Mecanica vs. Aliens

Pin-up illustration of Mecanica protecting her unearthly village from what appears to be an invasion from outer space.

David Marshall
February 2023 illustration for a character page. India ink on bristol paper, image area 15 inches wide, with height options of 10 and 12 inches.

Inspired by 1990 photo "Keep Your Death Ray Off My Planet" by Peter Lindbergh with models Helena Christensen and Debbie Lee Carrington. I made a quick sketch in 2019, forgot about it for three years, then unwittingly recreated it in 2023. I tried emulating like Gilbert Hernandez texture and backgrounds to match the story's rural Mexican village feeling.

Preliminary

Pencilled by tracing the 2023 sketchbook drawing via lightbox to retain the initial excitement.

Helena Christensen in Keep Your Death Ray Off My Planet
2019 sketch
2023 sketch
2023 sketch enlarged to drawing size
tracing sketch to bristol paper
elaborating background on tracing paper

Inking

Inked mostly with a Rosemary & Co. synthetic sable brush.

inking phase one
inking phase two
inking phase three

David Marshall, who's from the school they tore down to build the old school.