Playing with scale and perspective is an effective way to create striking images.
Whether to emphasise certain characters, to create metaphorical images, or to make map-style illustrations to explain geographies, using exaggerated scale and unusual perspectives can create dynamic, powerful images. We’ve brought together ten projects from across the categories that use scale and perspective to create imaginary worlds.
Monica has been intrigued by scale since she was a child, feeling the world was too big for her. This personal work has the feel of an old scrapbook, and tells the story of the mysterious ‘Small People’ who undertake great feats in an oversized world. The works were initially hand drawn, and then scanned and edited in Photoshop, with textures added using paper, fabrics and paint. The final edit creates a vintage feel inspired by old photographs.
Monica is an illustrator, publishing her first book in 2005. Originally from Italy, Monica now lives in London, and works with UK, US and Italian publishers. She is represented by Sylvie Poggio.
Chester’s work uses a high perspective to show the locality of a football pitch. Using an elevated viewpoint, this piece describes the place that inspires both players and fans alike. Made using Procreate on an iPad Pro, this work is a self-initiated personal work that explores technique and process.
Chester Holme is an illustrator from south east London. He graduated from Kingston University in 2015, and has since worked with publications, companies and brands around the globe.
Faye’s project was made for a University project. It documents the political and social shifts created by Brexit from the perspective of an outsider. Using a collage of figurative and more abstract elements at micro- and macro-scales, and a comic-like format, this work really highlights a feel of uncertainty and confusion. Following a period of research, discussions and interviews, this work was created this work digitally.
Faye Yan is an illustrator currently based in London. She completed her masters in illustration at Kingston University and is now working as a graphic designer in London.
Lauren’s story of a cat who tries to enter a public library was created for a University project using limited colours in two layers. The scale of the cat changes throughout the story, highlighting the various challenges it faces trying to enter the library building, while the range of viewpoints and shifting perspective invite viewers to play ‘spot the cat’.
Lauren is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and she is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Children’s Book Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University.
This powerful image was commissioned by Block45 to explain the terminology of Blockchain in a creative way. By mixing up scale to tell a visual story, this clever image shows us how understanding of Blockchain can be unlocked. The work was created digitally in Photoshop.
YuSang is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Beijing, China. He studied major Industrial Engineering, but decided to pursue his dream of becoming an illustrator after graduated from university in 2015.
Katherina’s portrait of Hans Christian Andersen is a celebration of her love for the author’s work. It’s printed using colour lithography, giving it a textural, handmade quality. The exaggerated top hat creates a perfect background for the tiny dream-like geese and princess, almost as if they are about to fly into the author’s imagination.
Katherina is based in Moscow, Russia. She graduated from the University of Printing Arts in 2013 and is a freelance artist and illustrator
This work is inspired by psychoanalysis, and looks at the concept of self-reflection and angst.
The work has a really unusual perspective, echoing surrealism, creating an effect of disconnect and uncertainty, questioning who and what we are. The work is based on photographs, and then the different perspectives composed digitally and then hand drawn using ink and scanned and painted digitally.
Lucas is an Illustrator from Villa Alemana, Chile. He studied Professional Illustration at the Arcos Institute, Chile and now works as a freelance illustrator.
Sarah was commissioned by White Lion Publishing (with Quarto Group) to create 84 illustrations showing the lives of well-known artists. Each image captures the feel of the artist’s work, whilst maintaining the artist’s own style. This map style work of Gaugin uses a flat perspective and scale to show his journey to Tahiti.
Sarah is a UK-based illustrator. Her clients include Scholastic Publishing, Quarto Publishing Group and L’Oreal Paris. She is represented by Lilla Rogers.
Victoria’s self-initiated children’s book tells the story of her favourite cinema directors, François Truffaut. This image uses a high up viewpoint, echoing the cinematic theme of the story as well as the child’s aspirations for a better life. The work uses mixed media of watercolour, tempera, pastels and digital.
Victoria Semykina is a Russian illustrator and fine artist who lives in Italy, Bologna. She graduated from the Moscow Art Academy and the Bologna Academy of Fine ArtsHer clients include the New Yorker, Tate Modern, Starbucks, GQ, Penguin, Forbes, Oxford Press, De Morgen, D&D London Restaurants and Andersen Press.
Yunyun’s illustrations for a self-initiated picture book tell the story of a little girl and a fox who make a journey and meet different creatures with a life lesson to teach. The sense of travel and wonder is enhanced by the scale, in this case of the giant figure, and the use of charcoal pencil drawing with digital colour create an enchanting atmosphere.
Yunyun Ai is an illustrator and designer from China. She is currently studying for her MFA in illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, USA.