As a Texan, clearly a large part of my heart has deep affection for the Wild West, but as an artist, I find my creativity most sparked and built up by the possibility and imagination of space. Whenever I feel like my creativity and inspiration is lower than usual, my first instinct is to go watch a sci-fi movie set in the stars (Star Wars, Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, you know, the usual). I’ve been wanting to find a way to kind of mend the two worlds, and I think I finally found that with this piece. 

Here’s the original concept and first sketch.

I decided in this one to go with a full-body space suit, with just a couple of western elements. 

Getting closer, but it still needs a few things. Decided to make the switch from smooth shading to grainy shade. 

Very close, really liking the way it looks. Decided the cowgirl needed some kind of “ranch” vehicle or steed, but decided it would be cruel to put a horse in space, so rocket cactus to the rescue! I realized here that the picture I had created was not exactly what I had originally imagined. I wanted something full of life, and this was just turning out dark, lonely, and kind of sad.

Ta-da! Here’s the finished product. Made some color changes, which I really like. The colors add more life and fun! Once I added more dimension to the background, it finally felt whole. 

 

Below is a video of my process.