I just recently returned from a 4 month backpacking trip through South America with my partner and decided to create an illustration for each of the 4 countries that we visited as a fun little project to work on to help us memorialize the trip. I made one for Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador – the 4 countries that we visited between July and October of 2022. Each illustration features an iconic or memorable landmark and/or natural environment from the country, paired with the country name, flag, and a subtle outline of the country in the background. My eventual plan is to have them printed and then I’ll frame them and put them up somewhere in our home.
This was the first country that I started working on and the illustration that set the style and direction for the remaining 3 that followed. When I started working on these illustrations I knew I wanted to focus on an iconic landmark and/or natural environment for each one and that I wanted to do them in a very simple, almost 8-bit video game style. For Peru I went with the iconic Machu Picchu which I visited in August of 2022 after completing the 5 day Salkantay Trek.
Below you can see the final colour versions, followed by the original black and white line version, and then some photos that I took that served as inspiration for the drawing.
Ecuador
This was the last country we visited on our trip but the second illustration that I worked on. During our time in Ecuador we hiked up a lot of volcanoes and visited a lot of beautiful churches so it seemed like a no brainer that for this illustration I would combine the two.
Below you can see the final colour versions, followed by the original black and white line version, and then some photos that I took that served as inspiration for the drawing.
Bolivia
Our introduction to Bolivia as a country was by way of a 3 day jeep excursion through the high altitude altiplano desert. It was an incredible couple of days filled with absolutely amazing and other-worldly landscapes. It was by far the highlight of our time in Bolivia but hard to distil into a single image so I chose to focus on one of the landscapes we encountered during our time there.
Below you can again see the final colour versions, followed by the original black and white line version, and then some photos that I took that served as inspiration for the drawing.
Chile
Chile was our first stop on the trip but the final illustration I worked on largely because we had only spent about 10 days in the country and I wasn’t immediately sure what I was going to do for the image. I was looking back over some of my photos and then it dawned on me exactly what I should focus on – the colourful seaside town of Valparaiso, famous for its brightly coloured houses and its many funiculars that shuttle locals up and down its many hills.
Below you can again see the final colour versions, followed by the original black and white line version, and then some photos that I took that served as inspiration for the drawing.
