I’ve been hoping to do an illustration for Andromeda Spaceways, and so was very happy to be asked by Sue Bursztynski (art editor) and Felicity Dowker (editor, with Simon Petrie subediting) to illustrate Joanne Anderton’s short fantasy story Breathtaker, which is to appear in issue 44 of ASIM.
After I read the story, I did the following thumbnail sketches in technical pen, added flat shading on the computer and sent them in.
The editors chose D (I still have a fondness for C).
Originally, I planned to do do the final by inking lines and then shading it on the computer in much the same way as the thumbnail. The illustration is to be over a whole A5 page, however, and I wanted to put more detail in than I would get from simply scaling up the thumbnail, so I did the whole illustration at full size with brush and ink, including the shading. I then scanned it in and tweaked the shading (and added a bit more texture – not immediately obvious unless you compare this with the original) on the computer.
The background is still my favourite part – I had fun with the flowers.
Kathleen Jennings 
OMG wow, I had no idea you were doing the art (actually I didn’t know it was going to have an illustration). That’s so exciting! I’m totally thrilled (and I love it!)
Made my day :)
You just made mine :)
Beautiful!
Thanks, Karen!
Love it. I really love C, with the feet as well.
Thank you! It’s always nice when feet work out:)
For some reason I really like B, but D is probably my second choice. (It is hard to pick from options like these, with nary a bad choice.) Now I am really wondering what that story is about!
Thanks! In retrospect, I think B is more removed from the story, whereas D shows two scenes in it.
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