"INTO THE DEEP YOU MUST GO, I'M AFRAID"
That's what I feel this woman is saying to Brian, pointing to the deep end of the pool. She has gone through many transformations but the key elements pulled through -- big glasses and a big hat. The sketch below shows the initial drawing of the pointy fingered lady. She used to have a cocktail in hand.
In early drawings the woman was looking sort of like an alien fly and I kinda liked the odd vibe. But then I discovered Carmen Dell'Orefice and I got really inspired by a totally different look. So I did a search for Carmen + pools and found a bunch of her early photographs in cool swimsuits and swim caps which were all in line with the motifs I had going. Then ran across the photo below and I thought there's my lady in the hat! The photo even had the umbrella.
So I decided change the tone of the illustration to match this new direction -- a drowsy, flowy, languid look... super relaxed... eccentric and regal... Below is the resulting illustration and value study.
The pattern on her dress I replicated from the photo. She's reading up on cruises -- an element that comes up later in the book in the shape of a monster.
*click below to watch the TIME LAPSE
