You have created a wonderful illustration !!!

Excellent work! I really like your pulp style, it is very effective.

Lovely composition Mike. Though it looks simple, I can see a lot of accumulated work has gone into this scene. Up-lighting on the face of the heroine adds to the drama very nicely. Kidney shaped pool and chrome table sets the era, since the two-piece swimsuit seems to be back in vogue now :-) Keep them coming sir. Gary

Beautiful illustration...love your retro style...

I love the way you use bright pastel colors in contrast with such deep shadows to convey a sense of tension and subdued menace. That's actually a very difficult thing to do with bright colors. You capture that whole California or Palm Springs look that was so popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. And, as Gary said above, the little bit of chrome and the shape of the pool (and I would add, the roof of the bungalow and the high waist on her suit) help reinforce that the scene is set in that era. I am in love with the typeface you selected for the title -- the blocky letters help sell the tension in the scene. If I were to make a few small suggestions (and you know I must -- I can't seem to resist, can I?), I would suggest that something needs to be done with the author's name. It just gets lost where it is -- maybe just a hint of color to the text? The other thing I would suggest is tweaking the heads of both the men. I'm not 100% sure their eyelines are focused on the dame in the orange bikini (hmmm, that sounds like it could be the title of the movie based on this book). I like that both women are ignoring her, but the men should be more clearly entranced by her charms. Also, I like that the guy has a drink in his hand (nothing like hard liquor at a pool party to say this ain't no kiddie party), but there is something awkward about his pose and the placement of the glass. In short, is it his drink? Is he offering it to her? I can't tell what their story is. And, finally, a question. Should there be a little white along her right cheekbone to give her a jawline? Right now that side of her face is blending into her neck, and I think it makes her face look a little flat. Perhaps just a thin line coming back from the soft highlight on her chin? By the way, I SIMPLY LOVE the tan lines above her bosom, and the lighter armpit area (someone shaves!). Brilliant little touches that show she normally dresses a little more demurely and that she's not a permanent resident of the ladies poolside club. Brilliant and subtle! I also really like the strong banding on her legs and the tiny wrinkles on her suit. Another great illustration that would certainly get me to pick up this book and read the back cover to decide if I was going to stuff it in my own beach back for some summer reading.

Thanks everyone and mmitchell, the most useful of observations.