The latest personal project is a scene of London the traction city from Philip Reeve's book Mortal Engines.
This is such an enjoyable series that I was inspired to make my own vision of the city. There have been several different pictures by other artists, but I wanted to make a comprehensive version where you could really see each tier's architecture.
I concentrated on the overall feeling of the scene, how I felt about this giant beast of a city rumbling across the land, and the terror felt by the smaller cities it consumed.
Pinterest was a real help for research, and I could keep them online instead of downloading loads of images. Reference included old pics of London docks, the Barbican, enormous rock cutting saws, and oil rigs.
In addition I was keen to not fall into the trap of concept work having too much detail in the distance, so gave a veil of Turner-esque raincloud as a backdrop.
Stage 1- roughing out after the line drawing
Stage 2- adding grungy colours, especially the rust and decay on the metalwork and concrete.
Stage 3- the caterpillar tracks didn't look beefy enough to carry the city across mud and rock, so I added an extra row each side. Before it looked like it was on tip-toes.
Stage 4- working on the sky and smoke, and adding little airships.
The buildings took a lot of work, including deciding how much tiny detail to have.
Stage 5- Adding the town 'Salthook' as London's prey, and finishing the hi lights, backdrop and shadows.
The line layer- (for drawing fans).
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