Gatsby's Mansion is based off of the book The Great Gatsby, which is based in 1920's New York and supposedly based on Leyendecker's life. Cathleen McAllister, visual development artist, chose this book to visualize because it's a very bittersweet love story, and demonstrates the extravagance of the 1920's that eventually leads to the characters' downfall. Read on and enjoy!

Extravagance was a key word for me when designing Gatsby's mansion; I wanted his home to feel massive, opulent, and even a bit lonely. For this piece, I started with a rough black and white sketch for value and lighting, using basic shapes and minimal detail. I wanted to paint a moment that shows both Gatsby's loneliness, and the beauty and grandeur he's built for himself. Trying to recreate the sketch as closely as possible, I built a mock-up of the scene in 3D, and lit it with some basic materials and colors (done in Modo). This is a base for me to begin painting.

- Cathleen McAllister

Once I render the 3D, I have a lot of freedom to paint and amplify the colors. Generally, my 3D renders are much more muted and basic than what I want, so this is where it's important to know color and lighting! I worked for about 5 full days on this piece, and each day I revised it quite a bit. Some challenges I came across were painting all the books, knock-knacks, and shelves in the scene without it looking noisy.

- Cathleen McAllister

About Cathleen McAllister

Cathleen McAllister is currently studying visual development. She loves painting environments, designing architecture and interiors, and doing color and mood pieces. She's graduating from Otis College of Art and Design in May 2016, and after that, she will be starting at Reel FX Studios to work on animated films. You can find more of her works on Behance profile or website.