Decoding Daily Deviations: Cat Girl

Reading the book is like a strange beautiful heartfelt dream. At times bright and colourful, at others cool and quiet, always imbued with a dreamy quality. The girl has received the enigmatic Letter from Dr. Boots and been changed by it, but how to hint at this? The closest thing my research turned up were paintings by William Waterhouse.

I wanted to attempt the mood of his paintings, however Waterhouse was a grand master so I wanted to do the best I could with the tools at my disposal, specifically Google search and Photoshop! I wanted to ensure a strong steady still composition locked onto her eyes early on, then tune the detail and mood along the way till it seemed closer to the impression in my mind. I used what amounts to collage to search for potential references and stick them one over another, moving and swapping bits till I had something I felt had some potential. 

Then I crudely painted it all together, starting with large details and working in to tight ones in strategic places. This part is always a treat, as you can start to correct small problems and start to vibe it. New ideas occur and can be explored. Put some tunes on, zone out and paint. All the analytical and engineering work early on leads up to this. Enjoy!"

My normal science fiction art interests lie toward the spaceships and ring worlds end of the spectrum, and I have always been afraid to tackle subjects from the more humane, literary end, which I love just as much. Engine Summer feels more like Mark Twain and Ursula LeGuin than Asimov or Ted Chiang, so I was nervous I wouldn't be able to catch some of the feel. I'm not sure I succeeded but it was enjoyable to try. If I had a do over I'd like to draw and then painter the image properly without using collages so much. I think reading a book, especially one as good as Engine Summer is a very personal experience so I'd almost recommend not looking at any artwork associated with it till after reading so that it doesn’t inflect ones own impressions too much! So if you do want to read it, pretend you never saw this ok!"

Hmm, I have loads! Please pick and choose any that seem useful. Start very rough and spend at least a day at the start just researching, sketching very rough doodles, thinking, walking, mulling, planning, you get the idea. Then another day just making simple 3D models or collages. I like to take several swings at something. 

Like a video game level, you never nail it first time, but after you've fallen down all the pitfalls and started to get into the controls, you get there. It can be frustrating but also rewarding, just take it in small pieces. 

Don't give yourself horribly hard tasks at the same time; separate design sketching from polished rendering; use whatever cheats you can like Daz, simple 3D sculpts as underlays for difficult geometry; collages; try all sorts till you can assemble something you kind of like. I think it's a bit like science, you do experiment after experiment refining your technique each time. Only when everything is looking well do i start detailing and rendering it, which is a pleasant mindless task. I don't want to be worrying about composition or perspective at that point just music and mood and colour, imagining what the highlights on the water might be doing. Take your time, make quick multiple versions exploring possible alternative approaches. And finish it, sleep then do the final details with a fresh mind. Works every time."

I'm very honoured and flattered! I've been posting on DA since I was a kid so it means a lot! I hope to keep uploading Sci Fi art and maybe be less nervous about trying things outside of my comfort zone too."

I'm blown away. I'm very pleased people felt there was a Waterhouse vibe going on; I'm glad something that was a very personal piece gives people pleasure."