... and this time is definitely not sure of the result! i didn't want to make something i always make, no paisleys or mughal patterns involved or anything. it's for a really special occasion - a baby shower for my sister. (that's right, gimp chatters, i'm going to be an aunt, woohoo! first time i'm an aunt for real and i'm really looking forward to it)
but things didn't work out as planned with the card . i wanted to make a simple, sort of cartoonish baby head but the baby head just refused to stay cartoonish. bad baby. i named it baby blob as a revenge. then the components of the card stopped looking good together - background looked too simple against a more complex baby head, font seemed the wrong style - i think i'm happy with the font, but i don't know about the background. i love the pink tones and i think the starburst looks lovely, but much as it hurts maybe i need to change it for this card to work. i could change the star frame too.

(original is about twice the size, i can't stand viewing it in full because i'm so unsure about it)

i love the background, the rays and the stars
but yeah, the baby doesnt look much like a baby

more like a doll...

why dont you use a stereotypical photo af a cute laughing baby, render the head and maybe run a filter on top ?

esper: thanks. you know, the baby isn't really supposed to look like a baby, just like a simple, stylized picture of a baby, if you get my point. so if you think it looks like a doll maybe i'm closer than i first thought to what i was after. i don't want photos in this card, i want something a little bit like an old advert or something. just a little bit though, not so much it looks like a retro card bought in a store. it has to be a little more personal than that.

i decided to change the colours a bit and this time i am sure i got things right - it's nowhere near my usual style but it has a nice cheerful look about it and the colour choice is unexpected but i'm sure the recievers (my sister and brother in law) will like it.
i'm playing with an irreverent version of it too, with baby blob turned into a ghoul child...

I like it ~ it reminds me a bit of the Gerber Baby. If you want a more cartoonish look, I think bolder outlines would help.

If you don't mind me playing with the image a bit, I can show you what I was thinking.

Lovely. I liked the pink and would have suggested simply adding some colour to the lettering but the lettering on the blue one looks fine as it is. I do like that starburst effect.

That is very cute AnMal. What is that font...I really like it.

merrak: thank you! i abandoned the cartoonish look because i couldn't make it work, i had bold outlines but dropped them and started over on a more "dollface" type of look. i'd be more than happy to let you play with this! i love all art styles with bold outlines, but i'm not good enough at making them yet, so hints and tips are valuable .

erisian: thank you ! i've kept the xcf, so i can always go back to the pink version and add a text colour - as i'm pretty sure you will have guessed, the colour scheme of that one was closer to my own heart, so if i can make that version look good i will be happy. i'm almost too proud of that starburst effect already, really, so no need to feed my vanity .

molly: thank you ! the font is called "advert". i have two different fonts that go by that name downloaded but this is the more common of them to find in free fonts collections.

playing is the best thing a human being can do!
i have lots of things on my mind right now and it's hard to relax. so, i play . this is my "irreverent" version of the baby shower card. it started when i named the baby "baby blob" and was really annoyed with it. i tried to turn it into a ghoul child - of course, baby blob is a really bad baby and wouldn't look ghoulish either. but i had a lot of fun and the result might actually work as a baby shower card for the right kind of parents (i have at least one friend who would appreciate it).

AnMal re: bad baby blob.

Baby announcement for the Munsters or the Addams Family?

That is really cute. Love the hair.

O: would work well for them, indeed.
molly: thank you! the hair is actually inspired by a real baby i knew once, his hair seemed to grow in a natural punk hairdo.

The bad news baby reminds me of real babies! I love it.

Lovin' the bad news baby.

erisian: oh yes, all real babies except for my niece/nephew - little pea is going to be perfect, just like his/her auntie . thank you!
he4rty: thank you brother !

I've taught you well!

erisian: of course, it's all thanks to your bad influence!