The challenge with We Come in Peace was how to create a compelling scene full of action and tension without over-complicating the visuals. The chalkboard background with sticky note alien offers the perfect solution - giving me a way to create a vintage look appropriate to the subject matter, add context and visual appeal, all while keeping focus on the scene unfolding in the foreground.
For the chalk-covered surface feel, I drew on the painted surface with white oil pastels, then erased, much like you would do with a real chalkboard. The blue painter’s tape was created in the trompe l'oeil style, a visual illusion where a painted subject looks real - as if there is really a piece of tape stuck to the canvas.
From the 1930s, the Buck Rogers toy (hanging, on left) is the oldest space toy in my collection. The toy hanging on the right was given to me by an art show patron who saw my work and thought I’d like it. (For the full story, please see Take Me to Your Leader.)
Also note the building block launch pad with the countdown on the block faces and my “chalky” fingerprints all over the shelf. And I couldn’t resist including a bit of impish humor in the alien drawing - while one hand is raised in greeting, the other is providing a much different gesture!