My name is Angela Watson and I’m currently studying the Illustration Diploma with Spencer Hill. I have just received his feedback for assignment 4 and would like to share with you, how making one simple change as suggested by a tutor can transform a picture, especially as I still can’t believe it myself!
The brief for this assignment was to produce a spot and a quarter page illustration for an article on preventing boredom in chickens over the winter, with a common theme between the two pictures.
I played around with different ideas and decided to have fun with the brief. I imagined the chickens being so busy with all the boredom busting measures, for example a trapeze and beam to play with, that they were too busy to lay eggs!
In my original sketches the view from the window of the chicken house was snowy. However, when it came to colouring it in, I couldn’t think how to depict the snow outside when viewed from inside! So I took the easy route and decided to make it a grey day with rain lashing against the window instead. I submitted the assignment and waited.
On receiving my feedback this is what Spencer had to say ‘The main illustration has life and humour and detail and is well composed, drawn and coloured. I think the only minor point I would make is that I would like to see winter represented here a bit more too. I reckon either something outside that window with a layer of snow on it, or simply white dots in that greyness would do it.’ Reading this I thought, ‘of course’!
As Spencer suggested I changed the window view from heavy rain to snow. As I used coloured pencils I was able to do this without redoing the picture. I’m pleased with the effect of this change as I think it emphasises the warmth and cosiness of the chicken house as opposed to the cold outside. Hope you agree 😊
Angela Watson
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