mejirushi:

04060 (by Tatsuro Kiuchi)

This is a cover piece depicting the balloon festival in Saga prefecture, Japan, for Japan Railway Kyushu’s ’Please’ November issue. A photographer who has been officially shooting pictures for the festival was generous enough to lend me his photos as my reference materials, and he even allowed me to illustrate just like his original photo.

When I first saw the group of his original balloon photos, I was excited to find that they could make fantastic references. But at the same time, they were somehow too good. I mean I thought I couldn’t possibly come up with anything better as an illustration. So I picked a photo I like and decided to illustrate as almost exactly as the one. I changed the overall colors, as well as the patterns and placements of these balloons a bit though.

As for the reflection part on the water, if you are using Photoshop, it can be achieved pretty easily. Just copy and flip the whole thing upside down right? Yes, but I also didn’t forget to adjust the perspective and positions of each balloon because you are supposed to see more of the underside of these balloons on the water from the eye level…