Daily Report: Designing a Starship Interior

Airstream interior

Matt reminded me tonight that when we were doing the webcomic of “Privateer Princess” I was being pretty miserable about designing starships, high-tech weapons, etc. That’s true, I was. Aren’t we always at least a little bit miserable when we feel we can’t translate the visions in our heads onto paper? I am, anyway. It’s also quite possible that I didn’t have enough visions in my head at the time, to translate. This is also quite possible. ;-)

But now, while illustrating my novel, I’m taking great care to think through the pictures to go with my words. Throughout the next two books (and maybe the next four) we’ll be seeing a lot of starship interiors. This time I’m quite inspired to make them look wonderful and magical.

Next up on my plate is the first illustration showing the interior of the hero’s ship. As I was doing some web research last night I got some wonderful design inspirations from refitted Airstream and Spartan trailers. There’s some wonderful stuff out there about them and, guess what? These trailers are tidy and cozy, perfect thought-modeling for the hero’s small starship. I just love it!

Anyway, here’s a few of my favorites, made into black and white pictures in order to see the pure design elements more clearly.

Makes me want to own one myself. *tee hee*

Retro Rocket Ships and The Future of Romance

Starship Sketches, 12/12/12

If you had asked me several years ago what sort of fiction I would like to write I would have said, “fantasy.” Or perhaps “urban fantasy.” The fact that I chose to place my romantic story in a science fiction tale did come as something as a surprise to me, I must admit.

However, having ventured into space, I realized I needed a conceptual model for my alien culture’s style. Would they be ultra-high tech? Would they be colorless and efficient? Superheroes like in “The Avengers?” Nah! Nothing like that for me!

Although this book is not Steampunk, as many of you know, I do lean in that direction. Ornamentation has all but disappeared in our world today and I feel this is a true crime. I decided to bring ornamentation back in a big way in my book(s).

There are primarily two alien cultures mentioned in the book. I have decided they dress in clothes reminiscent of our 18^th century with starships that look like something out of a Jules Verne fantasy. In the forthcoming novel (whose title Matt and I are still sparring over) you will see quite a bit of a small starship, the hero’s “gig.” Although I have described it in the book, I thought it might be good do some drawings to try to get the feel of the sorts of ships the Tazegans might use.

I’ve been taking a look at retro rocket ships for the past few days to see what I can use. Apparently, something happened in the late 1960’s (NASA’s space program perhaps?) that turned all the previously colorful “Buck Rodgers” type spaceships into either enormous battle ships in space (all gun metal grey) or hunks of junk (Millennium Falcon - style). Now please don’t get me wrong, I love the Millennium Falcon and I grew up with Space Battleship Yamato, but in my world…well that’s just not going to work. I much prefer something more romantic with bright colors and rounder lines. I mean, why not add a little bit of color to your space adventure? Tonight I was asking myself questions like "why can’t a starship have a figurehead?" and "why not add stained glass to the viewing ports?" So there you go. My thoughts on spaceships. Expect something pretty colorful in my version of science fiction. That’s all I’m saying.