I think this is the hardest piece I have worked on for me. I guess perspective is not my strongest side. Thank you for everyone who has helped out along the way - you guys made my process so much more fun and engaging.

When I was an interaction designer, there was a saying in the industry "celebrate your failer". I did not really understand why, but now I really like that approach. SO I am going to celebrate my first "No" from my editor.

Yesterday, I submitted my first completed picture book dummy to an editor (we had good work experience in the past, I just finished illustrating a book for her recently). Within 2 hours, I received a rejection via email with an in-depth critique on the dummy. I was so excited and I almost said "fantastic" out loud.

I was excited because:

1. I finished a picture book dummy for the first time (a huge milestone for me).
2. Someone professional actually read it and cared enough to write a thoughtful crit during her working hours.

Now I am back to the drawing board with revisions to do. :-).

Here is my entry for this month. So glad I made it.
For the first time, I did my svs monthly challenge with traditional medium. I did not have access to a big enough scanner for today. So the image is taken by iPhone and I did a slight re-touch on photoshop.

Hi, everyone. I have a big news - I just signed a contract with Plum Pudding Illustration agency in the UK this week. I am waiting for them to update info on their website to make it offical :-).

Before the lockdown came, I hesitated to contact agents, because I did not feel "I am ready" (as most of you may feel the same way about your own work). I thought I need to just add a couple more pieces. Then during the first period of the lockdown, everything became so surreal and the world felt upsidedown. I was not able to consentrate on making art, so I started to reach out - writing to agents, editors and art directors. Then I was very lucky to recieve an offer, and now I am preparing for a new adventure.

It was interesting to illustrate the 3 point perspective episode "risky business" around the same time I got the agency offer. I felt I am that bunny who is walking through that door to the unkown territory. It is super exciting and a little scary too.

Thank you so much, SVS family, for all the critiques, advises on the illustration busniess, and surpport&encouragement. Thank you so much @Will-Terry @Lee-White @Jake-Parker for creating the SVS community.

"Love is magic."
I got lots of help from the SVS family in the forum with this piece. Learned a lot. Thank you so much.

I also revisited my piece, and could not resist to touch up a bit more of the muddy color. Sorry for my re-submission.

I enjoyed this and it also drove me a bit crazy. Thank you so much for the critique along the way. Always making my image so much better when I share the process on the forum. Love seeing all the submissions. The variety is wild this month.

Am I too late?

Than you so much for so much constructive feedback I have received so far. I did not get to completely finalize this piece. So I submit what I have so far, and will continue to work on it in 2020.

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you get to have time to dream big and silly dreams in 2020.

I am very interested. I am considering re-build my portfolio with wordpress. Thank you for doing this and let us know when it is ready. Looking forward to this.

Oh. wow. Dragonfly is more or less my favorite creature :-).

What a wonderful news. Big congratulations to you

@idid I think the picture book version came out a lot later. This robot story has been with Jake for a long time I guess :-).

I love this piece. Really well done. I love love compose images which characters small - sometimes it can be challenge, for me ithelps focus on the shape, and silhouette, and worry less about "oh, that is an arm".

If you want to play around a bit more with the piece, it might be worth invest a bit of time on the edge control of the witch character. Another thing you might be try is testing out adding different color in the background, and/or play around with the typography (font/color, etc.) of the title.

A big hug. I am here to listen. I hope you do keep making art on the side, even it is just 5 mins a day, or an hour a week. I see how your art grows over the last few months that we hang out on this forum.

Big congratulations, @Gary-Wilkinson - both the books and the baby :-).

I am still a big fan of Catie Chien and Jen Wang's work. I just did not realized I had read art from these artists so many years back :-).

I am in the middle of moving right now. Today is our day one of packing down home. I was so excited when I found this: a copy of Flight antrology volumn one I owned since 2005 or something. I did not realize I had read @Jake-Parker 's work way before SVS time.

@Eric-Droke thank you very much. Regarding adding color variation. I put down one layer of the main color, then just use smaller brushes adding layers of layers of different color on top. Some times I adjust the opacity of the layer a bit so the colro mix together better. This particular image is done in procreate with 6b pencil and artistic crayon brushes (both are default procreate brushes). I try to think of how impressionist painter uses color - like Claude Monet's green is never just green - if you look closely there is pink, red, yellow, purple, and all other color in his green.

I am on this journey for about 2 years now, and started out in my late 30's too. I did have some prior knowledge on composistion, design because of my graphic design education and passion for photography for many years.

The nice thing about art is you can start at any age, there is no particular advantage in starting early. It is possible to make a full time living in doing illustration, moslty you will not be rich but definitely possible to make enough so you can have time to do art (at least that is my goal :-).

Depending on your definition of "make it", there are different routes to the goal. I am personally more interested in making more artistic books. So recently I turned down a couple jobs that do not have the room for me to spend time on them, doing proper art. But I am also in the begining of my career, so I know that having books been published is an important stepping stone, even though that means I might put out things that I am not 100% happy with. I am kind of walking in a fine line to find what jobs to say yes, and what jobs to say no to.

Same story as @Neha-Rawat, I spent 1,5 years building my portfolio with the help of svs community, and show up to make art almost everyday. Then I got an agency to represent me not too long ago. Now they help me to get possible jobs. Being picky about what projects to take in also means that I have less income coming in from doing illustration at this moment. I need to take this into an account when planning my career and finance.

As for sucessful illustrators who started out late, look up Lisa Congdon. She does not work in kidlit space that much, but she is huge in the art and illustration community.

Best wishes to yoru journey.
And listen to @NessIllustration, she is nailing it again.