Portfolio piece critique: Feedback wanted!

[ArtistErin]

Doing a full color Inktober for tomorrow's prompt, "Camping" and trying to get better at creating portfolio worthy pieces. Thought I'd ask what I should do to tie in the background? Obviously I want to show this kid is camping so keep the tent... Anything else? Keep the trees a neutral grey or introduce more color? And how to address the foreground? Trying to keep only important elements...

Feedback wanted Thank you

[Gabby Correia]

@ArtistErin it looks like you used clip art and painted over it?
The bear and the child doesn't look like they are drawn in the same perspective. I would like to see more of the tree too because it looks like it's just hanging in the air, it needs to be grounded somehow. To make the background and foreground work together, try to connect them with shadows. But the main reason why they aren't working together is because it isn't drawn in perspective.

[ArtistErin]

@Gabby-Correia Thank you... no I actually drew the kid from a reference photo and drew the bear from scratch, trying to emulate the grandpa that was in the photo reference.

Perspective looks cropped in this image, I'll try just doing a light wash and see what happens.. this started as a sketch idea with no thumbnail since to me it's just Inktober, and it evolved without the planning ahead.

[Nyrryl Cadiz]

@ArtistErin hi! i think the grey silhouettes for the bg is a great idea. i say full steam ahead

[ArtistErin]

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Getting closer!! Just a few tweaks and I can wrap this up. I'll probably add a few more dark shadows in the foreground.

Trying to get better at not creating too many layers. A few "ghost trees" showing up that I can't find when I click on it. Just ordered Nucly for Photoshop Tutorials to streamline my workflow.

[A Former User]

@ArtistErin I like the texture in your piece and the background you added is lovely.

Two thoughts I had while looking at it.

1. Do you want the bear to be looking at the boy in the tree? If so, maybe lift its head up some to show they are looking at one another more clearly. Right now its at an in between point.

2. Have you tried to make some of the darker colored detail bleed out into the background so they blend together into one space?

It's a fun and a bit scary of a story. I don't want bears to come to my camp .

Hope this is helpful!

[Kim Rosenlof]

@ArtistErin I really like how you have done the background (skies and the trees, especially on the right. The colors and values are great.

[ArtistErin]

@Stephanie-H Thank you! Check out the finished work. Thanks for your insights!

[ArtistErin]

@Kim-Rosenlof Than you Kim! That was a happy accident actually! I'm glad you like it, I was not sure what to do until it sort of evolved and it's so helpful to have feedback so I have a clearer path to get to that evolution.

[ArtistErin]

Here's another piece, starting out with the Uh Oh prompt for Inktober, thoroughly invested in adding this to portfolio. I love following along with Aaron Blaise and his tutorials as I am drawing, and realized I have a ton to learn about paint and values. So as much as I SHOULD be adhering to the ink only aspect, I have limited time to get this done while I do have the time being home on leave as my foot heals from surgery, I'm going to break the rules and keep making portfolio worthy work.

Feedback is welcome of course. This Uh Oh clearly is somehow the goats were not closed up in their pen and were let in the birthday party! So far this is what I have gotten done... Thinking I'll resize the island, create more mess and have mom behind the crying kids, standing in horror...

[A Former User]

@ArtistErin Nice changes!

[ArtistErin]

@Stephanie-H Thank you!!

[ArtistErin]

Update Keep fiddling around with poses and gestures, and formulating what goats in the kitchen might create in reactions from all the relatives and guests at the party! My idea is the goats got out of their pen and wandered into the kitchen without anyone noticing and ruined the cake, cupcakes and causing general mayhem. Mom and Grandma just walked in and found them. It's the boy's birthday and he's pretty butthurt but what is he gonna do? Little sister is tattling, and I thought about adding a little kid sitting on the floor eating a cupcake. Can you make sense of the story here? Trying to finish up planning this out so I can finish it...

[Asyas_illos]

@ArtistErin I definitely like this last version the kids gesture/pose and expression are chefs kiss perfect.

I do think the left side of the comp is a bit busy though I think you could remove an adult and it would work better in my opinion.

[AngelinaKizz]

@ArtistErin I agree with Asya, if you remove 1 adult it'll read better! Super cute illo so far.

[ArtistErin]

@AngelinaKizz Ok I finally finished it... Without Grandma def looks better and less busy!

[Pamela Fraley]

@ArtistErin oh man, we just had a bear in our yard a few days ago! I went out to see what the dogs were barking at, thinking it was a squirrel or something, but it was a bear in the tree.
My suggestion is to make the bear a little more stylized like the kid. This one looks like it’s more on the realism side - in which case, this would be a terrifying situation. I can tell you’re not going for that. If it’s a friendly/ curious bear encounter, maybe doing something gesture wise that is cuter… like the head tilt that dogs do or something?

[ArtistErin]

@Pamela-Fraley Yeah you have a point! Thank you!!!

I have been binge watching Aaron Blaise sketching and painting, noticing a ton of flaws in my expressions. Definitely helpful I feel like I need to keep each character consistent in style. Sometimes my realism background comes through too strong in ways. I love the looseness of character animation concepts yet I don't like things to look too cartoon-like, it's the happy middle ground I am struggling to find.

Anyway, thanks again... will post again soon.

[ArtistErin]

@Pamela-Fraley I do like this idea better

[Pamela Fraley]

@ArtistErin I instantly like that better! He’s super cute. And, that made him look way less threatening to me. Im terrified of bears. Haha! Good thing I live in Alaska.
As a side note, I feel like you have a stronger focal point now too.