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    Reworked Inktober pieces

    Sketchbook
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    • chrisaakins
      chrisaakins last edited by

      Thank you everyone who has responded! @jdubz @neschof @burvantill your very specific critique helped me pinpoint what I like and didn't like between the two pieces. I love the crispness of the mice watching the cell phone in contrast to their blurry soft background. After your help, I realized that it was my linework that was the issue. I am usually pretty good about small lines in the distance. I think when I did this piece originally, I was so in love with the my new brush pen that I got carried away.

      I put in more atmospheric perspective, thinned out or got rid of many lines in the background, got rid of the white lines around the two front mice, and deepened some of the foreground value. Now it has more of the dreamy quality I liked about it in the first place.
      Into the Wild.jpg
      I definitely want to polish up several of these and use them as the beginning of my portfolio and begin writing a manuscript about their adventures.

      Chris Akins
      www.chrisakinsart.com
      www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

      chrisaakins NicolaSchofield burvantill Jeremy Ross 4 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 6
      • chrisaakins
        chrisaakins @chrisaakins last edited by

        I may even crop this piece and make it more square and cut up the upper eighth or so. Hmmm.

        Chris Akins
        www.chrisakinsart.com
        www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

        burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • J
          jdubz last edited by

          @chrisaakins huge improvement - it feels really consistent now! To answer your overlying question - yeah I really think this style works and it looks cohesive to me.

          Josh White
          https://www.instagram.com/joshwhiteillustration/

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • NicolaSchofield
            NicolaSchofield @chrisaakins last edited by

            @chrisaakins yes, this looks great!

            Nicola Schofield

            Twitter: twitter.com/NSchofieldArt
            Instagram: instagram.com/NicolaSchofieldArt/

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • burvantill
              burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

              @chrisaakins NIIICE!

              Lisa Burvant
              www.lisaburvant.com
              Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • demotlj
                demotlj SVS OG last edited by

                I really like these and think the changes you made to the first really improved it. Can’t wait to see more.

                Laurie DeMott
                instagram.com/demotlj

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • chrisaakins
                  chrisaakins last edited by

                  Here is the latest one. Apparently there is a weekly challenge issued by @jimbobdrawing show on Instagram and this week's was "fearless rodent". Well, I think I drew one already!
                  I updated the color and also fixed a glaring perspective issue that I was oblivious of.
                  The mighty Inky.jpg

                  Chris Akins
                  www.chrisakinsart.com
                  www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • burvantill
                    burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                    @chrisaakins hmmm. I like it the way it is. 🙂

                    Lisa Burvant
                    www.lisaburvant.com
                    Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                    chrisaakins 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Jeremy Ross
                      Jeremy Ross @chrisaakins last edited by

                      Hi @chrisaakins, looks great! Definitely has the professional touch. Nicely done!

                      https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrayross
                      https://www.jeremyrayross.com/
                      https://twitter.com/jeremyrayross
                      https://jeremyrayross.substack.com/

                      chrisaakins 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • chrisaakins
                        chrisaakins @Jeremy Ross last edited by

                        @Jeremy-Ross thanks! I feel kinda giddy because I feel like I am starting to hit my stride and can see myself doing this as a second career now. I was struggling and stuck before but I made some breakthroughs with Photoshop recently and feel I can now marry my traditional with my digital and get the best of both worlds. Still need lots of practice. I appreciate your encouragement!

                        Chris Akins
                        www.chrisakinsart.com
                        www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                        Jeremy Ross 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                        • chrisaakins
                          chrisaakins @burvantill last edited by

                          @burvantill hmmm, me too. I really appreciate your encouragement for me and my art. I also enjoy seeing your successes, too. I think you are about to go pro status very soon and it's been cool to see your journey.

                          Chris Akins
                          www.chrisakinsart.com
                          www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                          burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                          • chrisaakins
                            chrisaakins last edited by

                            Update: Hey everyone! Hahaha! The Mighty Inky piece was featured on @jimbobdrawing's weekly contest! So cool! This was the first time I went for a contest and won. (It was just a feature but gotta start somewhere, right!?)

                            Chris Akins
                            www.chrisakinsart.com
                            www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                            NicolaSchofield 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • burvantill
                              burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                              @chrisaakins wow, thanks. 😊

                              Lisa Burvant
                              www.lisaburvant.com
                              Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • NicolaSchofield
                                NicolaSchofield @chrisaakins last edited by

                                @chrisaakins yay, congrats! and I'm glad you're finding your stride with the style and technique that feels right. It seems like that can be a really difficult task and once you're past it you can enjoy the process more and end up with a cohesive portfolio.

                                I'm still flailing around with all of that but I'm trying not to rush it. Seeing you and others explore and then finally get there is really encouraging.

                                Nicola Schofield

                                Twitter: twitter.com/NSchofieldArt
                                Instagram: instagram.com/NicolaSchofieldArt/

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • Jeremy Ross
                                  Jeremy Ross @chrisaakins last edited by

                                  Hi @chrisaakins, well you are at the right place! From what I see, SVS is breeding high-level professional illustrators that are making a difference in the kid lit world. My dream is to be one among them! Need the mileage though...

                                  https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrayross
                                  https://www.jeremyrayross.com/
                                  https://twitter.com/jeremyrayross
                                  https://jeremyrayross.substack.com/

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • chrisaakins
                                    chrisaakins last edited by

                                    Here is another one of my faves. Don't know if I got it right, but...Wistful Window.jpg

                                    Chris Akins
                                    www.chrisakinsart.com
                                    www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                                    burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                    • burvantill
                                      burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                                      @chrisaakins This is so cute. It’s one of my favorites from inktober. I’m curious, do you keep your line work on a separate layer that the color? I was just wondering how it would look if you adjusted the lines on the the center moosey’s ears to the same pink hue as the ears but darker so it’s still a line? But not as noticeable.

                                      Lisa Burvant
                                      www.lisaburvant.com
                                      Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • J
                                        jdubz last edited by

                                        @chrisaakins I think you nailed the value composition and I think the colors really work well.

                                        The only issue I'm seeing is that I feel like there are some areas of bleed through on the wrought iron in the foreground. It almost looks transparent and I can see through it, so it's just distracting because my brain is interpreting that as something I definitely can't see through. I'm not sure if it's an illusion or not, but I feel like I can see the lines going through some of the circles from the sill.

                                        Josh White
                                        https://www.instagram.com/joshwhiteillustration/

                                        chrisaakins 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • chrisaakins
                                          chrisaakins @jdubz last edited by

                                          @jdubz I think it's an optical illusion. I was seeing the same thing, zoomed in, colored it darker, no lines at all. Zoom out and they look transparent. Sigh.

                                          @burvantill I have the original pic on a separate layer. I can give it a whirl.

                                          Chris Akins
                                          www.chrisakinsart.com
                                          www.instagram.com/chrisakinsart/

                                          burvantill 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • burvantill
                                            burvantill Moderator @chrisaakins last edited by

                                            @chrisaakins It’s kind of what I did with my snow tracks piece. But I changed them all throughout. I don’t think you should do that. Just softly around his cute little ears. 🙂

                                            Lisa Burvant
                                            www.lisaburvant.com
                                            Instagram & Twitter & SVS: @burvantill

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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