Evolution of the British Leviathan_Part 3

I think one of the most fascinating things to experience in art direction is how an illustration moves from a final approved sketch to the full-color illustration. Even when everyone has signed off on an illustration often either myself or the artist revisit some small aspect, tweaking just that little bit more to see if we can make it better.

Behold, the HML Leviathan!

If you compare the final color illustration with the final B&W art from my previous blog, you’ll notice those subtle changes. Some of the trim tank configurations were tweaked a little, the lower side guns were toned down some, while the smoke stacks were given a final tweak to create the definitive British smoke-stack look (remembering that each of the faction’s leviathans have a distinctive look).

Another element that you’ll notice is that the sky coloring is unique from the French Battleship. All of the first 4 ship Types of each faction (i.e. Battleship, Armoured Cruiser, Light Cruiser and Destroyer) mirror these two settings, so when you put all of the illustrations together it’s almost as though they’re flying in formation at the same time. Doubt we’ll be able to continue that as we move on into further ships, but it’s a subtle touch that I like, and it helps to make recognizing a given faction’s ships easier as a player gets used to the box set, setting and illustrations associated with the game.

See ya next duty shift!

Randall