Science Spotlight: Quanta Magazine 

Quanta Magazine's Art Director @natureintheory shares how the online publication uses #3D illustrations to tell stories and spark interest in math & science.

• Quanta on Sketchfab
• My personal Sketchfab

I found a bunch of my old sketches and thought it'd be interesting to show the "before & after" of how Quanta Magazine artworks transform from concept art to illustration.

(Trent Kaniuga's video is helpful if you're unclear about the difference: Illustration VS Concept.)

These thumbnails aren't pretty; their job is only to convey an idea quickly and clearly enough that editors can approve and artists can follow. I don't do these for every project I assign, but always for my own work. They're especially helpful when the subject is difficult/abstract/esoteric — as Quanta's often are!

Left: my sketch
Right: artist's illustration
Chronological order

Multiverse / Olena Shmahalo

Class Numbers / Olena Shmahalo

Anti-de Sitter Space / Mike Zeng (Zaoeyo)

Wormhole / Tomáš Müller

Quantum Computer / Josef Bsharah

Flame Front / David Szakaly (DVDP)

Wormhole with Cauchy Horizon / Maciej Rebisz

Bacterial Populations / Timothy Reynolds

Earth's Hidden Water / Olena Shmahalo

Wheeler's "Smoky Dragon of Quantum Physics" / Olena Shmahalo

DNA in a Nucleus / Chris Phillips (Crispe)

Quasar / Jessica Rossier

Dark Matter in Minerals / Olena Shmahalo

Embryonic Cell Fate / Darius (BakaArts)

Quantum Darwinism / Olena Shmahalo

Thank you to all of the artists who worked with me on these wonderful images.

If you'd like to learn more, comment & let me know!

Main:

• Art Portfolio
• Contact form
  For business inquiries: my ForenameSurname at gmail.
  Others, please use the form. No N-F-Ts, etc.
  To send portfolios for Quanta, use the link in the Quanta section below.
• OlenaShmahalo.com/operatingsystem
  Personal site. A visual story I built in 2009, inspired by our place in the cosmos.
• About

Follow my latest work:

• ArtStation
• Sketchfab: @NatureInTheory (interactive 3D models)
• Art instagram: @NatureInTheory
• Photo instagram: @TheOperatingSystem

Quanta Magazine:

• Art Direction for Quanta: Overview
  As Quanta's art director, I worked on nearly every feature story from fall of 2014 - 2021. My work included developing the publication's aesthetic, direction of illustration and photography, editing, concepting, graphic design, storyboarding, guiding creative staff, and more.
• Quanta Artwork
  My lede illustrations published on Quanta Magazine.
• Art Direction for Quanta: Pinterest board
  A wide selection of articles I worked on.
• Quanta Submission Form
  Interested in creating art for Quanta? Send portfolio submissions here.

Selected talks & interviews:

• Sketchfab Science Spotlight (text)
  Why & how I created real-time 3D models for Quanta.
• SVA Creators Feature (video, 2:40)
  A short video about my photography, artwork, & approach to social media
• Adjust Your Margins Interview (text)
  About my work; synthesizing art, design, science, and gardening
• SciViz 2019 Talk (video, ~20:00)
  "Galaxy Leggings, Truth Serum, & the Visibility Cloak"
  How I approach creating & directing scientific/editorial illustrations at Quanta Magazine

Photographic & botanical:

• Unsplash
  Free & Creative Commons selections from my photo archives (plants, landscapes, textures)
• DNA Analysis Reveals a Genus of Plants Hiding in Plain Sight
  In 2018 I wrote about the science behind Philodendron bipinnatifidum & related species' reclassification to genus Thaumatophyllum. Featuring photography by Haarkon.
• Bloom & Grow Radio Interview (Podcast, ~30 min)
  TheOperatingSystem: Plant Propagation 101 and Using Plants to Disconnect

Other:

• Linktr.ee/NatureInTheory
  Anything that isn't here