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    Reworked Inktober pieces

    Sketchbook
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    • deborah Haagenson
      deborah Haagenson last edited by

      @chrisaakins I prefer the second piece. The only thing that bothers me is the back of the television. Maybe you can remove that and crop the piece a little bit on the bottom and both sides, if you want the proportions to stay the same. I love the light, your ink work and the story - Very, very cute!!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • chrisaakins
        chrisaakins last edited by

        Thank you everyone who has responded! @jdubz @neschof @burvantill your very specific critique helped me pinpoint what I like and didn't like between the two pieces. I love the crispness of the mice watching the cell phone in contrast to their blurry soft background. After your help, I realized that it was my linework that was the issue. I am usually pretty good about small lines in the distance. I think when I did this piece originally, I was so in love with the my new brush pen that I got carried away.

        I put in more atmospheric perspective, thinned out or got rid of many lines in the background, got rid of the white lines around the two front mice, and deepened some of the foreground value. Now it has more of the dreamy quality I liked about it in the first place.
        Into the Wild.jpg
        I definitely want to polish up several of these and use them as the beginning of my portfolio and begin writing a manuscript about their adventures.

        Chris Akins
        www.chrisakinsart.com
        www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

        chrisaakins NicolaSchofield burvantill Jeremy Ross 4 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 6
        • chrisaakins
          chrisaakins @chrisaakins last edited by

          I may even crop this piece and make it more square and cut up the upper eighth or so. Hmmm.

          Chris Akins
          www.chrisakinsart.com
          www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

          burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • J
            jdubz last edited by

            @chrisaakins huge improvement - it feels really consistent now! To answer your overlying question - yeah I really think this style works and it looks cohesive to me.

            Josh White
            https://www.instagram.com/joshwhiteillustration/

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • NicolaSchofield
              NicolaSchofield @chrisaakins last edited by

              @chrisaakins yes, this looks great!

              Nicola Schofield

              Twitter: twitter.com/NSchofieldArt
              Instagram: instagram.com/NicolaSchofieldArt/

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • burvantill
                burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                @chrisaakins NIIICE!

                Lisa Burvant
                www.lisaburvant.com
                Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • demotlj
                  demotlj SVS OG last edited by

                  I really like these and think the changes you made to the first really improved it. Can’t wait to see more.

                  Laurie DeMott
                  instagram.com/demotlj

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • chrisaakins
                    chrisaakins last edited by

                    Here is the latest one. Apparently there is a weekly challenge issued by @jimbobdrawing show on Instagram and this week's was "fearless rodent". Well, I think I drew one already!
                    I updated the color and also fixed a glaring perspective issue that I was oblivious of.
                    The mighty Inky.jpg

                    Chris Akins
                    www.chrisakinsart.com
                    www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • burvantill
                      burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                      @chrisaakins hmmm. I like it the way it is. 🙂

                      Lisa Burvant
                      www.lisaburvant.com
                      Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                      chrisaakins 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • Jeremy Ross
                        Jeremy Ross @chrisaakins last edited by

                        Hi @chrisaakins, looks great! Definitely has the professional touch. Nicely done!

                        https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrayross
                        https://www.jeremyrayross.com/
                        https://twitter.com/jeremyrayross
                        https://jeremyrayross.substack.com/

                        chrisaakins 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • chrisaakins
                          chrisaakins @Jeremy Ross last edited by

                          @Jeremy-Ross thanks! I feel kinda giddy because I feel like I am starting to hit my stride and can see myself doing this as a second career now. I was struggling and stuck before but I made some breakthroughs with Photoshop recently and feel I can now marry my traditional with my digital and get the best of both worlds. Still need lots of practice. I appreciate your encouragement!

                          Chris Akins
                          www.chrisakinsart.com
                          www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                          Jeremy Ross 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                          • chrisaakins
                            chrisaakins @burvantill last edited by

                            @burvantill hmmm, me too. I really appreciate your encouragement for me and my art. I also enjoy seeing your successes, too. I think you are about to go pro status very soon and it's been cool to see your journey.

                            Chris Akins
                            www.chrisakinsart.com
                            www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                            burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • chrisaakins
                              chrisaakins last edited by

                              Update: Hey everyone! Hahaha! The Mighty Inky piece was featured on @jimbobdrawing's weekly contest! So cool! This was the first time I went for a contest and won. (It was just a feature but gotta start somewhere, right!?)

                              Chris Akins
                              www.chrisakinsart.com
                              www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                              NicolaSchofield 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • burvantill
                                burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                                @chrisaakins wow, thanks. 😊

                                Lisa Burvant
                                www.lisaburvant.com
                                Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • NicolaSchofield
                                  NicolaSchofield @chrisaakins last edited by

                                  @chrisaakins yay, congrats! and I'm glad you're finding your stride with the style and technique that feels right. It seems like that can be a really difficult task and once you're past it you can enjoy the process more and end up with a cohesive portfolio.

                                  I'm still flailing around with all of that but I'm trying not to rush it. Seeing you and others explore and then finally get there is really encouraging.

                                  Nicola Schofield

                                  Twitter: twitter.com/NSchofieldArt
                                  Instagram: instagram.com/NicolaSchofieldArt/

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • Jeremy Ross
                                    Jeremy Ross @chrisaakins last edited by

                                    Hi @chrisaakins, well you are at the right place! From what I see, SVS is breeding high-level professional illustrators that are making a difference in the kid lit world. My dream is to be one among them! Need the mileage though...

                                    https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrayross
                                    https://www.jeremyrayross.com/
                                    https://twitter.com/jeremyrayross
                                    https://jeremyrayross.substack.com/

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • chrisaakins
                                      chrisaakins last edited by

                                      Here is another one of my faves. Don't know if I got it right, but...Wistful Window.jpg

                                      Chris Akins
                                      www.chrisakinsart.com
                                      www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                                      burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                      • burvantill
                                        burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                                        @chrisaakins This is so cute. It’s one of my favorites from inktober. I’m curious, do you keep your line work on a separate layer that the color? I was just wondering how it would look if you adjusted the lines on the the center moosey’s ears to the same pink hue as the ears but darker so it’s still a line? But not as noticeable.

                                        Lisa Burvant
                                        www.lisaburvant.com
                                        Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • J
                                          jdubz last edited by

                                          @chrisaakins I think you nailed the value composition and I think the colors really work well.

                                          The only issue I'm seeing is that I feel like there are some areas of bleed through on the wrought iron in the foreground. It almost looks transparent and I can see through it, so it's just distracting because my brain is interpreting that as something I definitely can't see through. I'm not sure if it's an illusion or not, but I feel like I can see the lines going through some of the circles from the sill.

                                          Josh White
                                          https://www.instagram.com/joshwhiteillustration/

                                          chrisaakins 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • chrisaakins
                                            chrisaakins @jdubz last edited by

                                            @jdubz I think it's an optical illusion. I was seeing the same thing, zoomed in, colored it darker, no lines at all. Zoom out and they look transparent. Sigh.

                                            @burvantill I have the original pic on a separate layer. I can give it a whirl.

                                            Chris Akins
                                            www.chrisakinsart.com
                                            www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                                            burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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