Morning Commute

As early-morning fog rolls into the city, a lone flyer in a rented kite soars to work on his daily commute. In my steampunk world, flying machines called “kites” can be rented for short periods of time like bicycles. (The RAK on the flag is an acronym for "Rent A Kite.")

This picture is a snapshot of a very mundane event taking place in my steampunk world: some guy headed to work. The man is nameless; he's one of many, just another workman employed on the docks or in the factories. He will never be on the front lines defending the city from invaders or out saving the world.

Yet the reason this scene is quilt-worthy is because of its banality. This man, and the countless others like him, will never be heroes, but it's because of them that the heroes can exist. He is part of the support network making the armaments and enabling trade, keeping the streets clean and the city running like clockwork. This man will never be flashy, but without him, there would be no city to defend and no world to save. He is important, too.

My complete creative process used to bring Morning Commute to life can be found here.

The happy accident that led to Morning Commute having an intentionally upside-down sky can be found here.