Once thought the bane of fine literature, science fiction has slowly seeped into the collective consciousness of the world, thanks in part to the success movies and videogames in the genre has enjoyed. Stephanie Shimerdla is also doing her part to reflect this renaissance in her illustrative works, with an emphasis on feminine heroism.

She’s created portraits of two young ladies who are arguably the true heroes of their stories. Both scrappy survivor Newt from Aliens and Bioshock’s damsel in distress Elizabeth were the primary drivers of their collective narratives. Without either, there would be no action or adventure. Perhaps this is even why Ms. Shimerdla was drawn to them as subjects.

Even the relatively modern cyberpunk subgenre is proudly represented within Stephanie’s oeuvre. You may even find she has made the occasional break completely from science fiction into pure fantasy, but even this sidestep is somehow understandable as a logical extension of her interests. Whatever the theme, Stephanie’s visions are compelling, fantastical… and at least a little bit real.