What's up with Apples

**Rukawa-11** · February 6th, 2010, 09:51 AM

Hi all! I'm Xing Jie and I'm new here!

Please give me your guidance as I really need to improve on my thinking and illustration wise.

Starting with this very old piece that I did in 2007. I will post more as I go.

Thank you!

**Tony Wallace** · February 6th, 2010, 10:25 AM

Welcome.

The concept is cool, but my first thought is there's a loooooot of negative space there. For starters you might consider enlarging the main subject and bringing him more into the foreground. Some of the interior lines aren't reading all that well either, so you might go with a slightly darker brown for those.

**Rukawa-11** · February 6th, 2010, 10:36 AM

Hi Tony! Thanks for the feedback. Actually I had a cropped one, but I thought that the vast space in front would give depth and distance. (does this reason stand?)
Haha. Yeah, kinda sub-standard there, being it my first art on illustrator. It's quite fun! =)
Yeah, I thought the very behind shadows in dark brown will be good. The blue is to contrast with the yellow.

**Tony Wallace** · February 6th, 2010, 10:41 AM

To me, it doesn't read as depth, but rather as empty space that my eye wants filled. ;D It's good that you were thinking along those terms even at this early stage in your illustration career.

If you'd like to create the illusion of more depth, you might consider adjusting the angle of the crowd a bit and have more shadows of monkeys going back into the distance a few rows (lighter as you go back).

**Rukawa-11** · February 6th, 2010, 11:00 AM

Arrrr.. I see. Should I put something in the foreground instead? But it might defeat the clean purpose that I wanna portray. hehhhh

Ohhh. I did 3 layers of silhouette monkeys... Or should I add more darkness at the back? The depth that I wanna show would be from the frame to what's happening there. Like take picture from a distance?

But doesn't seem right too. But I will learn!

Thanks so much!

**Tony Wallace** · February 6th, 2010, 11:03 AM

You might try switching to a landscape format instead of the up and down portrait orientation, and lay down a light to dark gradient over the background and see how it feels.