In this exercise, I use different size images of a tree, a child walking, and a building to explore visual spaces.  I am using a square format and will try out several compositions to create the illusion of space, distance and scale.

1. The smaller boys seem further in this image, while the bigger boys are closer to the viewer.  Even though the houses in the background are different sizes, they are on the same horizon line, making them part of the same space and group.
2. The big black house split the composition into a front plane (in front of the house) and the background.  In this composition, a smaller area is illustrated in comparison to image one.  In image two, the background trees are medium-sized and seem closer to the foreground than image one, where the trees are much smaller and represent a more extensive area.  The elements behind the house are not fully visible, so the viewer assumes it to be trees, although it can be a fire or anything else, for that matter.  If I choose to reveal even less of this hidden image, for example, just the tips of the tree, it will spark a curiosity in the viewer. This composition seems a little mysterious because of the seen and unseen together with the big black house.
3. The trees and houses in this illustration are at differing angles to each other and the frame.  The composition consists of diagonal angles balancing each other out.  The diagonal angles leaning to the left are balancing out the angles leaning to the right.  Although the black tree is in front of the white tree, I get the feeling that the white tree belongs together with the white boy and is jumping forward instead of falling into the background.
4. Image 4 is a conventional composition, but my eyes want to group the two white elements.  Visually grouping colours or tones could be a nice technique if you wish to illustrate that the boy belongs to the house.  The white house gives the sense of being in front because of the brightness and light tonal value.  Colours like yellow and orange will do the same.
5. The diagonal lines create an interesting and dynamic composition.  The grey house leaning to the left is balanced out by the grey background leaning to the right.  The small tree in the background gives the illusion of space but does not come forward as much as the elements in illustrations 3 and 4 due to the white space between the far background and the foreground.
6. It is interesting to me how the grey house in this illustration seems to be underground.  The upside-down tree comes forward in the composition because of its brightness and expands over the black and grey layer.  The prominent vertical line of the tree creates a sense of depth.  The small size of the boy gives a sense of a more extensive area visible to the viewer.
7. In image 7, I have used two solid vertical planes, creating a different dynamic than horizontal planes.  Image 7 is my favourite composition and most successful because of the intense sense of depth/height and scale.  The vertical planes seem very big in relation to the boy, house, and trees.   The foreground separates from the background by the grey tree in front of the right vertical plane, which is an unusual composition.  I could have created even more of a foreground by extending the grey horizon in front of the right black vertical plane.
8. This is my least favourite composition.  It is not open but somewhat closed off and in the centre.  The heaviness of the boy illustrated in his size and dark tone illustrates a giant toddler.  The child is on top and would look lighter if he was in white.  The scale is a little monotonous, and there is not really a feeling of visual space.
9. In the last illustration, the dark tones fall backwards and do not compete with the foreground.  The light tone of the white house creates a focal point and visual space between the background and foreground.  Placing the other house upside down and in a darker tone gives a feeling of reflection that creates a sense of depth.

Although I have created mostly balanced compositions in the above illustrations, an illustrator can also create a composition that creates tension by mainly using diagonal lines.  In Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream, he created tension, perspective and visual space using diagonal lines.

When thinking of visual space, like in most things in art, the possibilities are endless.  This can be seen in the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher (1897 – 1972).  I was fortunate to see his exhibition in New York in 2018.  

“His drawings stood out because he did not duplicate the landscape, but used it as guidance to come up with a never before seen reality. Everything in his drawings from the way the books rested, the view of the street, and the way the jar stood fascinated audiences that were left awestruck by his imagination and perception on reality.” (Anon., 2015)

It is fascinating how MC Escher uses elements to create perspective and visual space.  In Figure 3, he has designed the illustration to be rotated and viewed “upside-down”, which changes the illustration into a completely different picture. 

In Figure 4, a display at the Escher Exhibition of lines arranged at different angles created a sense of optical illusion, perspective, and space.

In Figure 5, an optical illusion was created with lines and angles.  In reality, my son and I was the same height at that time.

We may conclude that visual space is an essential part of creating an illustration, and the possibilities are endless when exploring the scale, angle, and tonal value of elements.

References

Anon., 2015. Optical Spy. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.opticalspy.com/escher.html
[Accessed 24 October 2021].