GeminiFocus May 2014 | Page 26

Figure 11.
Visualizing objects
and distances of
great proportions
was necessary for this
artwork. It shows light
from a gamma-ray
burst passing through
interstellar gas in its
host galaxy (close-up
view, left), and also
through intergalactic
gas positioned between
the distant galaxy and
Earth (wide view, right).
Photographs of nebulae
and star-forming regions
were useful as references.
Credit: Gemini
Observatory/AURA;
artwork by Lynette Cook.
http://www.gemini.edu/
node/12046

or existing art will be ideal, and this is exactly
the point: I am illustrating something that
has neither been seen nor illustrated before.
And such fun it is to be a cosmic creator of
this sort!
In my darkest hours, when my computer behaves badly or I have a question that only
another artist can help with (say, how to get
correct lighting on a planet’s rings), there is a
way to get input even when zipping my lip.
The International Association of Astronomical Artists, of which I am a Fellow, is a group
of talented and experienced individuals who
love to paint space, both digitally and traditionally. With members in several countries,
usually someone is at the computer even
in the wee hours of the night and can be
queried for help. (For more information, see
www.iaaa.org.)

I have not yet mentioned the groundbreaking “magic formula” that I use to create my
astronomical art. Why? Because there isn’t
one. Nor have I provided a lengthy “nuts and
bolts” discourse about the media, computers, software, and RAM that I use because,
in the end, it doesn’t matter. There are multiple paths to the same goal, including paint
on paper, an old version of Photoshop, and
a high end 3D software package. Creating a
successful image takes basic (yet extensive)
knowledge of composition, lighting, and
color, plus masterful use of the tools chosen,
regardless of whether these tools are digital
or traditional.
As I conclude, my mind flashes on a key point
drilled into me as a science illustration student: that this career path is about artist/scientist collaborations in which each person
on the team lends his/her expertise to create
a new visual that informs and educates. This
summarizes what the Gemini Observatory
and I do together: we translate the scientific
data into realistic visuals that enable others
to experience the wonder of the universe
for themselves. What could be more magical
than this?

Lynette Cook has illustrated the cosmos since
the 1980s. An award-winning illustrator and
painter, Lynette’s art has appeared worldwide in
books, periodicals, documentaries, and online
articles. She also is a consultant for the NOVAS
program (NASA Opportunities in Visualization,
Art, and Science), which provides art/science
workshops to teens in the San Francisco Bay
Area. To see more of Lynette’s artwork, go to:
www.lynettecook.com

Figure 12.
The Transit of HD 209458, used in association
with Geoff Marcy’s press release in 1999, was
created with acrylic, colored pencil, and gouache
on illustration board. It generated an e-mail from
a distant viewer asking what amazing image
processing software I had used to get such a clear
photo. Credit: © Lynette Cook, all rights reserved.

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GeminiFocus

April 2014