Sinspire - Locke Lamora

Sinspire, illustration I made for the special edition of the fantasy classic The Gentlemen Bastards sequence’s Book two: Red Seas Under Red Skies, written by Scott Lynch and edited by The Broken Binding in collaboration with Gollancz . The project includes 6 endpapers for the 3 books of the sequence.

This illustration is on Sinspire, the tallest structure built in the Golden Steps and the biggest and most luxurious gambling house in Tal Verrar. The tower itself is built in Elderglass, but the one of Tal Verrar: a black unbreakable glass which doesn’t shine during the Falselight hours.

The main idea was showing not just the building itself, but also the Golden Steps. According to the book description, the Golden Steps are a natural rock structure with 6 tiers with a progressive increment of the luxury in the buildings each level harbors. My main thought was creating a very dark and decadence place that could symbolize the kind of “world” this place is surrounded by. But then, I thought the place should have a claim for all those rich people who visit it (at least in the tallest levels). I immediately made my mental simil with Las Vegas, and its renaissance kitsch look was perfect for this Universe: it increases the level of victory and heaven-ish sensation clients should experiment while winning a game.

Also, I was very interested in the contrast between Sinspire and the Golden Steps. It’s quite difficult to reproduce the sensation of uniqueness of Tal Verrar glass (no shine, dark color..) but through this contrast with the other buildings and the landscape it’s quite easy to notice it and even a certain perturbing aura.