Making my first Portfolio

Geoffrey Mégardon

@Chantal-Goetheer it is definitely not effortless haha! But they says it becomes easier and easier with time, right

I do check the grayscale regularly, I set up my iPad so that 3 click on the power button make the screen in grayscale. Super handy!

Geoffrey Mégardon

Thank you for all your feedback!

As usual, I could not wait to start a new piece, so I let the question of pink or blue for the candy house for later. But it seems that many people like the blue one.

So here is my current piece. After the feedback on Hansel, I wanted to make a kid with a head shape and proportion that is more standard in the industry. I also tried to go toward a more painting style using Aveline Stokart as an inspiration (she speak about her method in 21Draw). It was fun but there is so much to explore!

Without background:

With a simple background:

What do you think of the general illustration? Should I have a few illustrations in that style in my portfolio next to my usual line art/comics style which I used for Hansel and Gretel? Do you think the version with the background is good enough? I like the way the light pops up on the version without background, but I also like how the background create a sense of space.

ArtistErin

@Geoffrey-Mégardon Love this I love the silhouette of the candy house, so much fun.. If you make any changes on this, I would lighten the value of the dark blue background so the house pops more?

Geoffrey Mégardon

I am working on the composition of my next portfolio piece, featuring one of my original character, John Space.

What do you think in terms of the narrative and the composition? Is it clear what is happening? Would kids like this? Is the composition working?

I also tried with only one creature here.

I initially thought of a swarm of scary black rabbits, but I thought it was too scary, too reminiscent of Rayman Legends and also the angle did not allow to really show their faces. But I don’t know, I am still hesitating!

I believe that this kind of space ranger adventure won’t necessarily be for younger kids. But seeing Disney releasing Light Year and Strange World makes me think that there might be a market for space rangers and exploring strange worlds haha!

kirsten-mcg

@Geoffrey-Mégardon I like The compositions with The creatures that completely fill the bottom of the image best. The tentacles are probably my favorite, but the bunny things with teeth are also cool. For some reason they remind me of a carnivorous plant, which could be fun. This kind of image reminds me of the kind of characters and situations you see in graphic novels. Have you ever considered exploring that route? I can see this character in the kind of graphic novel that my kids go crazy for! They are junior high age, And I think this sort thing fits that age group perfectly.

Geoffrey Mégardon

@kirsten-mcg yes, I would love to make comics for kids / adults /all the family.

Geoffrey Mégardon

Progress of the day

Jean Watson

@ajillustrates I think this is a good idea. The pink really makes the house pop but might be too much for the background as well.

Sarah VanDam

@Geoffrey-Mégardon Hey, this is phenomenal!! Super cool character and environment design. I’d say, just watch a couple tangents. In fact, maybe you could simplify some of the background elements and push the tentacles more so they’re not competing as much with the cactus-y plants.

Geoffrey Mégardon

@Sarah-VanDam that's a good point, it was complicated to avoid tangents with so many elements, so I am glad you point them out. I think to move the elements slightly around should solve them.

The new composition that you suggest is similar to some of my earlier thumbnails, and I decided to give the tentacles less space so that we can see the background more. I sometimes hesitate so much with 2 different solutions that at the end I just go for one.

@kirsten-mcg by the way, would you be able to send me a little list of the graphic novels that your kids love? I would like to get a better understanding of what's on the market, which is close to what I like

kayleenartlover

@Geoffrey-Mégardon One trick for making a kid look younger, is having them missing a tooth. It’s optional, but sometimes it makes it look cute and the age a bit more clear than a full set of teeth.

Geoffrey Mégardon

@kayleenartlover do you mean for the kid who is opening a box? Or for Hansel?

Geoffrey Mégardon

I fixed the tangents and I did a draft of how the final colors and lights could look like. I changed the color of the guns as a result, to make it more readable.
I might try other lightings/colors.

kayleenartlover

@Geoffrey-Mégardon the little kid sitting down, not Hansel. It was just an idea when I saw him and his mouth open enough to see all his teeth.

MimiHecher

@Geoffrey-Mégardon I know, you are already very far in the progress - I'm sorry I didn't find the time to read through your thread earlier!

I am missing a visual connection between the tentacles and the space ranger. Having them so dark and blueish they more look like a foreground element to me than something that is a danger to him.
How do you think about letting ONE of the tentacles creep on the ground to his feet and touch one of his shoes? This would connect the fore- and the middleground.

Geoffrey Mégardon

I finally have some time to update this thread with the final version of John Space vs Tentacles.

@MimiHecher unfortunately, as I finished this piece last week, I did not intent to come back on it except for small corrections (i.e. changing a shadow) but you can see one tentacle creeping on the ground in between his legs a little bit. Maybe if I add a bit more contact shadow it will be clearer that the tentacle is on the ground

Mmmh actually I probably need to retouch the shadow of John Space’s leg, as it has a tangent with the creeping tentacle. Ah well, gonna have to retouch this piece !

MimiHecher

Maybe you just leave this really cool colored piece as it is for now and go on to the next piece. You can change things later on, f.e. in a month or when the whole portfolio is done.

Sarah VanDam

@Geoffrey-Mégardon Hey, so cool!! I really dig the design of the characters and environment, and the color is great. Two final thoughts:

The added texture in the sky might be a BIT much. It feels slightly distracting and out of place, so I think your version from two weeks ago is actually a little more solid. It also helps the character stand out more to have the lighter, simpler background. Does anyone else besides me think this?

The little bit of shadow on his hair kind of makes it look like a tube. Is this intentional? Not a huge deal.

Honestly, great work.

Geoffrey Mégardon

@Sarah-VanDam thank you for your feedback!

Yeah, I wasn’t sure at first for the red cloud but then, I could feel that the low and heavy sky was adding to the feeling of being trapped. Like a lid above our heads. Might not be the best execution though… so I might try different ways to do it, or get rid of it.

Yes, it is a tube! A bit like Elvis Presley:

Geoffrey Mégardon

In terms of updates, I am working on my new piece (see thumbnails below), then I will start making a website.

I would like to know which thumbnails/composition you prefer between the following ones:

PS: Note that I have done a few more pieces between John Space and this new one, I will post them later.