Insparation of Colorful House in Page 1 - The Elementals Edited

I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes detail about Page 1 of my comic ELEMENTALS, especially the part showing the flooded town. In this scene, the colourful houses you see were inspired by the vibrant buildings on the island of Burano, near Venice, Italy. I spent time looking at many photo references of the streets and canals of Burano—how the houses are painted in bold, rich colours like yellow, red, orange, blue, green and I felt this colour scheme was perfect for the tone of the water scene: something real yet slightly dream-like.

In the story world of ELEMENTALS the town is not Venice, nor is it Burano. It’s a separate city within my elemental universe. I only used Burano as a visual reference to bring more life and contrast into the background. The strong palette of the houses helps the flooded scene feel full of emotion: the bright colours of the homes contrast with the dark water, the murky sky, the threat of flooding so the town doesn’t feel purely realistic or mundane, but charged with tension and otherworldly beauty.

Colorful houses along a canal in Burano near Venice, Italy

                                                                       (Barrow, 2025)

I chose Burano as a reference because it really stood out to me. Unlike other waterside towns with soft or pastel colours, Burano’s houses are bright and bold. They give each building personality and life. This fits the scene in my comic, where the flood turns everything upside down: the houses feel real, but also a little magical.

But just to clarify:

This scene is not set in Venice. It’s a different city within the world of Elementals. I only used Venice as a visual reference to bring more life and contrast to the background.

(Atlas Obscura, n.d.)

I chose Venice because it was the first place that came to mind when I looked at this part of the page. It also stands out more than the other types of waterside buildings since it’s more colorful than the rest.

References:

Barrow, J. (2025). Colorful houses along a canal in Burano near Venice, Italy. [online] 123RF. Available at: https://tr.123rf.com/photo_17509369_colorful-houses-along-a-canal-in-burano-near-venice-italy.html [Accessed 23 May 2025].

Atlas Obscura. (n.d.). The Mad Colored Houses of Burano. [online] Available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-mad-colored-houses-of-burano-venice-italy.

Burano, Italy – “The Mad Colored Houses of Burano” [online]. Available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-mad-colored-houses-of-burano-venice-italy. Atlas Obscura
Burano Island: Color, Tradition and Wonder in the Venetian Lagoon. [online]. Available at: https://caffeflorian.com/en/burano-island-color-tradition-and-wonder-in-the-venetian-lagoon/. . Florian Venezia 1720
Britannica Editors. (n.d.). “Burano” in Encyclopaedia Britannica. [online]. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Burano.