Tower and Device

Ferbin and Holse approach the D'Neng-Oal Tower on caudeback.

The Machine

The final images for my third year final project, intended to book-end the main story of Matter by Iain M. Banks.

Wish me luck, I'll be handing this in tomorrow.

With thanks to Ellie, for being very patient while I waffle on about aliens and composition, and for helping with the strenuous task of tearing paper in two.

and also, of course, Iain M. Banks, for writing such good books with plenty of imaginative visual material in the first place.

Holse's Notebook

Xinthia

(Tensile Aeronathaur) an Airworlder; giant airships (smaller than dirigible behemothaurs); semi-adapted for high-pressure gaseous/liquid environments and space-capable. Now rare and generally Developmentally/Inherently/Pervasively Senile; see WorldGod, the

Nariscene

Sarl mentors; insectile MLI

Aultridia

upstart species that evolved from parasites living under carapaces of Xinthia; mat-like/pelliform (also “Squirmiform”, term of abuse); LLI

Morthanveld

Nariscene mentors; spiniform waterworlers, HLI

From the "Culture" final major project, for the appendix of Matter by Iain M. Banks.

Work not affiliated to Banks or his publisher.

Marain script with attribution to Daniel Solis danielsolisblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/free-font-marain-scr...

Oct

Oct/Inheritors

claim descent Involucra; control (most) travel within Towers of Sursamen and many other Shellworlds; octal Waterworlders; LLI

For my final project at uni. For the appendix of my fictional ‘Illustrated Edition’ of Matter, by Iain M. Banks. Here's some shite cameraphone pictures, taken today just after the books were finally printed and completed!

Not affiliated to Banks or his publisher.

Tsungarial Disk

"Three hundred million space factories of half a million tonnes or more each sounded like a lot, but, spread out around an entire gas giant from within a few hundred kilometres of Razhir’s cloud tops to over half a million kilometres distant from the planet, in a band forty thousand kilometres thick, it was amazing how empty the space around the planet could seem."

- Surface Detail, Iain M. Banks

The final back-cover image for the speculative book cover project, illustrating for the jackets of all of the main Culture novels.

Not affiliated to Iain Banks, or his publisher, Orbit.

Planet of the Dead

'. . . A sky like chipped ice, a wind to cut you to the body core. Too cold for snow, for most of the journey, but once for eleven days and nights it came, a blizzard over the field of ice we walked on, howling like an animal, with a bite like steel. The crystals of ice flowed like a single torrent over the hard and frozen land. You could not look into it or breath; even trying to stand was near impossible. We made a hole, shallow and cold, and lay in it until the skies cleared.'

- Consider Phlebas, Iain M. Banks

Back cover forConsider Phlebas, from the speculative book cover project. Again, not affiliated in any way to Banks or his publisher and purely a speculative university project.

Indentured Intalgiation

The speculative front cover for Iain M. Banks latest book, Surface Detail.

From the blurb:

"It begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters. Lededje Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit. Prepared to risk everything for her freedom, her release, when it comes, is at a price, and to put things right she will need the help of the Culture.

It begins in the realm of the Real. It begins with a murder. And it will not end until the Culture has gone to war with death itself."

Again, this is a speculative university project. This work is not associated to Iain Banks or his publisher.

The Staberinde

Front cover for Use of Weapons, one of the Culture novels by Iain M. Banks for my final projects, illustrating most of the Culture novels as speculative book covers.

Sleeper Service

Click for big

Culture "Plate" class General Systems Vehicle Sleeper Service (previously Quietly Confident)

For the spines of the speculative book cover project. A full set of the covers reveals the image of the ship.

Matter

Cover image for Matter, detailing Level Eight of the Shellworld Sursamen, and its supporting Towers.

For the ongoing speculative book cover project, working with Iain M. Banks' 'Culture' series of novels.

Pittance Store

A hollowed iron-nickel asteroid used as a store for Culture weaponry.

For the back cover of Excession, for the speculative book cover project, illustrating the covers for all 7 Culture novels.

O you who turn the wheel

I'm hoping this one is clear. Its supposed to represent the curved surface of a Culture 'Orbital' (think of the Rings from Halo), bathed in the light from a dying star.

Here it is as if you were looking at it on its side.

Its from the ongoing major project at uni illustrating the covers for the Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels.

Drones

The Drones, Chamlis Amalk-ney and Mawhrin-Skel, for the speculative back-cover of The Player of Games, a Culture novel by Iain M. Banks.

Excession

Final image for the front cover of Excession, for the "Culture" novel speculative book-cover project.

O you who turn the wheel and look to windward...

...Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.

The fleeing and unnamed Mind approaches Schar's World in hyperspace.

Mock-up for my project illustrating all 8 covers of Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels.

All the work is purely speculative and in no way affiliated with Iain Banks or Orbit.

The Culture Project

I'm illustrating all 9 Culture novels by Iain M. Banks as my Major Project

Just though I'd post 2 quick mock-ups, trying to pin down the style. If I can keep that up for 9 books it will own.

All the work is purely speculative and in no way affiliated with Iain Banks or Orbit.