MEGAN KOSTER

ARTIST STATEMENTS

A Planet of Awesome Size

Digital Media illustration

3400x4400px

This piece was inspired by the similarities of my two favorite podcasts: “Welcome to Night Vale,” and, “The Penumbra,” and was created to be a crossover of the two universes.

It all began with a little doodle I did late at night. I was listening to one of the podcasts, which takes place in a futuristic civilization on Mars, and I thought about the recurring theme of a large planet being visible from the small desert town of the other podcast. So with that in mind, I created a drawing that connected these two elements together to create this image.

Some things I struggled with while creating this piece was the body angle of the person seen, and the domes that lay on the surface of Mars. Though I often draw human figures and characters, this one was particularly difficult because of the orientation of it. As for the planet, it is a spherical object, and placing other spherical objects upon it was a difficult task to accomplish, but in the end, I think that the overall result effectively conveys the story I tried to illustrate in this work.

Can’t be Erased

Digital Media illustration

“Can’t be Erased” is the work that I created in response to the unfortunate suicide of a student at our school. I wanted to use it as something that could be interpreted differently depending on the viewer’s background.

This piece is ultimately a work that raises suicide awareness. The whole idea was for every viewer to have a different approach on the picture. One may think of for it's face value intention, while others who may struggle with this issue may see it as a visualization of just how impactful a suicide can be. Overall, I hope that those who may be dealing with these issues will come to reconsider his or her actions. As for others, this image tells them that they are not alone during these trying times.  I hope to achieve a sense of contemplation within the viewer, as they look at this image for longer, hopefully it sheds new light and a sense of hope, or motivation in their lives.

As for the struggles of this particular project, it was emotionally tasking for me to complete. Luckily, it helped me greatly with recovering from grief.  Visually, on the other hand, I am more proficient in the creation of cartoon characters, so creating something semi-realistic and surreal was completely out of my comfort zone.

For Nate

Digital Media illustration

For Nate was a commission requested by my friend… you guessed it… Nate. He wanted me to recreate his character in a more detailed and developed style than his own.

It all started out during a video call that we had in the evening when he sent me a drawing that he had done, and he asked if I could redraw it for him in a concept art type of format. I gladly accepted, and this was the final result.

It was difficult however two create this character, due to how little I had to go off of in the reference. I solved this simply by staying in contact with my client and making sure that he was satisfied with my efforts.

Adam

Traditional pencil and Marker Illustration

8.5x11 in

This traditional drawing made with pencils and illustration markers is dedicated to the untimely death of a fellow member of the Chesterton Trojan Guard, and was donated to the family to which this young man belonged.

Though there was not much planning behind this, it was created minutes after the band had heard the news. To contain my emotions, and also provide comfort to others, I created a portrait of Adam.  I had also done a similar thing when we received the news on Amera, so I thought it was only right to pay my respects for Adam in the same way I did for the school’s most talented trumpet player.

Drawing this was a struggle, as I had to see the pencil strokes through a river of tears. It was also hard to give the picture to the family, as so many people wanted a copy of it. But I personally believe that it was the right thing to do in the long run, just as I believe that I should feature this piece in my exhibit so that the memory of this amazing mellophone player will never be forgotten.

Bijuu Mike

Digital Media illustration

Bijuu Mike is a content creator that uploads videos of gameplay of various games, using YouTube as his platform, and this is a portrait I created of him in pure appreciation for his work.

I had always wanted to draw a portrait of this YouTube creator, but didn’t know how to go about it. I wanted to capture an accurate likeness to my reference so that he could be easily recognized. I also wished to feature an iconic character from his channel, known as Scrub-Chan (seen on his shoulder)

It was difficult to create this picture, as the perspective altered the orientation of the pose. I had to take photo references of myself in the desired pose and go from there. Unfortunately, my camera angle wasn’t exactly ideal. All I had to work with was a timer on my phone while it balanced on my doorknob. Luckily, I was determined to complete this picture, and what you see before you is the final result of my perseverance.

The Visionaries

Digital Illustration Series

The visionaries are characters that I am currently working on for a future project. This particular image is made with color palettes that I thought best suited each character’s personality.

The characters and pallets used are as the following: The Maid, “Cherry Soda” (top left), Levi, “High Fashion,” (top right) Quentin, “Cool Sunsets,” (Middle left) Grandmother, “The Sweetest Chill,” (middle right), and Kyle “I’m Not Alone (Yet),” (bottom left). Moreover, the image on the bottom right is what's known as the Keen Eye, which is a symbol for the unity of all these characters.

The most particularly challenging part of this series was figuring out how to color something with unnatural colors, and still make it work. For example, the Cherry Soda palate was especially difficult because of how similar all of the colors were to each other. The other thing that was a struggle was the arrangement of all the images. In the end, however, I decided to put them in an order that most closely resembled standard color order.

Levi / Quentin

Digital Media illustration series

Levi and Quentin are characters I created and plan to use in a future project. Levi is 13 years old and has the power to mimic other people’s appearances, and Quentin can project his dreams into real life.  This particular image of him was drawn of a Wacom Cintiq Pro 13, and is meant for me to reference when I am drawing them.

Many character designers know this type of art as a “turnaround sheet,” where the artist draws the same character from different angles in order to be able to repeatedly draw a character consistently over an extended period of time. I also made sure to keep the designs fairly simple, as redrawing something with a complicated design would be very tasking.

Something that I found particularly difficult when creating these references models is keeping the hairstyle consistent from different angles. I wanted these characters to have distinct features that would allow viewers to easily recognize them from any angle. Moreover, one thing that required a lot of thought was the hair. From the front, it's fairly simple, when the character turns 30 degrees, an artist has to consider how the shape of the hairstyle changes in order for it to look natural, but also like the original design.

The Nextdoors

Digital Media illustration

This image is a concept I have for a future project that I plan to begin working on soon.  It shows three of the main characters: Quentin, Levi, and a woman known as The Maid.

The whole purpose of this image was to create a sense of relativity between the characters’ physical appearances. Quentin and Levi are the same height, and I wanted them to have something to compare their size to, which is where the Maid came in. I also included a grandfather clock mounted on the wall to give the whole scene an out of place vintage look, and also for scale.

The most challenging thing I came across while working on this image was creating contrast between the characters and the background. Up until now, I’ve mainly worked on concept art, which often does not include any type of background.

The Balance of a Desert

Acrylic paint on Circular Canvas

16x16”

This painting was created after I had what I thought was a spark of genius.  It is based off of the podcast “Welcome to Night Vale,” and features the logos for the two towns that reside in sleepy, strange, middle of nowhere.

The town of Night Vale borders it's sister town, Desert Bluffs, and neither one of the towns like each other. They are constantly at each other’s throats, and would do anything to get rid of the opposing town.  This painting demonstrates that rivalry, but in a way that makes sense to those who listen to the podcast. If one does not exist, the other becomes corrupt and overpowered. Thus, they balance each other out.

The only thing that was difficult about this painting was just painting it. I am a digital artist who creates cartoon-like illustrations. With that said, I do not paint that often, so making this work was definitely a challenge for me.