Exterior Environment Design - Final Assignment

[GabeRobinson]

Critiques welcome! Trying to get better at color and learn to work digitally. Also curious if the narrative I'm trying to suggest in the second one comes across.

Thanks!
Gabriel

[MerryMary]

@GabeRobinson this has a fun style! The windows in the top picture seam almost the same color as the sky and I think maybe a little more contrast generally throughout both images might help add a little more life.

The girl seems to be the main focus but my eye is drawn to the monster guy in the background. I think it might be because she is in shadow and generally blends into the house behind her a bit.

The story I see is either the girl is tying her shoe and the monster friend behind her is trying to catch up, or she is hiding something and waiting for him to catch up to surprise him with something.

[MerryMary]

@GabeRobinson actually I just noticed she is on a sled. Is she trying to get away from him?

[Chantal Goetheer]

@GabeRobinson I think she was trying to escape the monster skiing. The monster looks quite happy and friendly though and not very scary yet. Partly because he smiles and partly by the way he seems to be waving while running.

I like the concept and it clearly shows the action before and tells the story.

Colourwise contrast would help especially the first one. That snow seems somehow warm. Have no clue how to go about creating contrast in such a snowy environment. Can't give any helpful advice.

Her position untying her ski is really good. Im a little confused with her eye though. From far off it seems to be her right eye, but on closer inspection it is het left eye. It seems like it needs to be more in the middle instead of straight at the edge of her face.

Overall good job in going digital and making the winter environment!

[GabeRobinson]

@MerryMary Thank you so much for your comments! You are right about the contrast. In the first one especially I was trying to keep to a very limited palette, which I think worked to make the colors not jar with each other but, yeah, not very much contrast!...She is supposed to have skiied away from the monster and be trying to unclip her other ski quickly so she can get inside the house. She's supposed to be freaked out by him, but he's not supposed to be really scary (my son directed me that he just wants to give her a hug).

[GabeRobinson]

@Chantal-Goetheer Thanks for your response! Yeah, you're right that eye is wonky. It is her left eye, but I wanted to suggest that she was looking back at the monster, so I let it point in that direction even though a real eye wouldn't do that, and hoped I could get away with it. I think if I redraw it I will have her twisting to look over her shoulder towards the yeti thing.