Procedural 3D: pulsar emitting a flurry of particles.
Fun fact: the color of extremely hot celestial objects like these is approximately periwinkle.
Click on the images for more info.
FOR
The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), 2022
Thanks to Michael and Matt at Sandbox Studio!
WORK
Concepts, illustrations
TOOLS
Cinema 4D, Redshift, Nomad Sculpt, Procreate, Photoshop
INFO
Illustrations for the NANOGrav website, about "the fundamental principles that make [NANOGrav's] mission possible": Radio Astronomy, Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves, Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes, Pulsars as Cosmic Clocks, and Multimessenger Astrophysics.
View and read about all of them here.
Sketches & process ↓
Depending on the subject and other criteria, I sometimes sketch unconventionally: in 3D or even using icons.
Sketching in 3D can be more and efficient than drawing: it provides more information — for both artist and the client — about if / how a concept might work, be built, or look.
For example, the pulsar sketches:
Originally I planned to paint the pulsar and started with a regular sketch. Later I moved to 3D:
Procedural modeling in 3D allowed me to test compositions and ideas much faster than redrawing. Once we settled on this dynamic angle, the model could've become a base for a painting (paintover; here's a good example), or a render with a more "realistic" / CG aesthetic (PBR: physically-based rendering). In this case the art direction called for the latter.
I'd still love to do pulsar / AGN paintings at some point!
Another example:
Left, an initial 3D sketch. The direction shifted to be more abstract. Working in 3D was vital to test the concept and ensure it would work.
Sketches & WIP for multi-messenger astrophysics.
Sketching with icons (above) can also be a great way to quickly nail down a concept and composition. I like Mural: a whiteboard web app with a massive icon repository.
Initial roughs for galactic history and radio astronomy.
Screenshot of the NANOGrav Science Topics page with all of the artworks.
© Olena Shmahalo