Here's my entry for the fairytale traveler's inn. I've had less time to participate in the forum this month, and I'm experimenting with a style that lets me work in watercolor and digitally together. What do you think?

Here's my Lunar Fairytale heroine, and her trusty tortoise sidekick (who still needs a name). Thanks for all the help and solid advice, everyone. I'm blown away by the work here.

Here goes with my yeti house! I'm learning a lot by participating. Good luck everyone!

Here's my (finally) finished entry! I am learning so much by committing to finishing a new portfolio piece every month.

Getting this in at the last possible second! Beautiful work here! I'm excited to enter again after a few months hiatus.

@NessIllustration this is such useful information! Thank you for sharing it!
@LauraA congratulations on your success from unexpected directions! I hope you get a good gig out of all these requests. What a potentially exciting problem to have.
I'm sure you've build a great list of agencies to contact. A while ago @skillydan posted a list of 30-ish agencies to the forum, and I've added a few more to it. Maybe it'll be useful to you or somebody else here? Here it is:

Advocate Art Agency
Allied Artists/Artistic License
Arena Illustration Ltd
Astound Illustration Agency
The Art Agency
The Artworks
Bath Lit Agency
Beehive Illustration
The Big Red Illustration Agency
B.L. Kearley Ltd
the Bright Agency
Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency Ltd
the Cat Agency Inc
The Catchpole Agency
The Copyrights Group Ltd
David Higham Associates Ltd
David Lewis Agency
Elizabeth Roy Literacy Agency
Frances McKay Illustration
Good Illustration Ltd
Graham-Cameron Illustration
Inky Illustration
Jenny Brown Associates
Kids Corner
KJA Artists
LAW
Lemonade Illustration Agency
Maggie Byers-Sprinzles Agency
NB Illustration
The Organisation
Painted words
Plum Pudding Illustration
Purple Rain Illustrators
SPi Global US, Inc.
Storm Literary Agency
Sylvie Poggio Artists Agency
Symmetry Creative Production
Tugeau2
Sheldon Fogleman Agency
United Agents LLP
Vicki Thomas Associates

Hello everyone! I'm new here at SVS, bingeing on the podcast and getting tons of great info from these forum posts. Thank you to all the friendly and hardworking artists here!
I've spent the past few weeks exploring the possibility of a career transition to illustration. I've been a scenic artist and set designer for the past 17 years, painting and designing scenery for live theater. In that line of work, your paintings are prized for their versatility of style, not for their consistency of style.
So I've been sketching in gouache and pen and ink and Procreate for the past few weeks, trying to get comfortable working in my natural style and learning how to compose images with compelling characters. Here's a collage of some recent explorations. Each a sketch is between 2 and 5 hours of work, and originals around 8 inches max. I'd love some encouragement about what things are working well right now!
Thanks in advance!
Val

I've been thinking about the new Mars rover, and I imagined it had a personality, and wound up with this. I'm in love with it.

Doing a digital rework of an acrylic painting I made for my nephew last summer, adding characters, trying to control focal points.

Hi SVS! I've been away from here for a few months, digesting all the new info I got from the amazing CB Pro class and taking care of other parts of my life, but I'm hoping to re-commit to entering the contest every month. So, I'm posting for feedback and accountability and for how much i learn from everyone's insightful comments.

I'm probably not planning to do a full Inktober challenge this year, so I'm taking this opportunity to do some sequential art that might work for an early reader chapter book aimed at 8-year-olds. I'm developing a character that looks contemporary and likeable, and personality-wise fits somewhere between Ramona Quinby and Calvin & Hobbes. Stubborn, creative, confident, adventurous, etc.

Here's are a bunch of sketches exploring that territory, and experimenting with proportions. I'm thinking of working up the character in the plaid shirt. I'd love to hear your suggestions for poses, hobbies, names, environment, or keywords as I keep developing this idea.

@jenithornhill these are brilliant! Each detail is more charming than the last.

Getting this in at the last possible second! Beautiful work here! I'm excited to enter again after a few months hiatus.

Thanks for the help and encouragement, everyone. Posting my final entry here:

@Annaaronson I'm curious about this too, as I haven't been able to see the critique arena in live stream this summer, and no new recordings seem to be available after May 2021 for me. I feel way behind.

Posting more progress! I've moved into Procreate now while I work out poses and expressions and proportions, and just kind of getting to know my character.
I think that next, I'm going to do another round of paint tests in ink wash with these on my lightbox, and settle on a style and value range that feels right.

@Kim-Rosenlof Thanks, Kim you're totally right.

Character design progress update:
More exploratory sketching. I'm playing with new approaches to a grayscale ink wash style, facial expressions, and character consistency. I like the simpler approaches better, and I think I have some more practice to do on nailing down a consistent style. Feedback is welcome!

@Katherine Cool, I should check out that video too!

@bridgetbick @Kim-Rosenlof @jdeebella Thank you for the great encouragement!
I'm trying to think of a funny/quirky hobby for her to have. Like making drawings of insects, or building a go-kart, or. . . something. Any ideas?

Hi SVS! I've been away from here for a few months, digesting all the new info I got from the amazing CB Pro class and taking care of other parts of my life, but I'm hoping to re-commit to entering the contest every month. So, I'm posting for feedback and accountability and for how much i learn from everyone's insightful comments.

I'm probably not planning to do a full Inktober challenge this year, so I'm taking this opportunity to do some sequential art that might work for an early reader chapter book aimed at 8-year-olds. I'm developing a character that looks contemporary and likeable, and personality-wise fits somewhere between Ramona Quinby and Calvin & Hobbes. Stubborn, creative, confident, adventurous, etc.

Here's are a bunch of sketches exploring that territory, and experimenting with proportions. I'm thinking of working up the character in the plaid shirt. I'd love to hear your suggestions for poses, hobbies, names, environment, or keywords as I keep developing this idea.