Inspiration

I just came across a reference to the blog of John Eaves, a longtime production illustrator for many of the Trek series and films (including the latest). It's a remarkable blog in which he posts daily concept sketches for starships he's designed for Trek properties over the years, along with the occasional surprise (left, from 1964) of what inspires him.

I've always found the work of concept artists and production illustrators very inspiring myself. I got my own start in illustration (not my primary career) in 1977 by carefully studying and copying pre-production illustrations such as those of Joe Johnston and Ralph McQuarrie for Star Wars, and the drawings of Franz Joseph for his Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual. My bookshelves are still loaded with The Art of __(insert your favorite blockbuster here)__ and names of futurists such as Syd Mead, Doug Chiang, John Berkey and Iain McCaig. In another life, I would have been one of them, but I'll have to be satisfied with deriving motivation from their works. The process of conceptualization and what didn't get used is often more fascinating than what ended up onscreen.

If you're ever searching for inspiration for that next starship encounter or some strange new worlds for your own game take a look at sites such as Eaves' Eavesdropping with Johnny and, another one of my favorites, the Concept Ships blog (warning, super image heavy) and let your imagination go.