Dragonfly Wip-Feedback/Critique please?
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@amlilui Thank you! It's been fun to work on so far. I definitely agree the action and story are not there, and can be much stronger! I'm glad it's reading as illustrative! Turning off the color and finishing the drawing/sketching is great advice.
I tend to get a little unfocused and try to do it all at once! I've gotta slow down and get it tuned up a little more before I jump into the detailing! Its great to be reminded of that! Thank you for your suggestions! They were very helpful and I'm excited to get back to working on this now that I can see what isn't working well!
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What a fun concept! I love the idea of the dragonfly being stubborn. I agree with the others that having the friends reacting to the owl would really help out (either running in fear or coming to help), and yes, the owl seems too close, like he would have already swallowed them up by now.
But other than that, I am completely into the story and where it's going next. I want to know more about this world. Great job!
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@JoshuaDages Thank you! These contests have been great in making me push myself more and more! I think I'll have the friend coming to try and save the day! and positioning the owl a little differently is a good call! Some of the changes I've done since this morning are making it much stronger already! So glad its going in the right direction! Thanks again for the input and suggestions!
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@JessicaStauffer Hi! i'm liking it so far. I think you have a great composition but maybe you can loose the owl. is it vital to the story?
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@Nyrryl-Cadiz Oh interesting! I never considered that! It would tell a different story for sure! I'll have to play around with this idea!
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@JessicaStauffer I love this! Immediately reminded me of Ferngully.
What I read from the story is that they're all riding together, but your main character's dragonfly is being difficult--meanwhile, a scary owl is sneaking up on the unsuspecting duo.
I really like how it's coming so far, but the main issue I see is that the composition/scene seems a bit unbalanced. The majority of the story (and focus) is being told on the right side, and everything on the left is secondary. Maybe try moving your main duo further to the left, and maybe hide your owl a little more so it does seem like a character that's sneaking in. You could also experiment by cropping off the left third of the image and shrinking your other dragonfly riders a bit to be further in the distance.
Really like where this is going! Love your characters!
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I like the concept. I recommend using reference for the pulling action.
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@miranda-hoover I thought Ferngully after I started drawing it too!
That is the story I am aiming for! I'm really glad to know you got that from the image! Good call on the imbalance. I can see that it does feel right heavy. I'll have to play around and make sure to pay attention to that. Thank you! I really appreciate your input!!
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@Chris-Perry-0 Thank you! I will have to pull some references up and double check things!
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@JessicaStauffer Nice image with strong storytelling. I like the colours so far
For me the owl is off because it’s positioned so big, close and high in the frame, also the fact that it doesn’t seem to be perched on the tree. But mostly it is off because owls swoop down on prey which they can detect easily from a mile away, this one is watching more like a vulture and it makes me question why this owl is different. It could work as part of a story where the owl is a sort of frenemy that you can’t really trust not to eat you...are you going for that vibe? Would it affect the story if the owl was more obscured in shadow and leaves with glowing, fixated eyes ready to lunge forward? -
The idea is funny and lovely. A dragonfly who is as stubborn as a mule
The owl is a bit confusing. Is he a friend, is he watching or is he going to eat them? Maybe you could make that a bit clearer.Illustrator & Visual Artist
https://hakepe.myportfolio.com/ -
@Lovsey Thank you! I'm glad the story is there! Yeah, the owl is definitely a WIP. I realized I never sketched out the branch he should be on. I was going for an owl waking up and noticing the kerfuffle below and decides its easy pickings for dinner tonight! It's a whole movie scene in my head!
But this sketch doesn't really communicate that clearly, so I see why its confusing. I'll have to adjust some things and make it more clear! I really like the idea of obscuring him a little more in the shadows, and making him feel more distant yet threatening! It may help him not be so visually heavy in the image as well. Thank you so much for the suggestions! They are very helpful!
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@hakepe Thank you! I'm glad he's reading as being so stubborn! I'll be working today on making the owls intentions more clear, because I can definitely see now how its a bit confusing! Thanks for the questions! They are good things to ponder while I work!
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@gavpartridge Thank you! I feel colors are always a tough thing for me to get right! I'm glad the moon is reading well! I'll play around with it so it isn't such a scene stealer. Yes the composition definitely is a bit heavy on the right. I'll have to work with proportions of the characters and make them not so little, squished and hidden in the dark. I didn't consider an owl henchmen/bounty hunter bringing the owl a dragonfly, but I really like that idea! I'll have to play around with the characters some more and see what comes of it! Thank you for your input! It is really fun to see what people suggest and notice in the image that I don't see!
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Okay...went back to the drawing board, because I just am not sure. I liked the story I came up with, but I don't know if I love it. I wanted to try to push through and I played around with suggestions I received and sat with the piece this past week. I realized I jumped into a final idea too fast and I think that was my ultimate struggle, so I stepped back and started sketching out a few ideas...
Number 1 was a fun idea in my head so I sketched it out a little more clearly and at a different angle:
Annnnd that's where I'm at right now! Going for a shady-swampy-pawn-shop-exchange story vibe. Just wanted to update. Still have some work to do! I think I'll have the toads left hand on one of those winged seeds that fall from trees for the trade. And maybe make the toad a little bigger and imposing...they seem a bit similar in size?
