anthonyragus Oct 3, 2022

Hey Riley, I'm no competent illustrator, but I'll throw in my two cents. You have good instinct when it comes to facial expressions. I can fill in what characters might be thinking. What stands out to me upon first glance (in most of your work) are different aspects that don't "sit well" with my eyes: lack of distinct style, thick lines, flat perspective, color scheme that neither mutes nor accentuates or complements.

It's not literally these things that I would contend, but rather that I don't think it's how you evision your work. I think your imagination is getting lost on the way to my eyes. My biggest weakness as a musician is separating myself from my work and being my own audience. It's a sort of ear training for which no amount of theory or musicianship prepared me. How do others hear what I write? To some extent, I'll never know, BUT there is utility in human psychology, predictive power, and ability to compare your art with other art you like and others like.

I see you have a lot to express, and you want to express more. If your brain is analytical like mine, you can discover how seemingly cold technique can be converted to, and support, lively emotional expression. And fine-tuning your "audience eye" might positively impact how you develop your style. I hope something in here is helpful.

On a musical note, are you making more space music? Asking for space..