I love the little feet and his costume. Beautiful piece. The only thing that feels slightly off to me is that the face seems rendered in a harder edge style than the rest of the piece, which feels lovely soft, fuzzy.

@Bobby-Aquitania said:

You can open Painter files in Photoshop, and I am hoping in a few years Painter will allow them to use their color picker for images that makes an instant palette, love that thing!

I have the full Painter X3 (2013?) and you can make a color set from any image. And they also have a mixing palette feature - where you can "dirty" your colors (mix and smush colors on the palette similar to oil paints, and use that instead of a color set).

I also find in Painter X3 version that not all layer types specific to painter transfer/look the same in photoshop (I have CS4). More recent versions of painter might do better?

Painter definitely has some features that you can't do in Photoshop (eg pen pattern brushes, image hoses), and an overwhelming set of all real media (oil, watercolor, ink, acrylic, pencil, pen, etc etc) brushes and their variants. And an infinitely configurable brush engine, to create brushes never before seen on any planet. Whereas I find Photoshop easier to use for certain things (especially big files), and definitely more stable - ie not likely to go into la-la land.

absolutely love the concept! really fun!

Perhaps, rather than showing the mother, it might be fun to show some/one of Haven's classmates/friends in the background, having a grand ol' time, examining the contents that Haven is passing out for inspection - eg, trying on mum's lipstick, tossing money in the air, looking at mum's cell phone, examining credit cards, trying on sun glasses, using keys for earrings, etc, etc?

great idea!

EDIT: just noticed that this month's type of image is a "spot illustration" so perhaps my suggestion might be too complicated.

The first image (more detaiIed)is the image that I submitted for this month's contest. The second image (simpler style) is where I started and then I switched directions.

I know I should have gotten feedback before forging ahead, or changing direction, as I find it hard to stop experimenting, and interrupt the momentum.

I'm now liking my original version better (simpler image), and wish that I had pursued this further.

I'm gathering that there is some resistance? distaste? to using 3D software for illustration, but I can't seem to stop myself. I keep hoping that I will be able to come up with a style that makes the 3D look more hand crafted.

Any feedback is welcome and is much appreciated. First image versus 2nd? texturing styles? I know there are probably problems with the 1st image, in terms of knowing which creature is Lucy, and what kind of creature she is, and perhaps also as to what all the creatures are? I think it's clearer in the 2nd image?

@Dulcie Thanks Dulcie - AND Congrats on this month's win...FABULOUS image! And, as usual, your lovely, endearing style with clarity of story shines brilliantly.

@jacs Thanks Jac. You are right about about trusting the techniques and process demonstrated on this forum...Very tough also for me to move thru feeling awkward with new process versus doing it my ol' comfortable and as you say, intuitive way of working.

Here's a render of some creatures that I did (in 3D) back in 2012: Lothario the Lion, Nummi the Hedgehog and Madame Ruzzlelini Raccoon

lovely feel - lovely colors!

Very gorgeous rendering, terrific character design, sweet composition !

Charming, endearing work - ALL of it...(not just the last image)

I love the new colors, and the idea of the kids sticking their tongues out. However, if you hadn't said that's what they are doing, I'm not sure I would have know. Maybe I would have? When I expand to a larger view I see it. Perhaps a slightly different angle on the kids heads might make it more readable? And perhaps the poses for the 2 kids could be less similar

But overall a Very very lovely, appealing and charming piece!

Nice, wonderful images and illustration. Sorry for your loss of your mother. May her memory be a blessing and comfort you in time

yeah, definitely bummer - such a fun image!

I love it too. And I am in complete awe of your amazing talent. However, the death guy is a little confusing. How would it look if you only had death's scythe showing perhaps? (moved it closer to old guy and cropped it a little closer?)

awwwww...so sweet! Many congratulations and many best wishes. Happy Birthday Aurelia Grace! Welcome to the world!

What a wonderful piece! Love the rambling of the scarf. However, I agree about the scarf going over grandpa's fingers and then back over grandmas chair. Perhaps make it so that the scarf goes behind grandpas hands - looking like it goes back down the arm of grandpa and grandmas chairs, and then back up the back of her chair.

Perhaps it might be fun to see the cat interacting with the scarf on the back of the chair so as to suggest it was partly the cat's fault for the path of the scarf?

Maybe the eyes of grandma could be looking down at her knitting? (or as other's suggested, not staring blankly into space, unless she is supposed to be day dreaming? trying to remember next pattern of stitches, listening to story?, reminiscing?)

And I miss the dog too! he was wonderful.

I repeat myself: wonderful image!

Charming, endearing work - ALL of it...(not just the last image)

@Dulcie Thanks Dulcie - AND Congrats on this month's win...FABULOUS image! And, as usual, your lovely, endearing style with clarity of story shines brilliantly.

@jacs Thanks Jac. You are right about about trusting the techniques and process demonstrated on this forum...Very tough also for me to move thru feeling awkward with new process versus doing it my ol' comfortable and as you say, intuitive way of working.

@smceccarelli Thanks for the feedback! Your image is amazing. I took a look at your website and I am totally intimidated. Your work is outstanding. I love your style.

Yes, focusing on lighting and value scheme would be a good idea for me to help clarify telling the story. And making it obvious. That will be my goal for next month's effort.

I am in love with patterns, textures, textiles, colors, complexity, abstraction. Up until I found this forum, had never even thought about storytelling (did mainly personal art, 3D modeling, animation dabbling), nor did I really think about readability. AND it shows!

So as an amateur (come from a software, engineering background), hobbyist, and OLD person, I don't really have a portfolio to speak of. But I keep my brain active and I enjoy learning, improving, conquering new skills. So, I am in pursuit of getting better, so that at least people might be able to understand what's going on in my images.

Thanks again for your feedback

@DanetteDraws Thanks Danette. You are so RIGHT ON in suggesting that I work on clarifying my storytelling ideas such that there is no confusion. I 100% agree. It is a problem in much of my stuff. Could be because I keep changing the story as I go (while laying out the 3d composition), rather than planning and sticking to the plan!

And you are right about the focal point...It is a problem in most of my images. I think I can help that by changing my lighting some. But truthfully, I have a problem with even wanting to have a single focal point. Somehow I want the eye to wander and inspect all of the image. But I definitely could do better in leading the eye. In this story I'm not even sure where I wanted the focal point to be? The tool? Lucy? the problem? (skunks). I guess I wanted the focal point to be the bear spraying the skunks with perfume, and that secondly one would notice the trunk, then start inspecting all the other items.

I did digitally paint over the first image - added texturing, the stars, lightened some areas. However I had not been too successful in doing more paint over, as the 3D conflicts with my hand painting style, so they didn't mix well. But I gave up too easily. I should probably push thru that.

thanks again for the feedback!

@Lynn-Larson Thanks Lynn. I was trying to go for a fabric stuffed animal look in the top image versus a "stylized" painted animal look as in the 2nd, as well as to suggest a "crazy quilt" idea. But I agree, I prefer the coloring, texturing in 2nd image of the animals. I think I might have been able to choose different patterns for the animals such that it would have been more easy on the eyes.