Jessica Lai Illustrations - Under the Same Sun

Under the Same Sun is a series of illustrations that I made as a personal exploration of how the sun, something so universal and constant, can be interpreted in so many ways and hold such different cultural meanings in different countries. These illustrations are based on my own children's experience of the sun in Denmark and Taiwan, Olivia and her little brother, Elias

Chilling under the Danish sun on the beach.

Enjoying the sunshine, or not, of the scorching sun in Taiwan.

Within the Nordic Mythology, the sun is drawn on a chariot by a divine horse across the sky every day and protected from the Midgard Serpents. Even in the ancient myths, the sun is seen as precious and sacred to the Scandinavians.

However, in Chinese Mythology, the sun is seen almost as a pest and something that is too abundant. In the mythical story of Hou Yi, the ancient archer of China, shot down nine suns and left one for the prosperity of humanity and to save the earth from their scorching heat.

In the last illustration, I tried to show the real factual reason as to why the areas closer to the equator receive stronger heat from the sun. The scientific reason is because of the tilted axis of the globe and the angle I which the sun's rays hit its surface. I made the logic a bit simpler, though perhaps it needs another few more pages to explain.

Below are some of the sketches on composition, ideas, and colors as part of my process. It took a long time to decide if I wanted to include the actual sun in the images, however, my main focus is the reaction to the sun, hence I hope emphasizing the actions of the people will give the viewer the idea that they are under the sun.