image, it's got such an awesome retro style. Bongo is adorable - I hope he survives his route home. Masterful work! Well done!

Here's my effort for this month. What a challenge this was! I'm looking forward to going through all the entries now and enjoying them - there were so many great ideas and so many beautiful images. Well done everyone!

@Mairin-Kareli - thank you so much again for letting me know what the criticisms and suggestions were for my entry to last months contest, I had no idea they posted a video of the whole critique arena later on the SVS site so felt very foolish when someone from the SVS team explained this to me

As promised I wanted to give some thoughts on your lovely entry to the contest after you so kindly responded to my earlier query. However, I have to emphasise that I don’t feel I am in any way qualified to comment as my own skills are requiring of lots more improvement! I also just wanted to say that your image was original, intriguing and had lots of lovely elements. The superb skills of our fellow SVS students have been posted before me and I agree with all their great suggestions. I agree with @Neha-Rawat that the different elements of the image seem to be competing with each other. I think perhaps the use of detailed line work (beautiful as it is) across so many areas of the piece leave the viewers eye a little confused as to where to look first.

It’s so lovely when people take the time to do draw overs or reworking of an image and both reworked images by @Frost-Drive and @aprilshin have found ways to stop the elements of image competing by giving greater emphasis to what you want to viewers eye to be drawn towards. As you know, the critique for my image this month also highlighted that I should similarly have blurred the line work in objects which were meant to appear further away and to give sharper focus to those in the foreground. So I will be working on building these skills too!

Similar to @TessaW I was a little unsure if the bird was flying away with a message or returning with a message. However, the concept of the lady in the tower sending out messages is a very clever and original concept for “isolation”.

I’m going to be trying hard to work on my compositions skills this month. I think I might not enter the contest this month and will take a few more classes first as I’m a slow worker and new to digital art so getting an image ready to post tends to absorb all my free time instead of taking classes which I should be doing to improve! I’m sure you’re well acquainted with all the courses already but I found lots of a Jake’s classes really helpful as regards how to give emphasis to different parts of an image using changing values and changes in line weight.

Apologies, as I don’t think I added a great deal as most of our fellow students gave you great feedback already but we’ll done anyway for a great entry this month!

Thank you @Kevin-Longueil - that’s great news. I’m pretty new to all this so I didn’t realise they posted up the discussion later. I feel a bit stupid now for asking the forum if anyone had seen my feedback Never mind, I’m over the moon to get a mini critique. Thanks for telling me about the critique arena being posted. Much appreciated.

Amazing!! Thank you SO much for helping me out on that. That's really helpful to hear that specific feedback. That's so kind of you to answer. When I get a quiet moment I will take time to look at yours for composition thoughts. Thanks again. I'm delighted to get critiqued!

Oh thank you SO much. It was the very last one, the little spaceman looking back to earth with a smashed up lunar module thing beside him. I SO appreciate it. I was yelling at my computer when it froze! Every bit of constructive criticism is so appreciated and valuable when you are starting eh?!

Hi guys, like @Mairin-Kareli, I was so excited too that every entry to the critique arena today was given some constructive criticism today. I had a long shot query, my Zoom screen froze just as Will started to critique my image so I never heard any of it! I was gutted as it worked fine and only froze one other time for the previous two hours Sod's law. I know it's a long shot but if anyone heard any of the criticism I'd REALLY appreciate hearing what was said. Stupid internet connection! Every bit of criticism is SO valuable when you're a beginner like me!

I will try to comment @Mairin-Kareli on my thoughts about your composition but as a novice I don't really feel I'm qualified to comment!

Great competition today and HUGE well done to the awesome winners!

@cynthia-bowman - I just saw your picture today and wanted to say how much I love it! The waves are so hypnotic. I love the way you’ve captured the storm. Just beautiful!