When you revisit a project after stepping away from it for a while, you inevitably see things you would probably do differently a 2nd time around. I often take breaks from stuff I’m working on just to get it out of my head for a while, then come back and look at it with a fresh pair of eyes. It’s a helpful exercise to make sure you’re not taking the project in a direction you don’t want to.
In going back through the Petunia Pepper’s Picture Day artwork and formatting it for iPad/iPhone, there are a few minor things I’d probably tweak given another go at it, but I’m still pretty pleased with how it turned out, being my first book project. One thing that I wouldn’t change, though, is this guy:
Usually, character development takes some time, with the sketching/revising/sketching/revising, but this guy went pretty quickly. I just imagined what I thought a big-city hot dog vendor (or cabbie, or pizzeria owner, etc.) would look like, and then subconsciously added a hint of Super Mario (my childhood poking through, I guess). In this particular shot, he’s not quite sure what he’s looking at… or what’s about to hit him. Still feels good.
I agree. The Hot Dog Vender is a very strong character. I particularly like the eyebrows. It is a nice soft way to convoy confusion. Out of curiosity, what would be some of the changes you would have made after looking at it for a second time?
@Samantha: I still like the hot dog vendor character, but speaking of the book project as a whole, I probably would have added a bit more detail in a few spots. But, with the timeframe I was given to work on the project, I think it turned out pretty well. 🙂
Christian,
I honestly thought your artwork was spot on. I loved your vision of Petunia. I especially loved the classroom scene with her sulking and the others getting their picture taken. I love the little guy who is winking and giving the “what’s up, ain’t I cool” sign. So typical that someone would goof off! Anyway, I’ve studied alot of picture books in the last few years, and I definitely loved your work.
Thanks a lot, Allyn! I appreciate it.