This picture is my first ever use of my graphics tablet. I had sketched some concepts on paper for both apocalyptic scenes and fairies, but never really pulled them together until I started drawing this. It's all done in the GIMP, with the main character sketched in and gradually detailed using the tablet; the foreground material is inspired by a photograph that I found online and the background material is all developed from a couple of sketches that I scanned in. I probably have to thank Akira for giving me ideas for decaying buildings and broken landscapes. The expression on the character's face is entirely an accident of fortune, given that I've had little practice putting faces together, but I think it's turned out rather determined and a little unsure, which fits rather well with the idea of some recent turmoil off stage-right.

This is also the first image where I've composed a sketch on the computer with a sketch on paper. I was tempted to go for a dark and moody palette, but settled on a bright sky and sandy pastels to get to that sun-bleached, parched look.