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Volume 1708
Presents
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An Artist Journal "A Princess of Mars" Volume II By David Burton |
CONTENTS
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Part 6 ERB Artist Article A Princess of Mars Promo |
Part 5: An Artists Journal A Princess of Mars By David Burton
Martian Airships When I started designing the Martian airships, I went over every description that I could find, not only in A Princess of Mars, but in the other books as well. Like everything else, I wanted my airships to be realistic and functional.
As that they touch ground on rare occasion, I needed a bottom that would be flat, since they don't have landing gear. I designed the bottom so that the landing lights under the ship were in recesses protecting them from the ground. I wanted them to be able to handle like Mr. Burroughs says they do, so I streamlined them so that traveling at fast speeds wouldn't be a problem. I also had nearly everything enclosed, depending on the type of ship, thus protecting the crew and passengers.
I made several different styles and wanted them all to work. I have merchant airships, military airships, and so on. I had a problem with the one-man flyers as that they change at a point in the series and you no longer sit in a chair, you're laying flat on your stomach. I've designed them to look like the ones with the chair but more aerodynamic. However, the overall design had to work. I struggled with all kinds of designs and though I wanted them to look like a ship, I also wanted them to do everything that Mr. Burroughs had them doing. I based the interior designs on actual ships and came up with the outer design while playing with a model ship. I took out the middle of it and had my design.
Arming them wasn't easy. I had to go through several designs before I found a gun turret that I felt would work. I have to say that old movie serials like "Flash Gordon" were always on my mind while designing the airships and their weapons.
It always amazes me how the simplest things become so hard until you just look at them a different way.
Then I had to design the flags and medallions for all of those Martian cities.
. . . continued in Part 6
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Martian Airships 
 
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End
of Part 5
Part 6: An Artists Journal A Princess of Mars By David Burton
Martian Flags and Symbols
One of the things that I felt was very important was the insignias that everyone on Mars wears denoting where they're from. I started by designing a few and then felt that if I were going to do that, I should design what their rank is as well. From there, I went ahead in the series and noted some of the major cities. I felt that if an airship were to be shown, I should have a flag noting which city it was from. So I went from there. All six cities that I felt would be most important in the first three novels were designed. This was easy in that I went through a book featuring flags and national symbols. I felt that Greater Helium and Lesser Helium would have similar flags, so I designed them so that they would make one design if they were put together yet also would make good sister flags as that the deigns are opposite from one another.For the Tharks, I went further. I took what I had created, a series of symbols that denoted rank and created a small written language. The symbols read: "Thark". For the other nations, I based their symbols on what was in their flag, making it easy to note where they with the viewer in mind and felt that they would note a Korad when they saw either their flag or a symbol no matter what the rank. I then added color to them noting military position. Such as if they served in the Navy or Ground troops.
I had a lot of fun with this and felt at this point in designing the Mars series that everything was truly coming together. I felt that at this point, I had made it, what my friend Gary Gianni had told to make it. Mine. No one else, to my knowledge has ever taken everything to this level of detail for an illustrated book. I also felt that something greater was coming from this. I had what would best be called a "calling". I had this vision of what I wanted to do with this series. And that was to take it to a whole new level.
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Martian Flags and Symbols
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End
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