I had the amazing opportunity to work with the kid’s science magazine Aquila! I illustrated several spreads for them but my favourite remains the Tardigrades.
Tardigrades, or water bears, are microscopic animals with long, chubby bodies and scrunched-up heads. While strangely cute, these tiny animals are almost indestructible and can even survive in outer space.
The challenge was to simplify the body diagram, making it visually clear and uncluttered. To illustrate survival in space, I thought about drawing a tardigrade floating in a spacesuit among stars and planets, but this idea has been interpreted many times already. Vintage scientific illustrations are often a source of reference and inspiration for me. I was inspired by "Tardigrades on moss" - plate from the book "Tardigrada" by Ernst Marcus, 1929. I ended up combining the idea of tardigrades floating in water and space surrounded by foliage and stars.
My drawing/ digital painting process in the video bellow: