May Storm WIP?
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Getting a late start and not feeling up for anything too complex this month, I’ve been considering simpler ideas and began developing this one. Is the concept clear? Hint: it’s a scene from a certain classic children’s novel.
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Very nice comp Patricia. Is this from Anne of Green Gables? I am looking forward to see where you go with this as far as color and whether you move the focal point around at all. Thank you for sharing your work.
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@patricialamas beautiful mood you've set in this sketch! Is this from The Secret Garden?
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Thanks @Melissa_Bailey and @Robert-Henderson! It’s the scene in The Secret Garden when Mary is upset that she can’t go outside and Martha comes in and says, “I mean, can’t you read, knit or sew…?”
I don’t feel the need to communicate all that as if it’s a single-cell comic, but I am thinking about other possible visual clues as to why Mary might be upset. My first thought was some gardening tools and seeds next to her, except she hasn’t yet received those in the story!
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@patricialamas you've definitely captured that Mary wants to be outside. That might be enough. Adding more stuff might just be ... more. That might not add anything to the illustration.
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Getting close! I’m still struggling a little finding my technique in procreate, and the result is that things tend to feel stiffer than I want. Any feedback is welcome!
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@patricialamas beautiful moody palette and texture. The style is so classic. You capture so much about the scene with the details you included, such as the vines, clothing, expressions, and stone wall. Just out of curiosity, I wonder what it might be like with Martha looking up at the robin, maybe on a branch?
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@patricialamas I never congratulated you on wining the contest last month. I also wanted to say I am glad you stayed with adding the characters as that really made the difference. Your instincts to use them were right.
So, Congratulations! -
@jenn That’s a good idea! An overlapping tree branch would also give a little more depth and help break up the squareness of the window…
@PenAndrew Thanks! I was nervous about breaking the rules of the prompt, but having that one character made it feel less like a ghost town and seemed like a good compromise. Maybe the rest of the animal patrons will return for the final portfolio piece.
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@patricialamas Yes, I was thinking that too! I think that your initial instincts to include the other characters was a better idea! But I feel you got a bit swayed. I think one of your successful factors was the way you captured the dappled light through the tree.
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@patricialamas I love this sooo much! Just wondering if the robin could do something more to the overall story?
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@patricialamas This is absolutely gorgeous! It feels traditional to me. Love the palette and rendering of your figures.
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@patricialamas My one concern is that looking out a window on a rainy day is a bit of a cliche and from the critique arena perspective I think that’s something the judges will consider. However I still really love this illustration, the style is gorgeous!
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This is looking really good. Now is the tough part, letting go for a bit and then come back to it. It is always difficult not to over work this beautiful piece. At some point you will habe to give yourself permission to be finished and start the next project. Well done!
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Made some changes to add depth and take some focus away from the robin, who I think was calling too much attention to himself. I like having him in there to give a little context and hint at what’s to come later in the story, but he’s not an active part of this scene. Thoughts on this version?
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@patricialamas I feel more drawn to the first version, though it does feel like somethings missing seeing the second. I feel too drawn to the trees though as they are quite prominent now. Could you have just a few thinner branches crossing into the scene, rather than the heaviness of the main branch? I really love your work and color palettes!!!
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@AngelinaKizz Thanks! Thinning the tree out really does seem to help, along with increasing the contrast inside the window so the figures are a clearer focus.
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@patricialamas oooh yes! That’s a huge improvement! It’s fabulous.
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@patricialamas Really lovely work! I think adding in those trees helped it a lot to frame the moment and the child's emotion of being upset about a rainy day is very clear and reads super well.
One thing that I'm maybe a tiny bit confused about is the cheerful look of the woman behind her... is she trying to cheer the child up by offering tea? Possibly this is just my own misunderstanding. Overall, a wonderful piece
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@Kristen-Lango I wanted to illustrate the scene in The Secret Garden in which Mary is upset that it’s raining and Martha the maid comes in to serve breakfast and is surprised that Mary doesn’t know how to have fun indoors. So your interpretation is fairly close!
