Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Space Yacht miniature



This nametag miniature depicts what could be either a dual ship or a single larger ship, perhaps a private "yacht" with a small "tender" ship attached to it by cords. I was not going for practical use but just for interesting shape, color, and design possibilities. The large fins look like they will open like a fan, either for catching stellar radiation for power or perhaps as a wing in an atmospheric flight. In my early years as a science fiction illustrator I was often asked to justify a design feature in terms of technology: "what does THAT do?" or "what is that there for?" In the science fiction world, you can always find some reason for it being there. I didn't usually paint pictures of existing satellites or space equipment.

"Space Yacht" is watercolor on Fabriano paper, 3 1/2" x 2 1/4", February 1978.

1 comment:

Tristan Alexander said...

While the ship(s) seem to be in a different style than the background to me, I think it looks good. Very striking and interesting!