Thank you for sharing your step-by-step process. I like the final illustration. I especially like the way you made the background recede so the main figures stand out as more important.
I did have some trouble with that green bag fading into the background. I had to adjust hue/saturation until I got it where I wanted it. Green, but not the same green as the grass behind it.
You might notice that the characters all have strong black, ink-style lines while the background lines (where there are lines) are more transparent, paintbrush-style lines. I did that to try to keep the background details from overwhelming the characters.
I actually painted the background without the fade, but it seemed too dark and made the characters look less prominent. So I put a fade layer over it. Not just transparent white, but a saturation fade as well. My original background had darker, bolder colors but it didn’t quite work.
I think the background turned out okay, but I’m not as strong with drawing trees and grass as I am with people and animals. So, I think it could have been a bit better. But it’s sufficient, I think.
Sarah has such long legs in proportion to her body at this age. The over-sized heads were a cartoon style choice. The long, coltish legs was based on reality. 🙂
Karen B. Jones - Illustrator 
Thank you for sharing your step-by-step process. I like the final illustration. I especially like the way you made the background recede so the main figures stand out as more important.
Thank you.
I did have some trouble with that green bag fading into the background. I had to adjust hue/saturation until I got it where I wanted it. Green, but not the same green as the grass behind it.
You might notice that the characters all have strong black, ink-style lines while the background lines (where there are lines) are more transparent, paintbrush-style lines. I did that to try to keep the background details from overwhelming the characters.
I actually painted the background without the fade, but it seemed too dark and made the characters look less prominent. So I put a fade layer over it. Not just transparent white, but a saturation fade as well. My original background had darker, bolder colors but it didn’t quite work.
I think the background turned out okay, but I’m not as strong with drawing trees and grass as I am with people and animals. So, I think it could have been a bit better. But it’s sufficient, I think.
Sarah has such long legs in proportion to her body at this age. The over-sized heads were a cartoon style choice. The long, coltish legs was based on reality. 🙂