The Goose Girl, post-critique

A few years ago I made for my sister (and with my sister as a model) two drawings of her favorite fairy tale, The Goose Girl.  I was happy with the pictures, and they reflected my current mode of drawing that had lots of detail. The elaborate borders were inspired by my favorite illustrator, the late and wonderful Trina Schart Hyman, who passed away in 2004. Two reproductions of her drawings hang in my studio.  

But after a few portfolio critiques where the emphasis was on the decorative aspects of the works and not on the characters, I thought to keep the main focus of the drawings but take away the excess that did not add to the story. Couldn't our imaginations finish off the rest?  One other comment was to add the text so that the viewer could picture the illustration as part of a book. So I did a little playing around today, and resurrected these drawings that I still love. I think that now they are easier on the eye and allow room for the text to enhance the image.

BEFORE:
"The Goose Girl (Happily Ever After)" Pencil.  Jessica Boehman 2013.   Read the original blog post by clicking here.       

AFTER:

The second drawing focused on the emotional heart of the story: though the princess had been cast down from her station, it was the loss of her horse, Falada, that broke her heart. In true fairytale fashion, the impostor killed the horse to spite the princess, but the magical horse still spoke, even in death. His few words offered a little comfort to the Goose Girl each morning as she left the city to tend the geese.  You can see the original post here. 

BEFORE:
"Alas, Falada, Hanging There!" Pencil. Jessica Boehman 2013. 

AFTER: