Depth and space are part of the focus of this next illustration for the Light’s On! book on which I’m currently working. In this particular case, the illustration sits opposite of a beach scene and the contrast in the story is that while the President and his family are all relaxing at a beach vacation location to avoid the sweltering Washington DC summer heat, Ike is stuck in the hot crawl spaces of the White House. This is the only illustration in which I wanted to explore an extreme top down view. I decided to add a number of vertical perspective lines receding in order to emphasize the point of view. I wanted the image to convey a sense of uncomfortable vertigo and slight claustrophobia. Since I can’t turn up the thermostat in your living room as come across this illustration, I had to try and find other ways to visually give that sense of overwhelming heat.
To the right, you can see my process. I drew Ike and the perspective on two separate layers, combined them digitally, and then retraced the completed image on board.
