deciding how to represent/create the pigeons.

i wanted to make the pigeons as simple as possible as i wanted the majority of the detail and focus to be on the most important part of the illustration-the figure as the book is primarily focused on them. 

using block colour to create a pigeon shape:

like how this is simple yet effective, the negative space gives the shape a clear outline and makes the pigeon shape obvious. 

however this idea does not work well when the pigeon is placed inside the rest of the illustration as the detailed busy background of the figures do not provide a clear outline for the pigeon. 

i then experimented with strokes on photoshop to give the coloured shape a outline. i think this idea is most effective as it is more crisp.