Art & Inspiration letters from NIGHTEͶ (Nathan Guilhot)
This is not just a newsletter — it's my personal magazine documenting my creative journey.
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Hey Reader! :)
I hope you're having a fantastic week so far, as fall is slowly taking its place 🍁
Today I'm very excited to share with you my next illustration project; I've put a lot of heart into it already.
I also went on a posting spree this week and have a lot of miscellaneous things to share, as well as inspiration I gathered this week 🧡 So get yourself a warm drink and get into this week's issue!
But first! Yes, already it will soon be time to pick a new person for our monthly present.
Next week, like every first week of the month, I'm giving away one big print to one of you. I've recently received extra stock, so I should have most of my recent illustrations ready to ship :)
Thank you for following this newsletter, as always!
My most ambitious illustration yet
Okay, I know I love to use hyperbole sometimes, but here I’m pretty confident saying this: this next illustration I’m working on is my most detailed yet.
Here is a preview of the sketch!
Yes, just the sketch - to be fair, it’s a very detailed one compared to what I usually do. Let me tell you a bit about the process I went through to get this result!
Last week I shared an illustration based on a picture I took in Japan; and this time I wanted to do something from imagination instead!
Drawing from imagination actually often means drawing from many references and sources, and that’s the first thing I did:
I was first inspired by this picture of Annecy in France, which guided the composition quite strongly.
Building on this, I then created a moodboard using Obsidian’s Canvas feature. It’s rare that I organize my references this way, but this was a great way to figure out where I wanted to go!
As you can see, I decided to mix a lot of my inspirations into one: the European city, mixed with the buildings, details and style from Japan, and of course a sprinkle of Haussmanian architecture with antennas and renewable energy motifs. This is a big mix of everything that speaks to me, and as I continue building this city this is exactly the spirit I want to convey.
(Because yes, in case you don’t know, most of my illustrations and even the book I finished earlier this year are set in the same city/continuity! If you explore my gallery, see if you can find the connections between them)
I then made a quick thumbnail on paper. Notice the differences because I’ll point it out later!
Then back on the laptop and the tablet, I decided to dive into the details right away instead of blocking the composition with large strokes. It felt right in the moment, and I don’t regret doing it!
This is the very early sketch I did; quite a few things have changed since!
Despite the details, I still consider it a sketch because a lot of parts are unfinished - and most importantly the line thickness is not consistent, and that’s a core personal rule haha. But inking over this should be straightforward at least; I hope to show you good progress next week :)
Now, remember what I said about the paper sketch? If you compare it with the digital version, notice that I changed the wind turbine completely.
That’s because while drawing I realized: “Wait, horizontal wind turbines don’t make much sense in the middle of the city. It should be vertical instead.”
And indeed, I don’t know much about turbines but a few months ago I spotted a vertical one in town. And I think they look very neat!
But why am I pointing this out?
You see, this kind of reflection is something that I try to carry more and more in my art. To have an illustration that’s not only pretty but makes sense in its own universe.
That’s actually how I recognize AI images nowadays: they have become quite good at anatomy and technique, but the key thing they are still lacking is any thought put behind the image.
For example, you could have a very beautiful AI image of a kitchen that looks convincing, until you notice that paintings are hanging above the stove. Or a beautiful illustration of a train, until you notice that a wall is way too close to the track to not cause an accident.
So as a (human) artist, it seems right to care about those details even more. To put some extra thought behind the image.
I don’t really know if this will be noticeable for most people, but for the few that do and because I’m having a lot of fun, I think it’s worth it!
🐦
(On the other hand, I also realized that there is no reason a stack of rocks would be inside a canal haha, but I like them so they can stay)
My blog has never been more alive!
If you’d like, you have some extra reading this week!
As I stated last week, my goal is to expand my writing beyond the newsletter and it’s something that is now in motion. I have two new articles for you, both that I really needed to get off my chest:
Fun Internet Theory - A manifesto and an invitation to remind you that there is still a lot of cool things to do on the internet
My art will never meet my standards - A piece about how having high standards doesn’t mean beating yourself up, with specific techniques I use to still be proud of my art despite its flaws
Those posts are not meant to appeal to everyone, but to resonate with the right people that need it. There are a lot of blog posts that truly changed my life, so I think it’s a valuable way to share thoughts and ideas.
If you have an RSS reader, I also did some work this week to improve my own feed! So feel free to subscribe if you’re interested in reading more in the future.
So you like details uh?
I love drawing detailed illustrations; I think this week it’s especially apparent!
But I’m clearly not the most impressive at it; and that’s why this week I wanted to share the work of Anya Chalina that completely captured my attention.
I really love her surrealism mixed with the head-spinning amount of details and symbols, such a unique mix!
I encourage you to check her portfolio and have a closer look at all those details! It’s fascinating to see how her art evolved in the past few years to become what it is now :)
