Hello everybody,

these days I'm trying to get pass iStock vector application,
but I've been rejected twice already.
I really need some opinion how to improve my illustrations or to know what I'm doing wrong.
I admit, I'm not professional at vector art, I'm more free hand person.
These are the examples of work I sent last time:
1. newbielink:http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8751/t2w5.jpg [nonactive]
2. newbielink:http://imageshack.us/a/img35/3704/m0at.jpg [nonactive]
3. newbielink:http://imageshack.us/a/img35/4674/5o1w.jpg [nonactive]

this is the text they send me for all illustrations:
sorry but this artwork is not what we are currently looking for in terms of composition, color usage, use of line and shape, concept, detail and/or file complexity

Thank you very much

Great advice above..

forget istock for now.. it is not useful for you if you want to become a good artist..

you have to be good on paper if you want to have any chance.. software is only a help tool.. it won't make you an artist..

you should sketch a lot, practice a lot, and try to get better with natural drawing..

if you don't take these suggestions seriously and focus on drawing with a pencil, on an actual paper you are not going too far..

Frankly, it looks a bit like beginner's vector graphics. The vector illustrations are very simplistic and basic, almost devoid of a recognisable style.
You could pass it off as a artistic choice, but to be able to do that, the style must be consistent and the execution must be flawless. And that's what's lacking in your illustrations.

For instance:
1 The kitchen illustration is made up of standard shapes, some outlined, some without a stroke. The fonts are ugly. Some shapes appear rounded, others are flat. There's one gradient shape that looks off. The color palette is dull.
2 The perspective is incorrect. A deliberately distorted perspective could work as an artistic choice, but here it just looks amateurish because of its inconsistency. The banner and font are too basic. The face is anatomically incorrect and a bit skewed.
3 This one has the most potential in my opinion, but its composition is boring. Also, use a better color palette and be consistent with the level of detail.

Maybe it's because of your technical skills (which need a lot of work), but your artistic skills could use some work as well. My advice would be to take a good look at some professional artwork on istock and try to reach that level.

Could you show some of your freehand work?

Thank you very much for you time and advices, it was very helpful.
Yeah, i know they are pretty simple and made of simple shapes. The things is I didn't do it
from the sketch and I didn't use my style, I wanted to try something completely different, but I guess
i failed big time.
This is what I do, for example newbielink:http://www.artween.com/var/artween/storage/images/students/barbara-ismailovic/theme/mermaid-animal-spirit/1029364-1-eng-US/Mermaid-animal-spirit_oeuvre_grand.jpg [nonactive] but it's not vector.

I will practice more with illustrator and I will listen to you advices.

Thanks again a lot guys!

But here's weird. I was searching recent vectors at iStock and found a relatively recently accepted artist whose work was almost all compiled of various shapes, which even I, the most artistically-challenged person (otherwise with full faculties) on the planet, and the most beginnery beginner on Illustrator can replicate.
I was suprised, as even way back when I started at iStock, vectors were being rejected for being 'too simple'. They are however well done, and of far simpler subjects (or far more simplified) than the OP is attempting.

I like your work. personally I find vector illustration much too restrictive, I like to experiment  in different mediums and any good illustration vector on not sells well. However I think a good understanding of Vector based illustration technique is essential  to computer based art work. Whatever lets your creativity flow ( I have sold on Istock  Vector, watercolour, oil painting, pen and ink, pencil sketches, 3d renders, bitmap paintings and even photos of fimo models). Have Fun and I am sure you will do well.

...This is what I do, for example http://www.artween.com/var/artween/storage/images/students/barbara-ismailovic/theme/mermaid-animal-spirit/1029364-1-eng-US/Mermaid-animal-spirit_oeuvre_grand.jpg but it's not vector...

Man, that is soooo much better than the other stuff you posted. That's your style, and you need to work in that direction with vector work. I'd look at doing hand-drawn stuff like what you have there, but in layers. For example in what you posted, do the line work in black, scan that into Illustrator and run a Live Trace on it, clean it up, and then create a layer underneath that and add color.

Here's something of mine: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=125075126 Not nearly as detailed as what you can do but just to make my point that you can do hand-drawn stuff and convert it to vector. You can create texture, like what's in the background there, layer colors in, you can do vector versions of a lot of the detail you're showing in the example you linked, it just comes together a little differently than it would on paper. 

Maybe consider investing in a tablet, Wacom or similar. You could probably do really nice stuff with a tablet, working in a hand-drawn style but directly to vector shapes and lines.

Your skill is definitely in the more organic looking drawing. Focus on that, don't even bother with the basic shape stuff. Stick with what you know and are already good at, build on that and find ways to translate that into vector work, and you'll have a lot more success in stock.

Your kind of hand-drawn illustrations when properly traced, are usually approved, as long as you can provide the original scanned drawing. I�ve been uploading much less elaborate cartoon for years, and I�m no expert.
You shoud also go the extra mile about subject!