Artist Statement
Planets of the System
Throughout history humans have looked to the skies as they would to the sea wondering what else lies outside in the deep vastness of space. Astronomy has always been an interest to me, as I question what and how life is on other worlds. As a visual development illustrator, I want to apply my character design skills to my own interpretation of the planets as characters. I admire the fantastic illustrations on trading cards and enjoy collecting them which leads to my planetary characters to be distributed in the form of collectible cards.
For my planet characters, I show the unique qualities of each planet to portray the planet in a fun way. Facts about the planet and its environment led to the character designs. Further details about the planets on the backside of the cards adds to the characterization of the planets. Planets have different meanings in various cultures whether as horoscopes, mythology, astrology, symbolism, or modern fiction. All cultures have their own interpretation of each planet.
I work digitally to implement certain environment features like forestry, water, and earth. My cartoon/anime style of character design is targeted towards young adults and hopefully inspire them more to check out astronomy. Since there are more than 8 planets in our solar system, an illustrated series lends itself to being collectible. With the inclusion of other space celestial objects, the ideas of characterizing them is endless. I can imagine people trying to collect all the different kinds of planet cards. Maybe having fun in trading or battling with my planet cards.