Together wip. The marriage-mobile.

[Rachel Horne]

@Coley Lovely idea!! I prefer the white/grey carriage - it separates it from the red of the hearts although I'm thinking maybe a tiny bit more contrast in the background could be nice. I'm loving the overall design

[Coley]

@Rachel-Horne thanks will toy with the background contrast as I go

[LauraA]

I'm really fond of that last one too! I find the white background one intriguing as well.

[Heather Boyd]

@Coley If your keeping to the night scene I like the last one. You may want to alter the colours in the winter coats of your characters that get lost in the background colours. And maybe also because your carriage is white lower the value a bit more I find it competes with the lights a bit. The first one with the black is nice also but maybe have the lights bring light to the inside of the carriage to vary the solid black where you loose some definition.

[Coley]

@Heather-Boyd awesome tips thank you . I'll work some of that in going forward for sure. Their clothes definitely need something, I may add some rim light or have lighter values. We'll see. Lots of work left to do!

[Coley]

Some progress. Tons left to do. Will get little bits done at a time I think as I have pet portait commissions to prioritize. Playing with fancifying the marriage-mobile with embossing details and curly wurly bits

[Coley]

@LauraA thanks are you doing something for this month’s contest?

[LauraA]

@Coley Thanks for asking! Right now I am working hard on a Slowvember project with a Narnia theme (it has its own thread). I am intrigued by Folktale Week, and also the second installment of Childhood week, and I usually do a Christmas image in late November, so I don't think I can squeeze in another whole piece. But...I was looking at some past pieces that I did that seem to fit the theme and I may just enter one of those. It can't hurt!

[LauraA]

@Coley This is fun! There is something very Lee White about it!

[Coley]

@LauraA that’s a good idea to enter something already completed that fits the theme, especially if you’re so busy! Awesome
I didn’t mean it to be lee whitish lol but I see what you mean! I did look at his work after I had the drawing done for nighttime Color ideas however it gave me a reference point for starting the Color but I did diverge with the white mobile.

[LauraA]

@Coley It is a White mobile! Sorry, I couldn't resist! Your work is yours. It's lovely in its own right and I don't mean to take away from it in the least. I just like the whimsy common to this piece and his, and the nice thing about whimsy is that there are so many ways to arrive there! Good luck finishing this and your other work this month!

[Coley]

@LauraA I have zero problem having something
in my piece that someone finds reminiscent of a piece by Lee Ha ha. It's an awesome compliment. Thank you

[carlianne]

@Coley I love this concept and I'm glad you went with the white one.

For some reason my eye is getting trapped on the big heart in the foreground on the right. Maybe since it's so large, red and front and center? Some ideas would be to make the hearts more purple as they go away from the carriage, or get smaller? Or something else to help pump the focal point on your main scene.

I love it overall though, excited to see how it ends up

[Coley]

@carlianne thanks so much. I was thinking the same thing. I have toned the hearts down in saturation in the newer version. I’m also thinking about balance, currently the marriage-mobile is heavy on the left. I may move it a little to the center but not much. It’s good to think about how to manage the focal point. I really appreciate your comment, thank you

[Coley]

Update. Having fun with it and slowly picking away. Thoughts always welcome. I know their faces need a bit more contrast. Will get there! I hope ️

[EliaMurrayArt]

@Coley their faces are so sweet. 🥰

[Coley]

@EliaMurrayArt ️️️

[ruth]

@Coley I love this concept and the colours you've chosen. And the couple are so sweet! I think maybe the shadows on the hearts is a bit too heavy now the background is lighter. But I really like the softer colours.

[Coley]

H'update!

Thanks for the feedback on the hearts, @ruth !
I've been playing around with size and saturation. Digital is awesome for playing!

[chrisaakins]

@Coley Hi, I have a question. Are you looking to do a cardboard cutout effect? The shadows look like the background is a flat surface and the carriage is floating right above it. If so no worries, if not I would lose the shadows on the background and just put them on the carriage itself.

I love your idea. I look forward to seeing the final! Happy painting!