Heights

A gray, grimy city sprawls below the early morning mist as a silent figure steels herself for another day of work.

 I enjoy drawing locations that feel more messy and lived in, especially urban scenes that depict a level of chaos and activity. It’s very much inspired by the old Kowloon Walled City, which is one of a few real world places that you almost couldn’t believe really existed. In this piece, I wanted to capture the personality and atmosphere of such a place, rather than just the cold concrete and structure. The mid-rise buildings in high density rectangular blocks, the dirt and grime that appears everywhere, along with rising steam and smoke all blend into a light blur in the background. Blurring the extreme fore or background is a technique that I use sparingly, as it does reduce the level of deliberate detail. However, in this case I felt it rather brought out the key features of such a location. By blending away the noise and density of detail, it allows the viewer to understand the overall scene, but fill in the rest with their own imagination. The character’s design, of course, also needed to feel in place. I wanted her to look rough as well, but with a subtle sense of fashion that helps the character to remain appealing visually. I hope I was able to capture my intended impression in the drawing!