Thursday, October 15, 2009

Dad's in charge



Been working on this one for a while now for my portfolio. Not finished, but just wanted to post it so I can see what changes I need to make. Any and all suggestions very much appreciated.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Great illustration! I like that you've given all the characters their own expressions and each one works well with their particular face and pose.

There are a couple of things that I noticed though...it seems as though every character has a similar emotion...maybe if I knew the story behind it, then it'd all make sense and make this particular comment moot...but I wonder if it would be nice to have a wider range, since there are 4 characters...Like the cub trying to get at the lizard, maybe he could be more shagrinned (however you spell that word) about being held back...

Also - everyone is so dimensional...but then you have the lizard and bird on the same plane in the foreground and they're both in profile.

ANd the background - I know you said this is still a work in progress...I like that the background fades out, but (from where it is now) it could use a little bit of sharpening...I feel that the blur is a little too distracting at the moment (but it might not matter if you're not done creating it).

And finally - just watch the tangents - especially on the grass...currently I only see the one by the big lion's left paw....the end of the grass tangents with a crack in the ground.

Anyway - overall it's pretty great! You integrate the characters very well - and I think that's important to show in a portfolio...I'm still trying to break myself of the habit of having only one or two (and who never touch).

Unknown said...

Thanks man. I'm lost on this one. I'm in too far to quit and there are things that I like. The bird was thrown in for no real reason at all. and the BKGD sucks right now, but I think I might know what to do to fix it a bit. I think I will ad another cub doing something different.

pete said...

Hi Steve.

First off, great illustration and great start. The lions have great character and are fun to look at. the

I can see the merits of Isaac's comments. I wouldn't go so far as to say the background sucks. I really enjoy the way you use focussing in your work.

I think the distant background may be too flat and lacking in landscape features. Maybe a distant herd of animals might break up the space back there...or maybe a muddy wade.

You also have quite a bit of the same color going on, which may be drowning out your characters a bit. Maybe adding a bush, or something might break up the colors...or using a redder hue for the soil.

That being said, your attention to detail is really something to behold! The cracks in the desert soil and faded background make me think of the radiant gases you see on a summer day! It feels hot.

Great start. I can't wait to see it finished.

Anonymous said...

You might want to consider my first reaction.

I instantly thought of a scene from Disney's Lion King. If I thought it, I probably won't be the only one. You may want to consider whether it is too similar to that movie's style.

I'd hate for you to have to deal with a law suit or other such nonsense. Just saying.