BUILD ATMOSPHERE IN ILLUSTRATION

Take your art to the next level with Eugenia Vi as she talks through vital techniques for setting a mood in your work

- Eugenia Vi

Every illustration is a harmony of many aspects, which can be a difficult task to bring together. One of the most difficult aspects of illustration to get right is the atmosphere. With it, we can understand not only the vibe of a piece, but also the feelings and emotions that arise in the viewer when looking at the illustration.

Because of this, each new artwork begins with some fundamental questions: what story do I want to tell? What feelings should it evoke in the viewer? It’s understanding the answers to these questions that underlies the choice of atmosphere and its depiction through the basic tools of any artist in composition, colour and light.

The purpose of this workshop is to show an approach to creating an atmospheric illustration, which we’ll talk through step by step. To start off I’ll explain my own ideation process, sharing some pointers to help find your initial inspiration and a fundamental idea. We’ll also talk about building up the image, from laying down values to adding colour. Finally, we’re going to take a look at the final stages, adding in details and adjusting the final composition to create a unique piece that displays the mood we set out for.

My artwork went for a peaceful atmosphere, but the same concepts can be used to create any mood.

1 Find inspiration and start searching for an idea through your sketches

The world around you is amazing and multifaceted. When you’re searching and studying the vast amount of visual material on the internet – for example on sites such as Pinterest, Flickr and 500px – you can take in a lot of interesting ideas. Photos can be a great source of inspiration for paintings and atmospheric sketches.