The Dwarf Fortress Sketchbook

The first major project I undertook as DS Blake (though I didn't exactly know it at the time), was a collection of work inspired by the computer game Dwarf Fortress. I had just completed the first phase of my MA, and wanted to cleanse my artistic palate by doing something very different to the work I was doing at the time, that was more in keeping with the kind of work that lead me in to the world of art. I decided to give myself a fantasy illustration brief, to try and visualise a setting from scratch, using traditional media. When casting round for a subject, I wanted to choose something that did not already have a dominant visualistion; Dwarf Fortress, my favourite game, seemed a natural choice.