21-Draw-Illustrators-Guidebook-vol-2-ebook-(2021)

I also play around with tone and
lighting, establishing possible light
sources and thinking about how to use
my value composition (the greyscale
version of my image) to lead the
eye but also to suggest mood and
atmosphere. Another key element I
think about at this stage—what is the
focal point? Where do the lines, forms,
and lighting lead the viewers’ eyes?
I can use the focal point to make my
illustration more effective, guiding the
audience to important parts of the
image, in this case the kids!
FOCAL POINT
My thumbnails are so rough that I probably wouldn’t show them
to anyone. But I see the problem-solving process happening in
them—hopefully you can too. That is what thumbnails are—
problem-solving sketches. They don’t need to be pretty, they just
need to help us figure out any big problems.
CHARACTER DRIVEN ILLUSTRATIONS
129