Space Art by Christopher Doll

Category: Astronomy & Space Art

  • Introducing the Space Art Academy

    Introducing the Space Art Academy

    I am thrilled and terrified to announce my Space Art Academy. Thrilled because I enjoy teaching art and design. We are going to have a great time drawing starships, or painting a galaxy. The terror is only in my own mind, as any new venture risks failure.

    The Space Art Academy is where I will offer a range of courses on all aspects what I like to call Space Art. I’m relaxed with the term Space Art. To me it encompasses both astronomical space of the real variety, for there is great beauty in space both near and far. It also includes the wild fantasy side, science fiction, and realms of the unbelievable. All require the same skills – drawing, light and shadow, color, composition, and that extra magic that only a human can bring to a great painting.

    Why Now?

    I want to teach everything I have learned about drawing, design, illustration, color, and fine art. This is the culmination of decades of personal and professional experience based on a core foundation of Industrial Design illustration. My confidence is high when it comes to discussing the principles and practices of drawing and illustration. I might even go so far as to say I have an angle on fine art as well. I’ll leave it to you to decide if I can be so bold.

    As much as these courses are for you, or anyone who wishes to learn Space Art, they will be a watershed for myself. It’s making me analyze my own work with great scrutiny.

    Who Could Use These Courses?

    Anyone with the skill to find this blog post and read it will be more than qualified for the material in these classes. Complete novices will get years of practical knowledge, and they can keep all the material for reference later. Seasoned artists will also find gems.

    How Will This Work?

    Each course will be broken into individual video chapters. Some of these chapters will have reference material or worksheets (varies depending on the course). The materials can be downloaded upon purchase (and subsequent release). I will be available for questions via a dedicated Discord channel, the link will be provided with the course materials.

    PREVIEW CLASSES ON PATREON

    Patreon members have already seen some of the materials I’ve prepared for the first course, How to Draw Starships 101. With their input, I’ve adjusted the scope of these courses and I’m very happy with the final direction. If you want in on developing future courses, or if you’d like to see them early, consider signing up over on my Patreon. You’ll also receive additional discounts on all courses as a Patreon member.

    How to Draw Starships 101

    Starships are the human conveyances in our favorite science fiction stories. They have a soul, like sailing ships in our own past. In our debut course I will start with a foundation of drawing skills, which we will use to explore different types of starships.

    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 1
    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 2
    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 3
    • HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101
    • HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101
    • HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101
    Product on sale
    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 1HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 2HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 3

    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101

    Original price was: $80.00.Current price is: $49.00.
    Category: ,

    What is next?

    How to Draw Starships 101 will release in early July. I will then turn my attention on the next course, an exploration of color theory. Our first semester will end with a course on constructing a complete Space Art scene.

    These courses will never cover all aspects their respective subjects. I will expand each line, and add more as necessary. Personally I can’t wait until I can start sharing the work of all of our Space Art Academy students.

  • New Prints and Market Recap

    New Prints and Market Recap

    The holiday market at Lake Forest Park last Sunday was a huge success, and I want to thank everyone who was able to visit in person. It was great to see familiar faces and so many new ones! Looking to 2020, I’m adding more to the schedule and I’ll be updating these as I go.

    One of the biggest requests I’ve been getting recently are more prints. As much as people love owning original artwork, I am going to be adding more print options for a number of paintings, starting with these three that I had at my booth last weekend:

    These will all be signed archival prints and are going to the printers this week. Unfortunately I cannot guarantee that these will be ready for the holidays, but they will remain available in my store as long as supplies last.

    These will be a limited run, and I will be adding more as I go in 2020.

    Thank you again for your continued support. Here are some photos from the last events at Lake Forest Park:

    Ornaments were the big hit this year! I’ll be working on some more fun things for 2020!

  • Recurring Dreams #32 – Folksbier Brauerei (with time Lapse Video)

    Recurring Dreams #32 – Folksbier Brauerei (with time Lapse Video)

    I’ve made a video!

    Over on my Youtube Channel I have posted a time-lapse video of me painting Recurring Dreams #32. I’m working on a longer, narrated version that will be available on my soon-to-be-active PATREON page. I will be posting more about my Patreon page soon, but in the meantime here is the timelapse painting:

    About the painting

    Folksbier Braueri from Brooklyn, NY commissioned this piece for their Recurring Dreams #32 IPA. They wanted a retro science fiction inspiration, in the style of artist Paul Lehr. I was thrilled to paint this scene for them.

    They identified a color scheme, a gradient from mauve to deep blue tones with a few stops in between, and several of their favorite Paul Lehr images to get a feel for the style they were looking for. I made a small color sketch and proceeded to paint their scene.

    Small color sketch

    I used Richeson Casein Paint, which is a water-based paint used by illustrators and artists for many years. It’s fast, like acrylic, and can be painted opaque like guache or thinned for washes like watercolor. It’s very versatile and the colors are bright. Casein was used by many of my favorite artists, and James Gurney (Dinotopia) has some wonderful videos on how to use casein.

    Richeson Casein Paint – Titanium White, Permasol Blue, Rose Red, Naples Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue

    Recurring Dreams #32 is out, as of this writing. So if you’re near Brooklyn, NY drop on by and try out Folksbier Braueri.

    Recurring Dreams #32 in the wild

    Prints on the way

    I am now taking pre-orders for prints of Recurring Dreams #32 in my store. This will be a limited run and I expect to have them by September 10th.

  • Imagined Futures at Pivot Art + Culture

    Imagined Futures at Pivot Art + Culture

    Last week I dropped by the new Space Art exhibit, Imagined futures hosted by Pivot Art + Culture, part of the Paul Allen Institute in downtown Seattle. Located near the shores of Lake Union, this new gallery is well worth the visit. I am thrilled that such an exhibit opened up in my area and it does not disappoint. It was a sunny day in Seattle, and there was enough daylight to make it somewhat difficult to get good straight-on photos of the pieces on display due to glare, but in person they are spectacular.

    Space and Science Fiction Art

    This amazing display features examples of space and science fiction art, classic and contemporary. As a professional space and science fiction artist myself, I was humbled to be in the presence of these original pieces. Many of them were inspirations to me from as far back as I can remember. My thanks to Pivot Art + Culture for hosting them.

    Let’s take a look at the gallery

    Imagined Futures Gallery Looking Left
    Imagined Futures at Pivot Art + Culture
    Artist Robert Longo’s brilliant Saturn in Charcoal
    Imagined Futures at Pivot Art + Culture

    Legendary Space Art

    Chesley Bonnestell
    Chesley Bonnestell – Detail
    Chesley Bonnestell – Destination Moon
    Concept Art from Forbidden Planet – Mentor Huebner
    Fred Gambino
    Ron Miller reproduction of a Chesley Bonnestell Moon Rocket
    Matte Painting of Earth used in Destination Moon – Chesley Bonnestell
    Chesley Bonnestell
    Jim Burns – The Neutronium Alchemist

    Close Up Shots

    I loved being able to get right up close to these original pieces and see the paint and material in detail. Again, I had difficulty with daylight glare in the photos. In person it’s very easy to see the art.

    Up close with Bob Eggleton’s Anvil of Stars
    Bob Eggleton’s Anvil of Stars
    2010: Odyssey Two Cover Art – Michael Whelan
    2010: Odyssey Two Cover Art (detail) – Michael Whelan
    Don Dixon – The Clouds of Saturn
    Don Dixon – The Clouds of Saturn (Detail)
    Don Dixon – The Clouds of Saturn (Detail)
    Descending Toward the Moon – Chesley Bonnestell
    Descending Toward the Moon (Detail) – Chesley Bonnestell
    Chesley Bonnestell
    Chesley Bonnestell
    Chesley Bonnestell
    Chesley Bonnestell
    Chris Foss – Asteroid Collision
    Chris Foss – Asteroid Collision (Detail)

    John Berkey Space Settlement

    John Berkey is one of my all time favorite artists, and here I was able to see his Space Settlement up close.

    Space Settlement – John Berkey
    Space Settlement – John Berkey
    Space Settlement (detail) – John Berkey
    Space Settlement (detail) – John Berkey
    Space Settlement (detail) – John Berkey
    Space Settlement (detail) – John Berkey

    Robert T. McCall – A Settlement on Mars

    Another classic, Robert T. McCall’s Settlement on Mars. This is a� much larger painting than what I’d imagined and it’s quite impressive in person.

    A Settlement on Mars – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars (Detail) – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars (Detail) – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars (Detail) – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars (Detail) – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars (Detail) – Robert T. McCall
    A Settlement on Mars (Detail) – Robert T. McCall

    Models

    A number of fine scale models were on display as well.

    Models on display
    The Angriest Rocket Model Ever Made (constructed by David Merriman)
    Moon Ferry – David Merriman
    Spaceship Luna Miniature from Destination Moon
    Forest Dome – Silent Running
    Forest Dome – Silent Running
    Forest Dome – Silent Running
    Voyager Concept Model – Chesley Bonnestell
    Lunar Lander (Wernher von Braun concept) by Steven Gallacci

    I’m giving David Merriman a tough time for calling his Moon Ship “The Angriest Model Ever Made”. David Merriman is a master model builder who doesn’t suffer fools lightly. It was great to see his work in this show.

    Want to see more?

    If you’re interested in seeing these wonderful paintings and displays in person, Imagined Futures runs until July 10, 2016 at Pivot Art + Culture.

    Imagined Futures Poster
    Imagined Futures Poster

    And if you can’t make the trip to Seattle yourself, I’d highly recommend Ron Miller’s book The Art of Space – available now. It features many of the paintings in Imagined Futures, plus many more (including one of my own, see page 116).

    ArtOfSpaceBook

    Visit the Space Art By Christopher Doll Store

    Thank you for dropping by, and if you like space art like this please drop by my space art store. I’m offering original artwork and a number of smaller gifts, including my adult coloring book, Coloring Space 1.

    Space Art By Christopher Doll Store
    Space Art By Christopher Doll Store

  • Speed Sketches In Photoshop

    Speed Sketches In Photoshop

    Speed sketching with your tools is a great way to get your pen moving, and your drawing mind working. You can speed sketch in traditional media or digital, both are�a great way to warm up, or to shake things out in between projects. Speed sketches�force you to make decisions quickly and with less deliberation than a full-blown piece.

    Three Versions of Ambush In Orbit
    Three Versions of Ambush In Orbit

    For those of you following my recent posts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, you’ve noticed that I’ve been adding more of these speed sketches recently using Photoshop and my Wacom Intuos Pro tablet. I’ve learned some new brushes that I don’t normally use, like some of the built-in paint brush emulators in Photoshop. Some are okay for my needs, while others better than I’d anticipated. Their angle and flat brushes are great for laying in quick areas of color as I draw these scenes.

    While some speed sketches have turned out better than I’d anticipated, and are themselves almost complete pieces, others haven’t turned out as well as I’d hoped. In this case, I started with the phrase “Ambush In Orbit” and began thinking of some John Berkey-like scenes in my mind.

    The planet and background were drawn first, and I spent almost an entire 45 minute session on these alone. I don’t always render the background first, but it helps set the tone of the main subjects. When it came time for the spacecraft, none of them matched what I originally had in my mind so I ended up with three different styles of spacecraft. I stopped near my standard 45 minutes on each of these, and while they are each a bit off from my planned vision,�I’m somewhat happy with them.

    Ambush In Orbit 1
    Ambush In Orbit 1

    This first version fell away from�the colors I wanted, with the ship being warmer than I’d intended. If I were to take this on to a finished piece I’d adjust the hue across the layers of the ship.

    Ambush In Orbit 2
    Ambush In Orbit 2

    The second spacecraft here just gave up on the whole notion of an orbital ambush, but those engines were just too fun to draw. And the Monty Python style helmet was cracking me up. I am still digging the indication of lit rooms, although it looks like a raging forest fire in there.

    Ambush In Orbit 3
    Ambush In Orbit 3

    None of the shapes in my third attenpt were working out so I started blocking out detail cuts from the form and throwing in the energetic engine colors. The engine flame layers were set to Color Dodge and duplicated to enhance the effect. Now it looks like a piece of wreckage, in my eyes, and a more fun direction than where I started. Again this would be taken a lot further as far as detailing is concerned.

    That’s a bit of a view on the process, and while sometimes they don’t come out the way you’d like, they’re still fun and good practice.

    About Christopher DolL

    CDoll_Sept2014Christopher Doll is an artist and designer from the greater Seattle area.� He specializes in astronomy, space travel, and science fiction themes. His work has been featured in a number of books, articles, and on the cover of several novels.

    Recently Christopher Doll published Coloring Space 1, the first in a new line of adult coloring books featuring spaceships. Check out the Space Art By Christopher Doll Store for this and other space-related artwork and gifts.

    Space Art By Christopher Doll Store
    Space Art By Christopher Doll Store

  • Watercolor Paintings

    Watercolor Paintings

    Milky Way At Night
    Milky Way At Night

    You may have noticed a number of new watercolor paintings lately. Why all of a sudden have I moved to a new medium? Partly, it’s from the portability. Last summer I picked up a great little travel watercolor kit from Windsor Newton’s Cotman line. The kit fit nicely into my travel bag and I brought it with me regularly to the Doll House Baked Goods’ Farmers Markets.

    I started painting some of my #spaceshipaday drawings while hanging out at the markets. One of the images was used for the cover of my Coloring Book, Coloring Space 1. I liked the simplicity and speed. And the Windsor Newton Cotman Watercolors were a lot better than I expected.

     

    I have to credit James Gurney’s blog with a great series on Plein Air Painting techniques. He’s got� great tips on making your own portable art setup. Definitely worth the time to go through if you have any interest in Plein Air Painting – plus he has great dinosaur paintings.

    Photo Aug 07, 5 17 16 PM
    Photo Mar 16, 2 00 09 AM
    Photo Aug 28, 3 54 48 PM
    Friends in Fantastic Worlds
    Friends in Fantastic Worlds

    Once I got the hang of the basics, as with any paint media, I started trying out a few other subjects including some of my favorite lighthouses and scenes. Not only is watercolor a fast media to use, it’s quite unforgiving. That forces you to commit to your painting faster than usual. It’s a good exercise and with the right touch they can look fantastic.

    Cape Disappointment and Starry Sky
    Night Sky – Original Watercolor 4″ x 6″
    North Head Lighthouse
    HMS Surprise Ambushed By The Acheron
    Pioneer Building, Seattle, Washington

    I am by no means a master at this, and I don’t claim to be. This is merely another chance for me to explore color in my artwork. As much as I enjoy the digital experience with my iPad, Procreate, and a stylus, there’s something more visceral and rewarding about working with traditional tools.

    Artist Travel Kit

    These sketches were fun but I was finding that I wanted a few more options during some of the longer market sessions. Then we packed for a long RV trip to Michigan and I wanted to bring some of my paint supplies with me.� I was limited to a few pens, pencils and smaller 4″ x 6″ cut sheets of watercolor paper – my basic drawing package that I bring with me almost everywhere. But back home I had a lot more tools and supplies that I often used in my studio. To get things a bit more portable I started gathering my essentials into a larger kit.

    Wine Box To The Rescue
    Wine Box To The Rescue

    I started with a fine wooden box from Chateau Ste. Michelle, a perfect size for my kit. It would be a bit larger than a sling-bag but it gave me a few more options while on location.

    Now I have a bigger container of pens, including my ink-well style pens from ages ago when I drew my cartoons by hand. They still work very well. I also have a small Prismacolor Colored Pencil set, a new box of Pentel watercolors that I’m just starting to try out, my old design pastels, Golden liquid acrylic paints, a jar for water, erasers, and several pencil sharpeners. It all fits nicely in the box and it even leaves enough room for a wider variety of watercolor paper sizes.

    My Travel Art Kit
    The Kit
    Portability Achievement Unlocked

    Sure it’s a bit more to carry than my sling bag, but it also acts as its own tabletop when I don’t have a lot of flat surfaces. Later I’ll figure out an option for mounting a tripod and maybe re-work the lid into a drawing table with optional angles, who knows. The existing hinges are more decorative and won’t hold up well� with repeated heavy usage.

    I’m looking forward to doing a lot more of these, especially once we open our new shop. There I’ll have the room to work on paintings in the public full-time.

    Now Available In My Store

    A number of these are already available for sale in my store. I’m offering the originals right now and will be offering prints once I decide on a proper avenue for producing them. As much as I hate to turn this into a giant sales pitch, the purchases do help me continue making these. Thank you all

    Space Art By Christopher Doll Store
    Space Art By Christopher Doll Store

     

  • Speed Painting – Stellar Explorer

    Speed Painting – Stellar Explorer

    One of the benefits of using a great app like Procreate is that it kicks out a video of your entire process. As part of my own skill-building exercise, this particular piece was an exploration in creating form and mood using the light and color from the environment.

    Here’s a compressed 2 minute video showing the drawing from start to finish. Enjoy!

    And here is the final image:

    StellarExplorer_CDoll

  • Drawing a spaceship a day

    Drawing a spaceship a day

    NEW FOR 2026 – HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101

    I am now taking pre-orders on a new class, How to Draw Starships 101. This is the first in a series in my new Space Art Academy. I’m offering this course at a steep discount so hurry before this offer runs out. I will teach you all the essentials, and more, for drawing all of your Spaceships any day of the week!

    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 1
    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 2
    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 3
    • HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101
    • HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101
    • HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101
    Product on sale
    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 1HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 2HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101 - Image 3

    HOW TO DRAW STARSHIPS 101

    Original price was: $80.00.Current price is: $49.00.
    Category: ,

    Recently I discovered the #spaceshipaday Twitter thread started by artist and designer, Jeff Zugale. Jeff was drawing his ships the same way I’ve been drawing my own, pens and design markers in a 5.5″ x 8″ ring-bound sketchbook. Each sketch has a 45 minute time limit. His posts garnered so much attention they were featured on Kotaku.

    Drawing Spaceships

    I’ve been drawing spaceships like this my entire life. My notebooks and sketchbooks are full of them. It used to drive my teachers nuts whenever they’d grade my papers only to see them surrounding by little spaceships and science fiction scenes.

    Chris was always drawing little spaceships all over the place. ALWAYS. It’d be annoying if he wasn’t so damn good about it…
    – (Annoyed Co-Worker, name withheld)

    Drawing is one of the reasons I pursued a degree in Industrial Design, which amped up my ability to draw these scenes with better tools. To this day my notebooks appear to be written in an alien, heiroglyphic language composed of spacecraft and scenes. But I never really shared this with anyone, beyond a few close friends. With nothing to lose, I decided to jump on the #spaceshipaday bandwagon and join in the fun. Thank you, Jeff for starting a cool thread.

    My Spaceship-A-Day Process

    Like Jeff I’ve kept my sketches to a 45 minute time-limit, but I’ll admit some of mine have run to 60 minutes. Sometimes I draw in the rough shape with 2H pencil, then go over it with several fine-line ink pens (.03, .06, .01 sometimes). Next, a couple of shading passes with light gray design markers (20%-40%, sometimes 70% for darker details). If needed I’ve used a brush pen for more painterly ink tones.

    Photo Aug 04, 3 39 15 PM (1)

    I’ll begin posting my own here on my site, but you’re welcome to follow my Twitter account for active updates. And let me know in the comments if you’d like to see a video of the process.

    Taking passengers on voyages through the system
    It’s a skiff, with guns
    My mashup of classic Ron Cobb designs and possible sister class to the Firefly transports
    Commissioned by General Martok, this Bird of Prey has significant advantages over the previous models
    Multi-role transport and emergency rescue vehicle
    Some kind of orbital transport craft, multi-wing
    Winged, orbular space fighter
    Capable of refueling by skimming the atmosphere of the gas giants, this frigate maintains the peace in the outer system
    Ship repair and tug vessel
    My take on the old Galactica
    Just following a vibe on this one. Heavy Moebius influence
    After arriving at their destination star system, the passengers grafted the remains of their colony ship to a local asteroid. This provides them with sufficient raw materials and fuel to stage orbital landing and support.
    Interstellar transport with variable wing Alcubierre Drive fields
    Star Trek meets John Berkey

    Adding Color

    For some of my drawings, I’ve taken them into Procreate on my iPad so I can add some color. Again I try to keep this to a 60 minute time limit, as the goal is to have a colored sketch or mood board view of the spaceship. Later on I will take some selections and do a fully rendered final piece.

    I added the hints of a Jovian atmosphere, engine plumes, and shockwave
    Straight up color rendering
    With background. Procreate on an iPad
    An homage to production design art for ALIEN. Digital – Procreate on an iPad
    Almost like a cel animated feature
    A bit more technical, like a Ron Cobb drawing
    After arriving at their destination star system, the passengers grafted the remains of their colony ship to a local asteroid. This provides them with sufficient raw materials and fuel to stage orbital landing and support.

    This is also an exploration in tools, like in this case where I tried out a portable water-color set.

    Photo Aug 07, 5 17 16 PM

    My Spaceship in Lego

    Daniel Fortine, a fellow UX Designer and friend of mine, is very skilled in the brick arts. He really liked one of my drawings, and he’s gone ahead and started building it in LEGO:

    20052704743_b5a6f7bedc_k

    He is part of a group pool over at Flickr, with a lot of really great ship designs. Good luck Daniel!

    The End-Goal

    These drawings are part of a long-term strategy I’ve been following. For the last three years I’ve been practicing the necessary skills to be a professional artist, specializing in space, astronomy and science fiction art. Mostly it’s been an exploration of tools, media, and processes (including both digital and traditional methods). I’m also beginning to gain exposure as an artist, so I guess to some degree it’s just me sharing some cool spaceships with the world and saying “Hi, I can do this”. Granted if you’re the sort of person who needs a spaceship design, feel free to reach out.

    JOIN MY SPACE ART ACADEMY

    New classes for Space and Science Fiction Art!

    Learn More
  • Upcoming Appearance – Artist in Action, Bothell Washington

    Upcoming Appearance – Artist in Action, Bothell Washington

    This Friday, July 11th from 12:00 to 6:00pm I will be at the Country Village Farmer’s Market in Bothell, Washington as part of their Artist in Action series. I will be painting all day, next to Stephanie’s Dollhouse Baked Goods table. (more…)

  • Report From The Universe – A Springbok Puzzle I Once Owned

    Report From The Universe – A Springbok Puzzle I Once Owned

    I’m three years into my space art exploration, and I often find myself wondering where this fascination began in my past. It’s not an unusual stretch of imagination for those that know me personally, as I’ve always been a space and science fiction fan going back as far as I can remember. I came into this world just in time to witness the first moon landing. Space TV shows were all over the few channels any of us could access through the air. (more…)

  • MUSE Magazine Cover Art

    MUSE Magazine Cover Art

    Keep an eye out for the April 2014 issue of MUSE Magazine, which features articles about Space Elevators. My Space Elevator piece is to be featured on the front cover!

    Muse_April2014

    A Space Elevator is literally an enormous elevator from the ground on Earth to a fixed location in space. People and hardware are delivered to space with a train-like elevator car, eliminating the need for expensive and dangerous rockets. The idea goes back to famed Science Fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, and more recently Robert L. Forward who worked on building some of the first real investigations on such a technology before his death in 2002.

    We are decades away from building such a device, but the idea is being pursued in spite of the fact that no material known to science is strong enough to be used as a 600 mile cable from the ground to space. Yet.

    It’s possible that a space elevator will be built on our moon, which would be a far simpler engineering task. Time will tell, in the meantime I hope you enjoy my Space Elevator piece and be sure to check out MUSE magazine when it hits the shelves.

    Cheers!

    Space Elevator 2013-01-04 (02.13.20-229 PM)

  • Digital Sketches

    Digital Sketches

    While clearing off some space on my iPad, I found a bunch of sketches that I’ve never posted. When I sit down to paint, I always warm up with some sketches. Doesn’t matter if I’m working in a digital format or traditional media. The warm up helps me get into the groove.

    Sometimes these sketches take on a life of their own and become finished pieces. Other times I just lost interest or the idea didn’t quite gel the way I wanted. And some of these were merely an exercise to try out a style or trick. As I look back over the last year, I’ve probably spent too much time in the quick sketch stage but it’s helped me knock off the rough corners here and there.

    So here’s a gallery of quick studies to enjoy:

    Sketch Gallery

  • Featured on Amazing Stories Magazine

    Featured on Amazing Stories Magazine

    This week I was featured on the Amazing Stories website in a series that profiles Space Artists, members of the IAAA (International Association of Astronomical Artists). I’m honored and privileged to have been selected for this article alongside artists that I’ve looked up to over the years. If you get a chance, check it out:

    IAAA Gallery: Christopher Doll – Experience Designer

  • Camping Under Dark Skies

    Camping Under Dark Skies

    After responding to a tweet by the folks at Orion Telescopes, I was invited to contribute some thoughts on my experience camping with telescopes and astronomy. The article appeared last week on their site, take a look!

    Camping Under Dark Skies: What to Bring

    �

    (Photo above by Scott “seattleforge”�Thoms )

  • Open House – Thursday, June 6th at Trabant Coffee in Seattle

    Open House – Thursday, June 6th at Trabant Coffee in Seattle

    If you happen to be in the Seattle area next Thursday, June 6th, drop on in at Trabant Coffee on 2nd Avenue and James Street. I’ll be hosting an open house for my first gallery showing there. We’ll have wine, beer, snacks, and of course Trabant’s amazing coffee. My work will be on display at Trabant for the month of June.

    Trabant Coffee & Chai

    Trabant Coffee

    602 2nd Avenue
    Seattle, Washington

     

  • My First Artist Credit

    My First Artist Credit

    One of my pieces was used in an online Russian article about Asteroid Mining and Planetary Resources. This is my first credit as a space artist, and I’m thrilled to check off another “to-do” off the list.

    I began the year with the intention of bootstrapping my artwork into a business of its own. Using the best suggestions and plans I’ve accumulated over the years on how to start any business out of pocket and with the tools at my fingertips. As I said before, this is a marathon not a sprint. I have no illusions of becoming fabulously wealthy by painting space scenes. It’s simply something I enjoy and feel compelled to create. The only trick really is to just do it.

    By putting my foot to the floor I’ve managed to check off a few other milestones on the journey:

    In the meantime I am still an active User Experience Designer for software with a number of fascinating projects in progress.

     

  • My First Guest Artist Appearance – February 16, 2013

    My First Guest Artist Appearance – February 16, 2013

    I’ve landed my first gig as a Guest Artist at The Drunken Easel, the weekend of February 16, 2013. If you’re in the greater Seattle area, and want to paint your own space scene, sign up for the 4 hour session at their site. Aside from basking in my charms, lunch will be provided as part of the package (which also includes all the necessary supplies – paint, brushes, canvas, etc).

    We will be painting Jupiter, as seen from its moon, Europa. I’ve practiced this scene several times, adjusting it from an original tutorial by artist Michael Carroll from his book “Space Art”

  • My home studio, The Bunker

    My home studio, The Bunker

    “The Bunker” was my favorite suggestion as a name for my home studio, thanks to my pal “Crazy Joe” Nedjberger. It won out over some equally good suggestions like “The Dollhouse”, “Dollshop”, “BlackBirdCD’s Cave”, and so on.

    The room itself is the fourth bedroom of our split-level house in Bothell, Washington, and the largest bedroom in the house. It was partitioned by one of the previous owners in the originally unfinished downstairs. For years it’s been the home office, craft area, and model-building space all crammed into one. Having such a dedicated room is one of the luxuries our modest house offers, but as is the nature of such a space it was rarely comfortable to walk into, much less work-friendly than it needed to be for my new career as a Freelance UX Designer and artist. Let’s face it, the hobby room is the last to be sorted out and organized unless it’s used on a regular basis.

    Gone were the piles of half-started, in-progress spaceship models, paperwork and tangles of cables from long-forgotten computer hardware. That’s all out in the adjoining family room now, or in the refuse pile. That which is to be retained has been brought back in carefully, put in its appropriate place, as I re-configured the desks to be more efficient for my work.

    Digital on one side:

    TheBunker

    And my workbench for painting and model building on the other:

    EaseliPad

    The feature image of this post shows the shelves that I use to display finished models, awards, and books that I turn to regularly for the work that goes on here. It still needs a little love, but that’s for a later date. The photos only show 2/3 of the overall space, the rest is dedicated to my wife’s craft station, and a large closet. Four people can be seated at the central island where the easel is sitting. It’s a good sized room.

    Originally planned as a weekend project, the cleanup has extended into nearly ten days of careful re-organization using the existing furnishings. It will never look this clean again, but I’ve already noticed how the change has improved my own efficiency, and my own demeanor when I’m in the space.

    If there’s any lesson to be gained from this exercise, it’s gotta be one of the most basic – “clean your room”.