The Pearl Divers of Connell-B. Art for Analog Sci-Fi Magazine
The story about the hazardous work of miners on a remote asteroid. In a process reminiscent of pearl diving, workers descend from the station to extract valuable material before being pulled back to safety.
I developed the concept through several sketch explorations, focusing on the diver's loneliness in the surrounding environment.
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The illustration was created using my INK• brush set for Procreate — You can get the brushes in my profile store here.
Sci-Fi Ink Illustration — “The Pearl Divers of Connell-B”
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Сreated for the March/April 2026 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact (Vol. XCVI, No. 3 & 4) as a two-page interior spread illustration for the short story “The Pearl Divers of Connell-B” by Scott Steensma.
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The story follows the dangerous work of miners extracting a rare mineral from the surface of a remote asteroid surrounded by orbital settlements. The process resembles pearl diving: workers descend from the station in specialized suits in near-zero gravity, gather valuable material, and are then pulled back by a tether.
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I explored three sketch concepts for this piece and then completed it in Procreate using a minimal number of layers + my INK• brush set to maintain the process closer to traditional ink illustration.
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Tools:
Procreate
INK• Brush Set
Digital Pen & Ink Workflow