Dabbling in Photo Illustration Part 1

I'm very excited to do this post.

A) Because it's positive. No ranting from Cat today.

B) I get to introduce you to Jelena Mostovaja who is awesome in that she researches all things science so that anyone who would ever need to practice World Building would be able to find loads of data in one place, her website: The World Building Journal wbjournal.info She's also a writer and an artist. A jack of all trades. My kind of internet pal.

C) I get to try a multi-part post, which I've never done before.  Ooo the lessons in blogging never stop.

So this is part one, where I show you the image I've been working on, and explain how I've been wanting to build a portfolio that deals more with environment and lighting - with subjects that lean more sci fi and dark YA than the cute, fuzzy stuff I've been doing for the last 10 years.

I'm embracing my sci fi nerd inside and loving it.

So here's the finished piece:

And here's a close up of the character Falaha, who is traveling on Quennah, a star ship that has been in her family for generations. Read about Falaha's  journey here on Jelena's site.

I liked the idea of a ship that is passed down through generations, and the promise of a long voyage to distant star systems. I'm a huge Firefly fan (for those who don't know me) and I miss vicarious trips into the black. I'm prepared to geek out over Jelena's short story series. She does a nice job of setting the scene and putting the reader in the futuristic world where Falaha and Quennah exist. Can't wait to read more, Jelena!

To see the steps I took to build the environment, click to CHECK OUT PART 2 HERE