Saying Goodbye: Let's share our WIPs
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@Fey-Realme this is where dozens of thumbnails come in. It's next to impossible to fix a poor composition after the fact. I'm no expert but it is very difficult in my opinion to compress so so much story into a single image in a way that reads well. Try and pick one singular element / part of the story and focus in on it. That's only my opinion! There may very well be a way of showing everything you need in a way that works. I like the story though.
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@Fey-Realme It depends what you believe the man's relationship with music is. Why is it painful to part with the object?
Is music a medium to connect with his (missing?) father and/or communicate with others? Does he lose his voice and friendships?
Is musical instrument playing a practical skill to work his way out of the lower class? Does he lose the only one opportunity for a luxurious lifestyle?
To him (and the Bishop), the talent for music is not a gift from God. Talent of any sort is often associated with pride and greed. As a story of humility, music is an indulgence he can part with to be a true Christian. Is his last performance an act to cast out sin?
Is the violin a representation for childhood? Creative pursuits are often seen as immaturity. Thinking creatively is not always seen as a kind of intelligence; sometimes its the opposite. Is he giving up innocence to become a respectable man?
I'm answering as though the man completely gave up the pursuit of music... But if the story is really about the object, then I would present the violin prominently, as though it were a character itself.
Whatever the case may be, I imagine the goodbye scene as an intimate moment between the person and a fragment of identity.
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Thank you @MarcRobinson and @willicreate for your thoughtful responses and insight
Thank you for taking time to analyze it and for letting me into your artistic thought process--it is very helpful and encouraging, especially to be reminded of the basics -
Hi! September is a crazy month but I am pushing myself to get something done, even if not very complex. I had some difficulty with the prompt... Here is a sketch of my funny take on it.
Does this answer the prompt?...
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@Oana Awesome! Great expressions on the characters. I would say it answers the prompt but "saying goodbye" takes a backseat to the main story of the hidden dog. Building a narrative is the whole point of these challenges and you've done a great job telling a funny story here!
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@Reb-Erlik Thank you! I was not sure how it reads, this will help me finish it!
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Dived right into coloring, I want to try fading a bit the lines this time
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@Reb-Erlik Now that I finished the image I can see better how far I deviated from the prompt, you are right! Actually, I had started quite differently: the kid was going to school for the first time, the mother was worried, a teddy bear weaved him goodbye, the mum held the teddybear.. then the teddy went in the kid's backpack to confort him at school.. it really was about "goodbye"... but I didn't manage to make it work. Then this ideea popped into my head and I immediately was able to draw it... :))) So there it is
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@Oana It looks great in color! Don't worry about the concept too much. If sentimental isn't your thing, stick with funny! Really good storytelling here; I bet our teachers will love it!
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As I used Procreate, I remembered it saves a video of the process and thought it might be interesting to post it here.
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@Reb-Erlik I really liked your concept, very beautiful ideea and concept sketches. I didn't have much time to comment but I am waiting to see the final image!
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Trying to choose a background layout. Which is better? Balcony or alley?
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@Reb-Erlik personally a big fan of the balcony
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@Reb-Erlik I like the balcony more
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@Mariana-B @Henry-Compton @Oana Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
I'm trying out a few more ideas for the background.
Kind of liking having her on a dock and the letters are floating on sea foam.
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@Reb-Erlik those are a lot of good concepts!
Painting water specially sea foam is so difficult! But I like the strong emotion that a tempestuous sea carries! However with the composition as it is, almost feel like there are 3 equally strong focuses, the sea splashing onto the deck, the paper bird, and the woman.
I see that you used the same women sketch in all the concepts, but I don’t know if you are thinking of it as a placeholder, or really holding on that specific sketch.
It’s a great sketch , the proportions of the woman are great and her pose looks really natural.
I personally struggle wanting to draw/explore other poses/angles after I get a sketch I really love! And I don’t know if that’s the case with you too, but maybe play around a little, if you allow yourself to re-draw the woman, you will not feel tempted to draw a background that will fit the pre-drawn woman but instead it will free you to try different concepts/angles as a whole?I hope it makes sense, although I don’t consider myself great at compositions, but I hope it’s helpful in any way. I can’t wait to see the final!
I had to step away from mine for a few days, I have been having terrible migraine, but I am enjoying seeing all the great work everyone is posting.
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@Mariana-B Thanks Mariana! I will keep in mind to make the seafoam a different value than the characters so it doesn't steal focus.
As for the character, I tried out several other poses in thumbnails earlier (you can scroll up near the top of this thread to see them) and decided it had to be this one to show enough detail on both characters.
I'm glad you like the dock! I was so indecisive on this background but I think this one is the winner.
Thanks for your feedback! Hope you feel better soon! -
I like the humor of the boy hiding a puppy in his backpack. That also gives the illustration more story than just having a child wave goodbye. I have a thought that may or may not work to push this even further. What if the mom was trying to talk to the boy (or even to a third person) and he was trying to shoo her off as quickly as possible before she had a chance to notice the puppy, maybe pointing at her car or keys or something. "Good BYE, Mom! See you later! You don't want to be late for work!"
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Pencils done. Might resize some things and add darker values.
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This was a concept I was noodling with for the October prompt, but ended up chickening out at the idea of illustrating robots to be critiqued by Jake
