The cover image for the ‘siblings’ issue of Sonshine - a parenting magazine about ‘raising boys for a more equal world’. The brief was to make a beautiful image to help sell the paper copy of the magazine and also to be used for the digital version. The brief was fairly open beyond using the brand colours and to feel summery and expansive.
The image is based on a sketch I made of my own son playing with water in his grandparents’ garden in the summer of 2020. From imagination I added a sibling and I stylised the plants and colours to accentuate the feeling of enjoying the shade on a hot summer’s day.Â
In keeping with the ethos of the publication, both boys are in gender neutral clothing and colours, one of them has longer hair and both are engaged in collaborative, thoughtful play - something that is not so commonly portrayed in visual culture, which can often stereotype boys as action-lovers and girls as calmer and more collaborative. I am always aiming for a diverse range of bodies across my illustration work, in this case the children are of south asian heritage and one child wears a hearing aid.
Quote from the client:
Thank you, this is absolutely brilliant. Love it.Â
Making me wish for summer to get here to be honest!
Thanks again Phoebe, so delighted to get to work with you.
Kirstie Beavan
Editor - Sonshine Magazine www.sonshinemagazine.com
