Lighthouse: A Junior Self-Portrait Illustration by Peter Dyer (2013)

In my personal essay I describe a flower that lights up a dark night and inspires the plants around it to fight through a violent storm. This scene symbolizes the power of human interaction and how people can help each other try their hardest and reach their full potential. In my essay the flower’s aura of light gives the plants around it enough strength to withstand the storm. Another piece of my essay that influenced my illustration was the section where I discuss how people bring the best out of each other and push each other to work their hardest.

In my illustration, the lighthouse on top of the hill symbolizes the flower from my essay, lighting up the darkness of the scene. In my essay I describe the flower and say it resembled a light house sitting above the ocean, which is why the lighthouse in my illustration is on an island. The hands reaching up towards the light represent how people must reach and push themselves to achieve their goals. The lighting of the scene makes it more visually appealing and helps draw the viewer’s eye to the lighthouse at the center of the image.