Urban sketch – Okinawa, 2199

I loved Star Blazers growing up and then when I learned that it was the Space Battleship Yamato years later (I think in Star Blazers they call the Yamato the Argo) I was beyond excited that the Japanese were doing a live action version.

The 2010 Space Battleship Yamato was the perfect culmination of nostalgia and modern special effects. The music was spot on and it was a joy to see the battleship in full flight.

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The Human Torch was denied a bank loan.

The Human Torch being denied a bank loan.
Just practising my vocal warm-ups.

So I’ve got a new project coming up that I’m starting to get a bit excited about.  

We’re only hinting at it all right now but I think it’s going to be fun and a long time coming as we’ve talked about doing the project in the past (the “we” is Dan and myself, of Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club fame) but it appears this time it’s going to happen.

So stay tuned for more news on that front!

In other news I’ve opened up my Women of Trek Sketch Card set for pre-orders over on the shop so if you’ve been following along with that and are keen to lock your set in go check it out!

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Urban sketch – Isla Nublar

Isla Nublar

I’ve drawn this a few times now and it never gets old.  Such an iconic beauty, I’m so happy they preserved it for Jurassic World.

I’m really shocked that they haven’t released an official LEGO set for the gates, that’s kind of insane that they haven’t.

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Urban sketch – Central Park

Urban sketch - Central Park

I think it was the right idea to increase the height of spook central in the film, the building needed to stand out from the others.

I wonder if real estate agents disclose that a trans dimensional rip of biblical proportions happened there?

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Urban sketch – Devils Tower

Urban sketch of the Devils Tower

One of the places I’d like to visit when I actually get to visit the USA.  I know they downplay the significance of the geological feature’s appearance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a reason to visit but I’m sorry, that’s the reason for me.

Close Encounters was such a monumental film for me growing up, a masterpiece that I still love today and the unique look of Devils Tower is definitely a part of that.

So I’d love to do a proper sketch there live one of these days.  Obviously, it probably won’t be as busy as this 😉

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Urban sketch – New York City 2263

Urban sketch - New York City 2263

This is one of those sketches that never quite came together.  Generally because my perspective game is quite shaky (I’m working on it) but it’s also because the scene is so busy and I let the building merge together in a mess of stuff.

But that’s what I like about these, they’re allowed to be really fucked up and they help me identify holes that I want to address in my drawings.  I was super happy though with the Maccas sign.

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Urban sketch – Axis Chemicals Plant

Urban sketch of Axis Chemicals Plant

This is one I did which was really random, I can’t remember what sparked me wanting to draw it.  Something I did notice that I don’t think I had before, or if I did I had forgotten was the giant “smile” on the front part of the building.

That’s kind of neat.

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Urban sketch – African desert, around 3 million years B.C.

Urban sketch of an African desert, around 3 million years B.C.

They did find the remains of the monolith in one of the books so I possibly could have gotten an exact location, assuming that the monolith’s remains didn’t move too far through tectonic shift etc. 

The working theory on how an indestructible object was destroyed is that once it had served its purpose its makers shut it down which left it vulnerable to the elements.

It’s been nice sharing these, they’ve been sitting in my sketchbook for a while.

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Urban Sketch – Liberty Island, 3978

Urban sketch Liberty Island, 3978 - Planet of the Apes

Another page from my landscape sketch book featuring an “urban sketch” of Liberty Island.

It took me a bit of time researching what the date of this was, apparently this is the consensus though there is some conflicting dates.

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Urban sketch – The high plateau of Gol.

Urban sketch of the high plateau of Gol on Vulcan

When I’m feeling a little bit over everything and I’m struggling to focus on whatever illustration I’m supposed to be working on I like to “urban sketch” pop culture landmarks and stuff in my landscape sketchbook.

Obviously, it’s not pure urban sketching as it’s not done live but I try and go through the same process, so no pencil lines, lots of quick motion and colours.

It’s nice to produce something rough and organic even if the subject matter isn’t actually real but I always pick up on new details and I think it helps with my other illustrations.

I’ll post a few pages from sketch book over the next week.

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