Thank you for your comments @Jean-Watson @MarcRobinson @Chantal-Goetheer I really appreciate it! I have made some small changes to my picture. I like the ideas for texture, and wish I could give it a little less flat of a feeling. Realistic rendering is something I look forward to learning 🙂 Thanks again for the thoughts. I will keep playing with it.
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@kirsten-mcg Is there a link somewhere that I am not seeing? Duh DUR DUR👀

@Jeremy-Ross nope still editing i just wanted to know what people thought of the concept

Yeah, what @kirsten-mcg said is along the lines of what I would comment: I think the saliva could add a lot if you refine the gesture and shape of it. But then, I also think you might want to knock back the value of the monster and saliva in general so that it doesn’t compete as much with the type. I also notice there’s a bit of a tangent with the monster’s tongue and the bottoms of the the “G” that you might want to break up. I DO, however, like the general translucency of the saliva. How lovely to be in a professional field where you can debate this type of thing. 🙂

@kirsten-mcg Thanks for the response. One of the struggles for the composition was the mothers belly. It had to be big enough to block the other characters but was to big for the baby. I do agree that I probably need to do more exploration to see if I would come up with a better composition.
Thank you for the feedback.

@AngelinaKizz thanks, I’ll check it out!

@Jeremy-Ross I mean, what else are you going to do for booger?

Hey friends,

So I don't have much experience with character design, but I'm getting in some practice by turning myself into a character! What do you think of my progress? It's still rough (the object my character is holding is a lantern, but I haven't fleshed it out yet), but I'm just looking for thoughts at this point. I tried to follow the rule of making sure the character would read well as a silhouette, so hopefully the pose is OK. I'm not sure of it looks off balance or not? And I haven't figured out the hands yet, so that's why those look incomplete. Also, it's a bit prettier than I was going for... I'm trying to think of ways to make the style feel a little more down to earth! Or maybe I'll just keep it as is...I do like it so far!

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@Stephanie-H I think I can find a way to finagle that!

@Pamela-Fraley Thank you Pamela! Eyes are feeling the strain as I try to keep plugging away at developing my portfolio. I'll be posting the link soon...

I would be afraid of bears too if they showed up in my yard! I used to take care of 170 animals at a private animal sanctuary and I encountered a mad pig, a mad bull, and a very unhappy rooster however no bears!! Yikes!!!

Alaska is gorgeous!!! I hope to travel there someday 🙂

@alexisartxox These book covers are so cute. I do have a little bit of a hard time reading the title on "Where's My Mummy?". I think the light orange/yellow areas are too close in value to the sky in the background and gets a little lost (posting a black and white version to show what I mean). If you made those areas the same value as the darker orange on the title, it would be more visible, or made the background a little lighter. Great job. I love the illustrations!

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@Abigail-Hookham This is so cute, and the bottles definitely stand out more now.

The stickers turned out in time and they look very nice and glossy! 😻
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This is lovely Mag! Congratulations! 👏🏼

@lpetiti Thanks for the comment, I will wait out and see.

@Griffin-McPherson What's it look like with the color on the 2nd option? I think having both to compare will help you make your final decision.

@Griffin-McPherson absolutely! You're so welcome. It's best to start cover design with the text, as that is often an element that can be moved around but can't change.

There are elements here that could make a great cover, but you're right: it would be best to redesign an entirely new cover illustration.

@ArtMelC I’m also looking at small thumbnails on my phone, so I’m likely missing some of the details you can see in your head. The pictures might work.

And it might just be that going wordless with such an abstract adventure might be the biggest part of the challenge.

Was listening to a podcast interviewing Dan Santat earlier today and he talked about how he (and he+Migh Le) create a wordless dummy first, but then add the necessary words after. Helps keep words minimal and focused. That might be an option here, too.

I also have a very literal brain, so I might have just missed the details needed to pick up on the adventure in the clouds.

@Asyas_illos you're right! Thanks! Fresh eyes are invaluable. 😊

I’m also still working on developing my style. Though there are practices you can do to land a specific style more quickly (Lee’s dream portfolio is worth a look btw) I think the mindset to take on here is that you haven’t arrived at the point on your artistic journey where your style is clearly defined and that’s totally okay. Many professional artists say that they feel they didn’t have a "style" until years into their career. Think less on marketability and more on connecting with your creative roots. Which of your styles do you like? What resonates with you the most. Focus on that and that is where your best artwork will come from, and your style with it.