In 2020 I was invited by Paulo Pereira, a designer at the Planetário do Porto, to be one of the 13 illustrators producing a two-page graphic narrative about the second episode of the third season of the series Cosmos. It was presented in November 2020 as an exhibition, online, on Planetário’s website, and in-person in Ó Galeria.

The episode assigned to me was number two, about The Fleeting Grace of the Habitable Zone:
“There is no escape from change in the cosmos. There will come a time in the life of the Sun when Earth can no longer be a home for us. The story of our ancestors which faced a similar challenge and a long-term vision of our future on other worlds.”

After watching the episode a couple of times, taking notes, and drawing some ideas, I started to think about the possibilities but also the limits that come with a two-page story. What to take, what to say? I went back to the briefing and thought about what I was amazed and inspired by in the episode. I sketched a lot and after some battles with the pencil and the iPad, I come up with a narrative that I was happy to draw. I inked it with brush and ink on paper and, after some treatment, I felt it was strong enough with just the black and white.

The exhibition is still online on Planetário’s website and the illustrations are on my website, if you want to see a bigger version. It was a blast to work on this, and when I went to deliver the print, I was able to visit the building which is quite fun and interesting.