I started the art for Lostronauts with the different enemies, specifically with “A Thing”. When I began, I wasn’t super practiced with ben day coloring, so I wanted to get some experience in on a “less important” set of drawings, in the same way a movie director shoots unimportant scenes first so actors can have time to get into the role. Though the spot illustrations are arguably less important, I felt it would be best to leave those for last, in case I needed to cut something. I tried to have the enemies either look like they came from some old sci-fi illustration, or like a cheaply made costume or puppet.
After the first sketches, it was recommended for the enemy art to contain two figures in each, to better communicate the variety of creatures and characters players may meet.
When I first tried integrating the images into the book itself, I realized that I needed a simple way to adjust the scale and composition of the pieces. After a series of experiments, I decided a simple lineless rectangle behind the figures would fit the aesthetic best, without requiring too much additional work.
