Style/rendering issue... what would you do?

[audrey dowling]

A question specifically about style, rendering...
I spent a long time on this one today, exploring a different kind of rendering, as well as face features. I've finished the girl on the couch, I think the result doesn't look bad, but I get the feeling it's not me. I don't really know how to explain...
what should I do?
1- continue until the illustration is finished and see where it takes me (could end up a big waste of time) ?
2- stop here and go back to my more usual style, no matter how slow I am with it? or maybe it's too soon to decide?

[Chip Valecek]

Are you looking for speed or just trying different styles? I like how the girl is rendered. Maybe push the shadows a little more using a multiple layer and a cool blue/grey color.

[audrey dowling]

@Chip-Valecek I was playing around to find a way to work faster and also look more appealing to younger children

[Nazuba]

To me, the painting looks so lovely! If you are exploring mindfully, there is no such thing as waste of time. I would go till the end of this painting with this style and then decide.
All the best!

PS: How the hell did you make that tree so beautifully textured?

[Chip Valecek]

@audrey-dowling funny thing with me is when i try a new style or tell myself i am not going to push the rendering anymore, i find myself doing it anyway. I look forward to seeing this completed.

[evilrobot]

I actually really like what you've finished so far. To me it looks along the lines of a of a lot of things I see published. Why not finish it. Sit on it for a couple days afterwards and then look at it again. If you're still not feeling it then go another route.

[smceccarelli]

Again the questions of style that plague all artists! Everybody is going through the same issues. I would say finish the "experiment" and see how you feel about it at the end. If you feel like you could do another piece, do it, and then see how you feel about it again: was it fun to paint? Do you like the result? Do you like it more than your usual style? I see artists like Jake Parker who work in different styles, and I think that is definitely a possibility - but I also think one needs to be very comfortable in both styles and have a body of high quality work (aka portfolios) to support both.
The discussion of "how much time it takes" seems to come quite often here - I think this is an important issue but it is only marginally relevant for the development of style. When you have a working process you can become very fast, no matter what style - or at least, as fast as that style allows. From my side, I love rendering forms and textures more than anything else. I really like many artists who do not do that (my all-time favorite being Tomer Hanuka), and I have worked in those styles too and enjoyed it. But my "home style" at the moment is rendered. If I am pushing it, it is towards a more painterly feel, while remaining a rendered style (my favorite children book illustrator is Johnny Doodle, and my favorite non-children illustrator is Gregory Manchess). Rendering is getting faster with practice. I think at the end of the day you have to enjoy working the way you work - that is the most important thing for me.

[audrey dowling]

thank you all
you're right. I'll keep on going then and see where it leads

[Larissa Brown Marantz]

finish it with the intention that is an experiment or exploration of new techniques... that's where I'm currently at-- specifically because I was told by one agent that my style wasn't unique enough. Even though it's all subjective, it's still hard to hear but it is pushing me to try new things. Keep your efficiency in mind while playing with what you enjoy. Please post the finished result! Have fun and good luck.

[amberwingart]

One of the very best pieces of advice I was ever given by a fellow artist was to finish every single drawing, even if it stinks (and this one definitely doesn't). Pushing through will help you to learn things about fixing things you don't like, about exploring new styles and methods and a lot more. And if you hate the drawing, you'll be more apt to let yourself experiment, so the drawing itself may not turn out great because it's in a bunch of different styles, but you very well may find one that you really like. Rather than having to go through 4 unfinished drawings, you can finish one and find the sweet spot! I can't tell you how many times that's happened for me.

If you don't like the style of the little girl, then keep working at it; but if it's just that you don't yet feel comfortable in that style, keep pushing yourself a little further to practice it - it looks great so far!

[audrey dowling]

@amberwingart said in Style/rendering issue... what would you do?:

One of the very best pieces of advice I was ever given by a fellow artist was to finish every single drawing, even if it stinks

great advice, I must keep that in mind!

[Larissa Brown Marantz]

@audrey-dowling I saw the finished piece in the 3rd Thursday critiques. It turned out fabulous! Post it here, please?

[audrey dowling]

@Larissa-Brown-Marantz nope Larissa, that's not the finished piece actually ^_^
I had started the piece just 5 days before the due date and I thought I would challenge myself to finish something that quick, but it turned out not great at all. Thanks for your comment but I personally find it horrible
But I think the composition and the values are nice, the image has potential, so I decided to re-work it. and that's where I'm at
here is the old version: