MerMay | Day 8 | Little Boat

Little Boat

Illustration done with HB/4H pencils on 4.5 x 6.5 white cardstock.

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Oh gosh darnit...!

Yes. Once again, my desires have outpaced my skill. The biggest issue of all here is the lack of visual balance. The central character is weighted to the bottom left without anything counteracting it on the upper left. The little fish are a good start, but the depth and scale of the deep sea is not at all captured here.

The size differences are executed well enough. I would say the true depth, the true mass of this scene is hampered by the dimensions of the paper, but really, that's a cheap shot on my part. I should be able to convey anything with decent tools. Within reason, of course. My tools were decent. The task is within reason. The only reason why it didn't work is because of a failure on my part.

I did a better sketch of this, too. It was more vertical, more centered, the giant merkid was smiling, and both his hands were coming up from the sides. Far more balance, more visual intrigue as far as I'm concerned, and a more tangible emotion emanating from the piece. This is... I don't know, wonder? The other one: impending dread with a side humor. He had a goofy smile.

To be fair, this picture is not as bad as some of my other failed attempts. I used to absolutely hate this piece, but looking at it now, I don't think it's too bad. It's alright. It's okay.

Thanks for reading.

#mermay #mermaid #cartoon #illustration #littleboat