From Wacom to Fractals: The Art Behind Scientific Orcery

Fun stuff about the art for this series:

I’ve been painting landscapes since 1997 and worked as freelance illustrator since 2002, so I’ve done lots of art for this series too!

Some of them are painted in Photoshop from scratch with a wacom tablet.

Some are created with software called Mandelbulb which generates 3+ Dimensional megastructures using fractal mathematics.

Here is an example of a nuclear explosion made with fractal mathematics:

This image displays a computer interface, specifically a fractal generation program, with a window titled 'NUCLEAR DETONATION EXPLOSION'. The central preview pane shows a stark black silhouette of a massive mushroom cloud rising from the ground, set against a background of intense, glowing red and orange gradients that suggest a nuclear fireball. The surrounding interface includes various technical menus, sliders, and buttons labeled with terms like 'Calculate 3D', 'Formulas', and 'Iteration count', indicating the image is a digital creation using mathematical algorithms rather than a photograph or traditional painting. The composition evokes the catastrophic destruction described in the text, where the protagonist's lab is obliterated by a fertilizer explosion.

Some of the art in this book is made with 3d models using Blender, Unreal Engine and matte painting in Photoshop:

This image displays the Blender 3D modeling software interface, featuring a grey, untextured model of a large ram skull with massive, curling horns floating in the center viewport. The skull is oriented diagonally, facing downwards and to the left, surrounded by a few small, floating rock-like debris pieces. The interface shows the 'Sculpt' workspace on the left with tools like 'Draw' and 'Clay Strips', and a 'Sculpt' brush settings panel is visible near the center, indicating the artist is actively shaping the model.

Example of art process [from my studio assistant Mabi]:

This image displays a four-panel character concept art sheet detailing the creation of a female figure. The top left panel shows a grey 3D mannequin model holding two fans against a checkered transparency background. The top right features a rough, monochromatic sketch of the character in a dynamic pose, holding the fans out. The bottom left presents a detailed line art sketch of the character, revealing cat-like ears, a nose, and a bow in her hair, wearing a bikini-style top. The bottom right panel shows the final, fully rendered artwork of the character's torso and legs, dressed in purple and gold Egyptian-inspired attire with bandages on her arm, holding a glowing, ornate fan with a purple gem.

More process examples:

A grayscale illustration depicts a young woman with short, curly hair and a gentle smile, standing in profile against a dramatic backdrop. Behind her, a vast, rugged mountain range rises into a cloudy sky, suggesting a high-altitude or remote setting. The foreground features dark, rocky terrain, while the distant peaks are rendered with soft, painterly strokes that evoke a sense of scale and solitude. The monochromatic palette enhances the atmospheric and somewhat melancholic mood of the scene.

3d model made in Blender & Unreal Engine:

This image displays the viewport of the Unreal Engine software interface, specifically Viewport 3, showing a 3D landscape environment. The scene depicts a vast, snowy mountain range under a sky painted in hues of soft purple and blue, suggesting either dawn or dusk. In the foreground, a dark, reddish-brown terrain meets a body of icy water or glacier. The interface includes toolbars at the top and a sidebar on the left with primitive shapes like 'Cube' and 'Sphere', while red warning text in the viewport notes that lighting and reflection captures need to be rebuilt.

Finished art:

Kliss stands in profile on a dark, rocky shoreline, her skin warm-toned with freckles and her hair composed of jagged, glowing red and violet crystals resembling ruby shards. She wears a simple dark blue sleeveless top with a ruffled neckline, gazing calmly toward the right. Behind her, a vast, cold landscape of snow-capped mountains and glaciers stretches under a twilight sky streaked with pink and blue clouds, with a small waterfall cascading into the dark water near the rocks.

Character concept art dev:

This character concept art displays a full-body figure dressed as a plague doctor, featuring a long dark coat, a top hat, and a bird-like mask with glowing blue eyes. The image shows two versions: a fully rendered version on the left and a line-art sketch on the right, alongside a detailed view of the ornate mask labeled 'CANE TOP'. The character holds a cane with an ornate handle, and the bottom right corner features the 'Errors Game' logo with the names Alexiuss & Mibiruna.