Help figuring out where this style might belong??
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I was wondering if anyone might have an idea of where this style might fit in... my goal is to do two more pieces to go with this one but in trying to expand on the story in this image i am not sure what age group this style might lend itself to ... it seems too detailed for young kids and too kid like for older kids - any help would be greatly appreciated!
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I think this style would qualify for picture book ages and up. It’s actually a pretty nice style that you could use quite diversely I think. If you can remember the “is your mama a llama” book I don’t know if there were more than one but this style reminds me a little bit of that.
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Hmm I can’t load a pic for some reason I was trying to show the cover in case you never heard of it
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I personally think it would work in children's books, including children's graphic novels.
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@Kevin-Longueil This looks like a great style for the 32-page album type picture books! Ages 5-10 ish?
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@Kevin-Longueil It has a very classic, elegant feel to me. It makes me think of the type of illustration you would see in a collection of stories for children--like a book of fairy tales or bedtime stories where each story has an illustration or two.
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Got it! anybody else read this? I used to love the pictures! I’ll be turning 34 next month so if you’re anywhere near my age you may have seen it.
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I really dig this style @Kevin-Longueil. This reminds me of Beatrix Potter illustrations but with a modern look, so I can totally see this as children's or young readers. She worked with building up layers and textures in watercolors. Can't wait to see your following work with the Yeti.
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Thank you all for your feedback and kind words!!
@Asyas_illos Thank you for your feedback it is very helpful! - i had confused the Llama book you mentioned with the Llama Llama Misses Mama books! so glad you posted the cover...
@TessaW Thank you for your feedback Tessa - it is very helpful to hear!
@NessIllustration Thank you for your feedback! ....i have a super dumb question for you...what is an album type picture book...told you it'd be dumb
@miranda-hoover Thank you for your feedback and kind words Miranda!
@BradAYoo Thank you for your feedback Brad! - I definitely have spent time looking at Beatrix Potter's work! - her work is amazing. (I just checked out your website - my daughter is going to flip when i show her that you have designed a bunch of Roblox character models! ) -
Hey @Kevin-Longueil, great work on the colouring it's really coming to life! I think it would work for a childrens book. It reminds me a bit of peter rabbit
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@Richard-Matthews Thank you Richard! very helpful!
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@Kevin-Longueil Hi Kevin, A very interesting question, but I’m not sure style is age related. I think it is all about the story and the scene depicted (although probably publishers have a different opinion about this). I notice that children from a very young age understand symbolic and abstract drawings as long the story is clear. In your drawing you have quite a lot of different characters that make the scene more complex and therefor more suitable for an older age but if you draw the fox with only a ball it is fine for 1-1,5 year olds (but her being a princes is too complex). There is maybe a certain expectation because the readers are used to a certain style in a certain age group but this should not hold you back.
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@joosterwijk Thank you for your feedback! Very helpful
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Hi Kevin. I think this is a very interesting question, which I have been trying to address in my own work as well.
One thing I am thinking it that it might not be even so much of a target age-related question as a fashion-in-illustration related question. Notice that all the examples people have posted here are by now classics. The fashion at the moment in the US tends either to very textured and somewhat "primitive" (not the right word at all, but can't think of a better one at the moment) or cartoon-like. This is not to say that you can't find a niche. Your work is good! It just might take a particular agent or art director, or a particular text.
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@Kevin-Longueil Haha it's not dumb! I'm not even sure album is the real name for it. I just meant nice hardcover, flap jacket and end papers type book. Like not the cheap softcovers books, the nice high-end ones
The style you showcase in this illustration has this really luxurious and high end feel to it. -
@Kevin-Longueil I think this turned out marvelous! Well done. And no I think this reminds me of children books like "Peter Rabbit" style of feel and I think it is a fresh approach to a very loved traditional style. I don't think having a lot of detail in the way you have it means it can't be for young kids, but I understand. Your colours are very inviting, along with cut out shapes in the wisps of aroma and the chimneys!
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@Kevin-Longueil Can’t wait to see what you come up with next in this style
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@LauraA Thank you for your feedback and kind words Laura! I think you are right that fashion-in-illustration is really part of what i am wondering. This is something i've thought a lot about. When i've tried to drift toward the style you mention it seems really inauthentic to me.... not that the style is inauthentic just my dabbling in it is. I actually love the style that is in fashion right now but really feel like it does not belong to me in any way.
@NessIllustration Thank you for the clarification and kind words Ness!... i actually was googling "album style picture book"
@Heather-Boyd Thank you for the feedback and kind words Heather!! (i definitely kept the smoke as cut-out-ish to give me wiggle room elsewhere to not be too finicky...i actually spent quite a while making more realistic smoke but as is often the case when i spend a bunch of time redoing something.... it looked better before is started!)
@Asyas_illos Thank you Asya!! -
@Kevin-Longueil I hear you! As much as I love these kinds of styles myself, it doesn't feel right for me to draw in them either, at least not for now.
I'm really loving your yeti's hand gesture, his head perspective, the smoke, and the color in this! Not to mention all the little animals. It feels well-researched, thought through, and I look forward to seeing more!
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@Kevin-Longueil wow. really beautiful piece. I agree with @joosterwijk, age appropriation is probably more connected to the narrative rather than the art style.
Are you familiar with the book "The Snatchabook"?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Snatchabook-Helen-Docherty/dp/1407116541
This particular painting reminds me the art in that book. Both my daughter (3y) and my partner (43y) was into the book, especially the art.If you love doing art this way, do more of them. I am sure the art will land somewhere because it is really beautiful. I would not worry too much about age group, unless you have a preference and wanting to work with books for a specific age group.
I was told that board books often needs to be flat graphical, bright color style, etc. But I am not so sure that is what babies preferred. My baby liked almost anything I read for her, really. I almost suspected the style is partly determined by the time frame and budget of the project, rather than the reader's preference. Then after a while, the flat graphical and bright colour became board book style sort of. - It is all my speculation, of course. No hard evidence :-).
It is interesting regarding the question of fashion. As much as my color work seems to be within the trend, I was encouraged recently by someone I respect very much to go and explore further with my black and white ink wash painting. She said to me that she likes my color work, but the black and white painting seems to be more unique, something she has not seen so much in other artist's portfolio. It is definitely not the trendy thing - at least no one hires me to work on similar thing for books yet. But she seems to value uniqueness much more than being trendy, and I completely agree with her on that. Yes, it would take an agent who understand the type of unique work you do to sell the work, but it will be worth it as an artist - choosing to do art in the way you like.
It is a long way of saying: paint some more in this awesome art style, and have fun :-).
