Animal Characters: How Nature Has Inspired My Illustrations
Trees, flowers, fungi, wildlife from the sky, the ocean, the land, you name it, I love it. Nature has become a passion of mine in the past 5 years. Flora and fauna bring moments of calm but also moments of joy and humour to my day. Wildlife can be so unique, whether it’s through colour, shape, ability or personality. Animal characters are such an interesting way to explore uniqueness and create meaningful stories. That’s why I love to use them in my own illustrations. In this post I’m going to be sharing my inspiration behind some of my own animal character illustrations.
The Seagull and Puffin Adventures
Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside! Sorry I had to, I couldn’t help myself. Jokes aside, I do love the seaside. There is a strong sense of nostalgia connected to the seaside for me, as a place I spent a lot of time as a child. Walks on the beach with my parents and grandparents, collecting seashells and eating ice cream.
A place that I have visited many times as a child and an adult, is Llandudno in Wales. A day trip here inspired me to create The Seagull and Puffin Adventures. Walking down the seafront I spotted some gulls, waiting on the rooftops. They were watching people, stalking them and then swooping down to steal their snacks. I found the birds' expressions and movements very human-like, they seemed cheeky and mischievous.
Returning home I wanted to capture this observation and the nostalgic love I have for the seaside. And so the seagull and puffin characters were born. Puffin is innocent and has a childlike wonder, finding shells and wonderfully weird friends in the sand. Seagull however is a troublemaker, causing chaos by stealing chips and knocking over pebble towers.
While at first Puffin is unhappy with Seagulls antics they form an unlikely friendship and enjoy the beach together (with a bit of ice cream).
Pride in the Peculiar!
Another unlikely friendship in my illustrations is between a beaver and a tiny ladybird.
The dramatic spotlight creates the sense that both characters are stunned by this encounter.
But my use of soft, light colours and some magical sparkles make the moment feel full of unexpected warmth and joy.
My aim for this piece was to explore how differences (even big ones) can bring us together, instead of dividing us.
This theme is also a basis for another of my illustrations. However the characters here are much less accepting of their new acquaintance.
Despite the judgemental stares from the other fish, the new fish shines and glows, celebrating its uniqueness.
Portraying individuality is an important part of my work and animal characters are a fun way to make these messages accessible.
The Power of Detail
Texture and colour in nature is an element that I love to experiment with to create dynamic and magical illustrations. tAKING INSPIRATION FROM REAL TEXTURES IN NATURE, i LIKE TO TWIST AND TURN them to form INTERESTING PATTERNS AND SHAPES, THAT CATCH THE EYE.
I let myself go wild (pun intended) for this flamingo piece. You can see the textures stand out most in the water and cliff side.
The water glows magically forming ripples as they dance. The cool tone colours in the setting make the pink of the flamingos pop. This constructs an enchanting, romantic feel.
The different textures bounce off each other, giving the whole illustration energy while the colours set the mood. But sometimes the textures I create are completely unexpected.
The feathers of this pheasant illustration seem almost like they have been cut out of paper or fabric. I love how it looks as though you could reach out and touch them.
While creating texture can be time consuming, the outcome can be very effective!
Quirks and All!
I truly love my animal characters and I always enjoy bringing them to life with fun and quirky personalities. Here are some individual characters I've created in the past, a troublesome hog, a suspicious squirrel and a very lucky dog. Which of all my animal characters is your favourite? Is there an animal you would like to see in my style?
Interested in what else I enjoy illustrating? Have a look around my portfolio or pop over to my instagram @joelymaria_illustration. Where I also post tips and tricks, views of my process and other things that inspire me.
