[Sketch22]

Wow Ted, you are being so much help, I feel like I owe you a check or something.. lol

That list is awesome! Sounds like I have a lot of work to get started on. I really like those suggestions, it sounds like if I can include all of that, I may have something to really show. Thank you lots!

ok, here is what I have been working on since earlier today.....

I took the piece that I posted earlier, and I changed it into a new look I have been trying, The goal here was to take one of my regular cartoony looking illustrations and make it look less cartoony by getting rid of the line work. instead I spent time with masks and airbrush in photoshop getting the edges to stand out without lines. I also used a grain filter to give it some texture. To me it is getting closer to something I might expect to find in a children's book. Closer, but still probably needs more work.
Do you think this looks good? does it help tone down the cartoonishness? Here is the before and after: