In this image, the illustrator has used mainly two colours; blue covering most of the illustration and orange being the accent. The child is almost centred and draws attention to it.
It borrows from Disney and children’s illustrations.
Beauty plays a massive part in this illustration. The hair is flowing in the water, the placement of the fishes, the composition overall.
If you had to create this illustration before starting the actual execution, what would your initial thoughts be on:
Colour in deep water loses a lot of hue and saturation. Therefore going for greys, blues and greens are suitable for the subject, and it is always nice to try to use one colour in different shades if possible. The orange is a perfect contrast. The dull flesh colour shows the person is alive and human.
The line is soft and towards realism, much like old children’s book illustrations.
The composition is based on the golden rules and is pleasing to the eye.
Together these elements give a sense of peace and beauty. However, the edge lies within the fact that one should not sleep in the water.
Hedvig Lien's Reflective Journal 