An article concerning a family that was torn apart by a senseless car crash (teenagers street racing) moved me recently. The parents died and the children survived but with significant injuries. It made me think about the anguish the children must be experiencing, especially during the holidays when friends and family normally gather together in the warmth and security of their homes. The sense of togetherness must take on a completely different meaning for them. Having experienced the loss of many loved ones, I too have begun to see togetherness in a different light. There is a sense of joy mingled with sorrow ... a deep appreciation but an ineffable sense of grief.

I hope my entry is not too late. (I just finished this by the skin of my teeth!) My version of the fabled Yeti is part moose, bear, and deer. The design was inspired by varying accounts of Yeti sightings that are often dismissed as bear or moose sightings. As a creature that resides in the remote mountains of the Himalayas, I tried to add subtle facial features that were a cross between that of the Inuit and the Nepali. I added some accessories and apparel to help add flesh out his personality. In particular, the illustration that depicts him walking features the Yeti wearing a pair of Inuit sunglasses and distinctive fanny pack.

Happy Slovember everyone!

My name is Albert Lee and I am totally new to his forum but so grateful to be a part of this invaluable community of creators. Like so many of you, I have always dreamt of pursuing a career in the field of children's illustration but never made the commitment to take a leap of faith into the publishing world until now. I have been a freelance illustrator for the past 8 years, but have struggled with Ankylosing Spondylitis ( a rare type of arthritis that causes pain and stiffness in your spine) for the past 12 years which has made it challenging to work for extended hours at a time. Needless to say, I have a long way to go in terms of compiling a portfolio that is suitable for this field of illustration, but I do have some personal pieces of artwork on my portfolio that may help get the ball rolling.

If it isn't too much trouble, I would soooo appreciate any feedback/advice in regards to curating a few pieces from my current website:
[https://www.albertleeillustration.com/](link url)

I realize that you all must have so little time and just want to thank you in advance for even taking the time to read this.

Have a blessed day,
Albert

Hello all,

Like some of you, it has been a while since I participated in any of the SVS contests/challenges due to many time constraints related to work. When I saw this Month's prompt, however, I could not resist coming up with my own take on it (I was a huge DND fan growing up).

At any rate, my protagonist's name is Eldritch which means strange or unnatural especially in a way that inspires fear : WEIRD, EERIE." Eldritch is a half-elf whose origins are obscured by some unknown force. His halcyon days are upended by the sudden appearance of a faerie named Alethea (meaning Truthful) whose mere existence shatters his limited world view. Their journey to recover the fabled touchstone is fraught with danger and tragedy, but their friendship encourages Eldritch to confront the fears that seem to have originated from his past.

So far, I have found it extremely difficult to craft an original story. I see heavy influences from the Ocarina of time in my pairing of a youthful elven like male protagonist and a fairy. Additionally, the illustration styles don't match at this juncture. I will do my best to put some more thought into this one if time permits.

Thank you to all who took time to read, comment, critique, or like this post. Best of luck to everyone!

)

Hello all,
I am new to the forum and I realize that my artwork for the contest is not eligible to be considered a valid entry. I just wanted to post the final version for the sake of getting some invaluable feedback from you all. Thanks in advance for any feedback/helpful suggestions.

I chose to compose a simple scene in which 4 young creatures are enjoying an evening playing a board game (Monstropoly) when a fifth character (literally a fifth wheel) enters the scene with a boombox and a balloon. Some might recognize him as Barney the dinosaur. As a parent of 3 kids, one being a teenager, I often revel in seeing them squirm when I play songs from their toddler years. My playlist of songs include music by the Wiggles, Barney, and VeggieTales ... it never fails to send them screaming to their rooms.

@Braden-Hallett Such an appealing layout, use of tonality, and composition! Such a great start and truly would have liked to have seen your final rendition. I am gonna fanboy a bit here and say that your portfolio is super awesome and exudes so much charm!

Hello all,

I've been working on a series on concept sketches/illustrations that feature female characters. Eventually, I hope to create a set of about 9 to 12. As of now, the styles are once again all over the place. I am leaning more towards the rendering of the female Praetorian Guard but am wondering if the exaggerate, elongated forms are working. I definitely would like to rework the pose and feel as though it is very stiff and unnatural. Any feedback is totally appreciated.

@NessIllustration You make a very good point about choosing a recognizable, consistent style. I was a bit lost at the time and i felt a little like Goldielocks trying on various different styles...but none seemed to really "fit"... Honestly, I am still a little unsure of what my signature style actually looks like but I am hopeful that it will become more clear as I pursue storytelling and spend time pouring over what SVS has to offer. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and invaluable advice!

@chrisaakins Not at all. Your image conveys a depth of its own. You illustrated it beautifully and it really conveys a sense of fellowship and camaraderie which is much needed given all of the chaos that is going on.

@NessIllustration That you so much for taking time to respond, Vanessa! I think you are right. I will just have to admit that I have no experience with this type of thing and that I would definitely defer to their judgment. As it is, I feel way under qualified and would truly just do the PR stuff for free. They offered me 35K for the artwork alone and I am just shocked that they would also want to interview me! Thanks again for all of the helpful advice you offer to everyone on this forum and for being so generous with your time

@Oana Those were very helpful suggestions and observations. You are totally right about the rest of the room. I actually got so carried way with working in 2 pt perspective that I did not emphasize the narrative. A part of me saw this as an exercise in concept art and I began to focus too heavily on portraying the interior space as a suburban home. I also did not include enough elements, keepsakes, objects that belong to Albert strewn around the interior. If I am able to give it another go, I would love to explore the tension between Albert's objects and the objects that were there prior to his arrival.

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such helpful insights!

Hello all,

I did not participate in last month's challenge but I wanted to give July's prompt a shot.

My version of Albert is a critter that loves the outdoors, revels in conspiracy theories and cryptozoology, gets lost in thought easily, and can sometimes come across as inconsiderate and overly enthusiastic. He now lives with a family of cats that have become accustomed to a life of domestication, comfort, and ease. Albert's inquisitive nature, thirst for adventure and the outdoors, and his eagerness to involve his family members in his greatest passions can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse.

In my indoor scene, Albert has just rushed in from an outdoor camping trip, trailing mud and rain water on the floor. He interrupts his adopted siblings in the middle of a crucial football game to tell them about a creature he encountered in the woods: a giant Easter Bunny! Needles to say, they are less than thrilled and do not believe that Albert has any evidence to back up his claims.

I think that if I developed the idea further, I would leave the question as to whether or not these Fantastical creatures exist open ended. I tried to visually represent the ambiguity of the cryptid (easter bunny) by depicting it in a different style.

Thanks for any feedback as always and good luck to everyone!!!

@jimsz I never even knew what a visual arts attorney was until you mentioned it. I am very green under the collar, thanks for that helpful information! I will definitely look into it and see if the client will give me a little more time to respond to their counterproposal after Ive consulted with a VA Attorney. Much appreciated!

@carlianne thank you for offering your insights and for your encouraging words! I did consider quoting by the hour but quickly realized that they were looking for an overall estimate during our first zoom call. After asking them what their budget was, (35k), I sent them a proposal for about 31k but expected them to counter with something lower or move on to another illustrator. To my surprise, they told me to increase my proposed amount to the whole amount 35k and recently asked me if I wanted to revise my proposal again to reflect the PR requirements. I already feel so grateful for the amount and don't want to appear greedy or overly confident. In fact, I don't want to give them a reason to look elsewhere! I will definitely make an updated post if this all turns out for the good! I am So grateful for this community and for people like you who take time to encourage and inform others. I hope that I can do the same for others here as well

@giorgiofeltrucci Thank you!

@chrisaakins I am researching the same topic and came across this website:

https://www.techradar.com/best/best-ways-to-share-big-files

One of the specialized websites seems to be https://massive.io
They charge $.25 per gigabyte and there is a free trial of up to 100gb.

Hope that it helps you too.

@NessIllustration That you so much for taking time to respond, Vanessa! I think you are right. I will just have to admit that I have no experience with this type of thing and that I would definitely defer to their judgment. As it is, I feel way under qualified and would truly just do the PR stuff for free. They offered me 35K for the artwork alone and I am just shocked that they would also want to interview me! Thanks again for all of the helpful advice you offer to everyone on this forum and for being so generous with your time

Hello all.

I am in a bit over my head (actually way in over my head) with an international brand and am humbly asking for any help regarding how to price for services that include the following client requests:

In particular, I have never been asked to come up with a quote for PR related activities, interviews, social media, etc.

I am so sorry if this is not the right way to go about asking for assistance. In fact, I was reluctant to post this here but I am a relatively new freelancer and have never encountered anything like this. If anyone could even point me in the right direction, I would be so grateful. Thank you

@Braden-Hallett Totally! ^__^ I wonder if it had something to do with growing up in the 80s. So glad that I get to share it with my two boys now. BOTW is probably the first video game that ever elicited a "Ratatouille" moment for me, and I have to admit it probably influenced my design a bit too heavily now that Ive taken a day to re-examine my design choices. Id say he would be wearing something breathable and light weight underneath the armor (but a little too form fitting). I added the loincloth hoping to address the uh more sensitive areas, but I am starting to think it draws more attention there! Thanks again for the feedback!

@SheerArt Ah! I was born in the late 70s and vaguely recall that 2D animated adaptation. So cool to be able to put a name to the Director/animator