A commission I completed for a recently published novel. The Erythraean Sea is based on the Red Sea as the novel takes place in a future where humanity's decedents now reside underwater. I used various bathymetric maps to determine shelf/abyss/mountain/island placements and ecological surveys to workout where to place seagrass forests. It was a bit of a surprise being offered a commission so soon but I learnt a lot and it definitely pushed me to consider the stylistic choices involved in ways I might not have otherwise.

I'd never attempted an underwater map before so it came with several interesting challenges and decisions. I also wanted to use a different 'coast' style to try and accentuate the surrounding land/islands and apparently at the time I thought 1000s of dots was a great idea! My consequential hand cramp begged to differ...

I'd love to hear ways others might have found to convey things like undersea/other odd environs and as always, any feedback is greatly appreciated

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All hand-drawn; started with a rough pencil plan before inking with fineliners; 130gsm A4 (~8"x11"); December 2020.