My Tribute to Ian McQue

In this personal project, I brought one of Ian McQue's flying ship designs into 3D with his kind permission, handling the modeling, texturing, look development and rendering myself

I have admired Ian McQue's work for a long time, especially his weathered, patched-up ships floating above the clouds. This piece is a personal interpretation, an homage rooted in the spirit of his world but shaped by my own creative choices

The ship, marked "Northern Sky" on its hull, is built from layers of wooden planks and rusted metal panels, with a tall wheelhouse under a corrugated roof, chimney stacks, cables and keels hanging below the hull. Much of the challenge was in the surfaces: I textured the chipped paint, rust and worn wood in Substance 3D Painter so that the ship would feel used, repaired and still flying

I modeled everything in Maya, then handled look development and rendering before compositing the final image in Photoshop, placing the ship among the clouds of a bright blue sky

I am deeply grateful to Ian for allowing me to explore his universe through this 3D tribute

Software
| Maya | Substance 3D Painter | Photoshop |