Research - Domestic interiors
For this research exercise I wanted to understand how other illustrators work with unusual or multiple viewpoints.
Some basic Google research brought up some contemporary artists who focus on domestic interiors. I took a look at them to analyse their choice of content, medium, format etc. Consideration to be give as to how their work reflects its context in terms of era, fashion, mood, current issues and so on.
Haley Tippmann
Tippmann was the first person I thought of when considering this research piece. I was following her online for a while and liked the work she did but then she posted the image below created to be a jigsaw puzzle I believe. Its such a clever composition of a very cool interior but one that could be quite difficult to illustrate. Tippmann gives us a birds eye view of what I would presume a New York loft looks like - either now or anytime in the last 50 years. She has a real keen sense of the detail necessary to furnish this space with appropriate materials - the 3 lamp stand downstairs, the record player on the floor of the mezzanine, the open plan kitchen / lounge / dining area all give us an idea of what type of person we can imagine living there.
Wonderpieces Puzzle / Familiar Faces (C) Haley Tippmann
Stay at home
By taking us down to floor level with the subject, we get a totally different view of their space. But more importantly, by us inhabiting their space at their level, we have more insight and perhaps empathy with how they are feeling. Laying on the floor can be uncomfortable but also grounding, adding the plush rug under their upper body and head makes it cosier. The feet up too gives us an impression with someone comfortable where they are.
(C) Hailey Tippmann
Art Studio
Not too dissimilar to the first image, here Tippmann takes us up to the mezzanine again but this time a very different pastel colour palette. The title gives it away but without it, there is enough for us to read this is not a living space. This is a place of work, of creativity.
From the Instagram posts she has made, Tippmann makes full use of perspective grids in Procreate and works almost exclusively digitally from what I understand.
Luis Mendo
www.luismendo.com
(c) Luis Mendo
I've included the work of Luis Mendo as much for his very stripped back use of colour as much as anything. In most of this interior illustrations, the viewpoint is eyelevel so nothing fancy there but the way he can demonstrate light and shade so elegantly and simply is really inspirational.
Leonie Bos
www.leoniebos.nl
(c) Leonie Bos
(c) Leonie Bos
These first two images by Dutch Illustrator Bos have a vertiginous feeling to them. We are standing above this large buildings looking directly down on them. Feels like whatever our viewpoint is, we are still having to lean over to see more.
(c) Leonie Bos
Back on terra firma again, Bos now has us looking skyward and gives us a huge view by maximising the use of the window to the outside world she has given us.
(c) Leonie Bos
Looking down again, but this time it feels more voyeuristic, we are closer, looking secretly rather than reaching for a better view.
Bos uses perspective really well in her illustrations making the compositions far more interesting than face on confrontations. There is geometry to her work that makes it compelling and after staring for a while, the shapes become almost abstract but nonetheless beautiful for it.