chickens

Today I headed for some paint in the hope it would loosen up the chickens.

I enjoy the movement in this sketch, but wonder at what point it gets too weird for a child audience to enjoy. Children's illustration that panders to adult audiences but may not necessarily make sense or be enjoyable to a child is boring. I'm not saying that's particularly true of this, but I'm not sure. But it is why i am wary of abstract visuals.

The lifelessness of the left is smoother, but the image that was drawn with a pencil prior to paint has a better sense of movement. It would make sense to sketch and then use a lightbox to have the best of both these methods.

I enjoy the colouring in this piece, it maintains a fun sensibility but still looks, mostly, finished enough. The shape of the chicken itself, as well as the expression, is bland and flat, and lacks movement. I think the colouring could lend itself to achieving this too, and maybe the tightness detracts from the shaping, but regardless this chicken is lacking in character.