Artist Travis Smith is a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy, and inspired by the recent news that there will be a television show, he went and illustrated several scenes from the first novel, Red Mars.
Here’s how the images came about:
Last year when news first broke that Spike TV was considering adapting Red Mars I created these illustrations based on scenes from the book. These images had been in my mind for a long time but the announcement gave me a final push to get something out there. I am planning more illustrations in the future, covering Red Mars and other books in the trilogy.
Boone arriving in Burroughs - From ‘Falling into History’, John Boone visits Burroughs in order to meet UN bureaucrat Helmut Bronski. He is wearing a garment mentioned in the books (not specifically worn by Boone, but implied), a jacket made from a reflective copper-foil looking material that affords some radiation protection.
Nadia in Underhill - The early days of construction in ‘The Crucible’. Here Nadia is listening to Louis Armstrong amidst the chaos of construction. Her character is reserved, so I imagined this movement as almost subconscious, her character is experiencing one of the happiest moments of her life.
Maya on the Ares - From the chapter, ‘The Voyage Out’, an emotional moment in the Ares’ bubble dome. Here for Maya is reflecting on her goal and everything that she has done to achieve it.
Chalmers on the Escarpment - Chalmers broods following the murder of his friend and rival Boone in the chapter ‘Guns Under the Table’. He has joined Zyek’s mining co-op, caught in a storm, he is on his own out on the Great Escarpment.
Image credits: Travis Smith