Hearthside Week: Comfort Craft

Hello creative community

I am back with another drawing that I just finished few minutes ago. I was so excited to work on this Hearthside Week drawing challenge of our friend @cjsean because of the warm and cozy vibe the prompts are about. I must admit though that it took me longer to finally finish this second prompt which is the Comfort Craft. So here it is

The forest critters are already home from snow, had taken a quick nap and now they are gathered near the window of their cabin which is their favorite spot to make some crafts. The warmth of the fireplace nearby provides them with a toasty warm feeling and the light outside reflected by the white snow is a nice source of added light for their crafting. Knitting is just one of their favorite relaxing hobby, its repetitive motion gives them that meditative feeling and soon they will all doze off.

Here is how I made this entry:

My previous entry for the prompt Home from the snow already provided me with the background which is the inside of the cabin. For this second prompt today I decided to use the window and the hearth is just a small detail of the composition. The window may look simple but it takes time for me to get the lines right. Here the three critters are already sketched. The squirrel looking one sitting on a stool is from the first prompt today I decided to add two different critters one is a mouse and the other is a raccoon. This shows the idea of different animals forming their small community in harmony. For their looks I carried on the thick woolly scarves from prompt 1 for consistency. I took note of Khiabels comment about the mouth that is why the squirrel is now looking a little happy than before.

The color palette is consistent with the previous entry but I had to change the value of the two colors like blue and rust as they were too dark as you can see on the swatch for the rust color I have two options showing here. I chose the lighter one.

The background tested my patience, there were so many details to draw like the stones on the hearth the stool and the most challenging of all, the window.

The outside environment is another layer of detail that I worked on here you are seeing just the base colors for the snow, the trees and the sky. Later I will add the snow falling

There, the snow on the window pane done and the blizzard too, I am already happy with this outcome and TBH I would have stopped here but the prompt says there should be a small group of critters by the hearth.

Here are the two other critters. The time I spent making the squirrel will be x three now so that explains why it took me quite a while to finish. The color choice too could be a struggle especially if I overthink.

Finding the right position for each new critter. The mouse should fit right onto that window sill and the raccoon's size and location is also properly considered. The background must be visible for me to see if the colors I chose for their clothes would help rather than clash or muddled.

This for me is the final look. I could have added a basket of yarn to the left of the screen and some tea and bread but I am afraid I will not be able to post it so here it is the finished and final look of my entry to the Hearthside Week drawing challenge. Thanks for reading hope you participate and have a great time.

Cheers
Krisette