This is a mini project I’ve wanted to do for years, but never got around to it because I was worried I would mess it up... It’s a short collection of illustrations inspired by a song called ‘Tom’s Diner’ by Suzanne Vega which is basically a poem about a woman in a café. My parents love Suzanne Vega so I was brought up listening to her and that song always inspired me. I wanted to do a set of illustrations that were sort of like a storyboard when put together but could also work on their own as single images.
I’m not sure whether its intrigue or sadness that’s hiding amongst the subtle lyrics but ever since my first listen, it captivated me. The simplicity of the song has always made me feel like there was more to it…
I wanted to explore my own interpretation of the song through illustration so that I could give other people the same experience that I had had. Is there something we don’t know? Who is the woman shaking her umbrella? Is she having an affair with the man behind the counter? Why is no one else in the diner? There’s a mystery and a quietness to the diner that makes it somewhat eerie. There are missing pieces to the puzzle that I have tried to echo in my illustrations. Elements have been left out, either through cropping or zooming in, so you must make up the rest. I’ve kept the palate to a minimum, using grey to give a ‘vintage-y’ sad sort-of-a feel and a pop of deep red to tie them all together. I also used this red to break up the calm within the illustrations, signalling that things aren’t quite what they seem.
It’s challenging creating things from the depths of your imagination, but even more so is the challenge to convey a certain emotion in everyday objects or environments. I suppose you’re never really sure whether it ‘translates’ or not, but perhaps that’s the beauty of it…
Below are my initial sketches for the project, some stayed the same in the final illustrations but I ended up changing some elements. I am currently unveiling the final illustrations over on Instagram but once they are all unveiled, you will be able to see them all by clicking here. I created these sketches using my iPad, something I haven’t done before but really enjoyed. It was great being able to quickly sketch up and adjust things without using copious amounts of paper!
