Daily Illustrations

For today's daily illustration, some concept art/process for my current project Sea Dogs of Mars. 

Some of the most important characters in a given story are the ones that are only given a panel or two of time within; supporting characters, or extras give the story a sense of place and supply substance for the world the main characters live and adventure in. They may be in the background, but their design helps to define the rest of the environment. 

Problem: The main characters will be traveling the high seas of Mars, but what do martian ships look like? I want to maintain an aesthetic of used/futuristic while also conveying a spirit of swashbuckling adventure. So here is some of my process in trying to develop a design for the Jade Lotus, the simple but trusty scow that Adrianne and Gorkin adventure in.

The ships will have sails that capture wind for locomotion, but also collect solar energy to power the antiquated engines below deck.