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Every year, ArianeGroup selects artists to portray the company’s universe and its launchers. Jocelin Carmes kicks off this series
@Jocelin Carmes
In the past year, freelance illustrator and concept artist Jocelin Carmes has been a real hit on Instagram. While he uses light and proportion in a realistic way, the elements and colors that come into play are a product of his vivid imagination.
I submitted several proposals to ArianeGroup. They selected this one, which portrays a launch as seen by onlookers from the ground. My intention here was to convey the magical, aspirational aspect of space exploration as, for example, from a child’s perspective.
ArianeGroup represents Europe and its know-how with regard to worldwide advancements in space exploration. As I mentioned, my take on space is that it’s like a fantasy realm. I keep up to date with the latest news about French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and I watch a lot of documentaries and programs about the universe, black holes, that sort of thing. I find all that fascinating.
My projects always include an initial research phase. It ensures that the work I’m commissioned to do is more precise. So, I began by doing finding on ArianeGroup and its launchers.
The characters mostly help me to portray scale and proportion. I really like the sense of nostalgia that a lone character in an illustration emanates, such as the astrophotographer in this piece.
I visualize the scene, in particular when I’m doing research on the subject, prior to working on the illustration. I want people who look at my work to imagine themselves in the setting. A lot of my inspiration comes from the cinema, from photography, and from other artists.
Science fiction is very inspiring. Recently, I’ve also been strongly influenced by Thomas Pesquet! I absolutely love his Instagram feed; his photos from the International Space Station are amazing. They really set my imagination on fire!
Obviously, I would love to witness a live launch. And better yet, travel into space!
Check out Jocelin Carmes’ work in our shop’s exclusive collection:
and on Instagram, on Artstation, on Behance or on Twitter.