I’m not usually a sci-fi, creature type illustrator. And when I try doing something mean and gnarly and grotesque, it always turns out cute. Fortunately, this was for a Christmas card for a client of mine, so cute aliens were alright. I actually had a lot of fun on this. It was really a chance for me to explore my creativity in ways I haven’t before. It stretched me as an illustrator. I had been studying the works of artists like Ralph Mcquarrie and James Gurney. Having devoted myself for so long to strict realism, based off of heavy photo reference, I wanted to see if I could create make believe environments with realistic lighting and form. I knew how light works when it hits a form and so starting with basic forms, I built up from there. I used my lighting to compose the scene and direct the eye. I did some photo research (yes, that’s Pike’s Peak in the background) for textures and lighting and of course the characters are actually my client and her assistant. In the end, I was able to step away from the crutch of strict representationalism and become the creator of my own little world.
