Dystopian Realms

The Adherents

2011-05-03T23:28:00.006+01:00

Human sacrifice was practised by many ancient cultures. People would be ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease a god or spirit. While not widely known, human sacrifices for religious reasons still exist today in a number of nations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice

Righteous Warrior

2011-05-01T23:23:00.002+01:00

The crusades were never referred to as such by their participants. The original crusaders were known by various terms, including fideles Sancti Petri (the faithful of Saint Peter) or milites Christi (knights of Christ). They saw themselves as undertaking an iter, a journey, or a peregrinatio, a pilgrimage, though pilgrims were usually forbidden from carrying arms.

Like pilgrims, each crusader swore a vow (a votus), to be fulfilled on successfully reaching Jerusalem, and they were granted a cloth cross (crux) to be sewn into their clothes. This "taking of the cross", the crux, eventually became associated with the entire journey; the word "crusade" (coming into English from the Medieval French croisade and Spanish cruzada) developed from this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusade

Dreaming Immortal

2011-04-19T22:31:00.002+01:00

I had envisioned a being not able to die and the agonies they must have suffered. They can only gain respite in their mind - dreaming that they are dead.

Figure in Suspension

2011-04-13T22:24:00.005+01:00

Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven. This is a theological idea that has ancient roots and is well-attested in early Christian literature, while the poetic conception of purgatory as a geographically situated place is largely the creation of medieval Christian piety and imagination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory

Snareville

2011-03-08T13:44:00.003Z

This image was commissioned for David M. Youngquist's soon to be released book "Snareville". This will be launched at The World Horror Convention 2011 in Austin, Texas.You can now order ebook editions on Amazon. Here is the blurb:

“We have a saying. “You’re either dead and chompin’ or alive and hidin’.” In Snareville, neither is an option. Lemme tell you big city folks a story…
You think you knew all about us small-town folk, didn’t you? Laughed at us bushwhackers, your poor country cousins out in the sticks.
That all changed when Z-Day came. That was when we realised that growing up in a small town gave us an advantage you folks didn’t have. Small towns are easier to defend – from the zombies, if not the other enemies…
Of course, our survival has a price. Hell, what doesn’t? The story I’m gonna tell you will shock you, may even terrify you. Yep, I’ve got two wives, I got more guns under my command than you can ever dream about. We got a whole new system of justice and morality that may jar with some of you liberal types – just ask the rapist who we sent packing…
But lemme tell you…in a world where folk we thought of as human can pimp out zombies as hookers, you know morality has taken a back seat.
This is my story. The story of a small town and how we prevailed. Against the zombies and a far worse enemy. The story of me and my Raiders: Pepper, Catfish, Tony, Jinks, Star…and Jen.
Read it. And then you’ll know why they call me Captain Death. Welcome to Snareville.”

The Caretakers

2011-02-10T13:35:00.005Z

This image was tailored to specification as a cover for Adrian Chamberlin's soon to be released book "The Caretakers". A book falling within the horror/thriller genre - it incorporates imagery of the Green Man. It is currently available for purchase on Amazon in ebook format. Here is the blurb:

As a Cambridge College celebrates a midwinter feast, four uninvited strangers uncover a devastating secret. A secret that must never be revealed…for the love of humanity.
Andy Hughes – a man with a dark past and an even darker future. His search for a missing student will lead him to a confrontation with an evil beyond human imagining…
Rob Benson – a van driver who discovers a dead wild boar in the back of his Transit. A boar that just won’t stay dead…
Jennifer Callaby – Andy’s estranged girlfriend, who discovers the shocking truth of The Caretakers – and the sacred task that they perform…
Jason Franklin – a prisoner who holds the key to the fates of them all, and may well be their only salvation – if he doesn’t destroy them first…
A disturbing thriller that questions the nature of evil and the price to be paid for the continued survival of the human race – a price that for some is too great to pay...

Wire-head

2011-01-03T13:16:00.002Z

I had in mind illustrating a modern variation of the face of the undead. Their face is wired so that they may not voice their agony of being reanimated. It was made relatively quickly in Adobe Photoshop.

Maintenance

2010-11-26T01:40:00.005Z

This was one of the first images I produced with ArtRage Studio 3. I was impressed by it's natural media emulation - particularly it's oil paint ability. It is also competitively priced compared to other image manipulation software. Highly recommended - especially to beginners and those on a tight budget.

The Grave Robber

2010-11-16T01:45:00.003Z

I was experimenting with the idea of epiphany in this image. I was particularly inspired by Bristol's "Arnos Vale Cemetery". The cemetery itself features ruinous graves enveloped in layers of undergrowth. A highly recommended site to visit.

Prison Escape

2010-11-15T01:19:00.002Z

With this image I had imagined an automated society with no segregation between residential and detention areas. Here we see an escaped prisoner being repelled by an automaton. I had envisioned these units moving freely about & maintaining the cityscape.

Tag Collector

2010-11-10T01:43:00.002Z

Here you can observe a post-battle unit collecting dog-tags of the dead on a rather rocky planet.

Bronze Knight

2010-09-16T08:55:00.003+01:00

The picture was influenced in part by Michael Moorcock's Runestaff saga - the first book describing Count Brass riding on horseback through a swampland.

The Adorned Angel

2010-09-12T01:39:00.003+01:00

I was heavily influenced by Elizabeth Knox's portrayal of angels in her book "The Vintner's Luck". These angels are portrayed stubborn, law abiding and harsh creatures with no sense of compassion.

The Experiment

2010-09-12T01:36:00.001+01:00

This image is about unseen human experimentation. At the time I was reading up about the history of Japanese human experimentation during WW2 which may have fueled some ideas.

The Navigator

2010-09-11T01:34:00.000+01:00

I had constructed this image with an ancient automaton in mind. This was an early experiment in dual lighting and proved to be successful in a few areas. I think the idea may have stemmed from an idea illustrated in Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman's first novel in the Death Gate cycle; "Dragon Wing".

Hell Knight

2010-09-10T08:54:00.001+01:00

Armour

2010-09-05T08:54:00.001+01:00

Spare Parts

2010-05-18T01:31:00.000+01:00

For this image I had imagined a person integrated into an organ replacement system - being constantly administered whilst in a coma until the time came when their organs would be harvested.

The Reanimated Giant

2010-04-03T13:20:00.001+01:00

This image is the result of my thing of what would happen if a necromancer were to reanimate a giant. As it is, the piece is unfinished - but I did learn a lot about light and shade before finally abandoning it.

The Invasion

2010-03-30T01:29:00.004+01:00

I had imagined an invasion featuring large bi-pedal robots with muli-pronged articulated arms slinking through the planet's icy vapor mist.

The Curious Demon

2010-03-30T01:26:00.002+01:00

The Waiting

2010-03-30T01:22:00.003+01:00

This image was made with the intention of exploring the ideas of consumerism, ephemeral generation and conciousness. Sort of like a scrap yard where each car is concious and is powerless to change their situation.

Storage Room

2010-03-30T01:16:00.002+01:00

Implosion

2010-03-30T01:07:00.002+01:00

This was an experiment made in Manga Studio - a tool often used to emulate pen and ink artwork.

2010-03-30T00:44:00.002+01:00

One of my first completed digital images. Produced entirely in Opencanvas - it has the most accurate transcription of stylus sensitivity I have seen in a graphics application.

A Feast In the Dark

2010-03-30T00:19:00.002+01:00

One of my first completed Photoshop images. It was primarily done to see what experimenting with different techniques and processes could produce.

Reach

2010-03-27T03:34:00.001Z

Headwound

2010-01-16T09:03:00.001Z

Patient Girl

2009-09-16T08:52:00.002+01:00