City of Taux for R Scott Taylor.

[Kolyana]

Very pretty indeed. I love the way you define the roads using negative space rather than drawing them in individually - that really helps minimise the visual clutter. The structure in the middle is a little mysterious, and without shading I needed to work a bit harder to figure out where the vertical heights were, but I think you did a fantastic job of it. You're line work is beautiful - I know all too well how hard it is to get a pen drawing to look that clean. Was this done pen on paper or with a tablet?

Thanks Torstan. It was 18"x14" paper (something in that area) - I haven't gone to tablets yet, and I think if I did it would be for coloring. I love the feel of pen on paper and the ability to just sit on my couch with a glass of wine too much.

The center area is the old 'playing field' - or rather playing fieldS - some filled in, some sill open (and sunk down). The center one was filled and two large structure built on top of it (this is all part of Scott's book and setting).

Your comments on negative space: Yes, exactly. I like drawing dirt road edges and farm tracks, but when it comes to closely clustered buildings I find that drawing in the road edges really creates something that is visually overwhelming. I like this approach - allow those roads to define themselves by the buildings eitherside of them, and the alleyways and minor-roads form completely organically as I draw in the buildings themselves. The bonus is that I am often drawn into the city itself and it completely opens up and tells me a story as I go.