ever from SMS.
'What's wrong'?
    
>> Well, pre-pubescent children are black-haired, tho' since their heads are
>> covered, it hardly matters.
They're dark haired underneath. As ever, I'm trying to avoid this 
civilisation being another Anglo Saxon Future (Whilst, hopefully, 
keeping in mind the Nordic Mythic element).
>>  The vault or roof is uncertain - is this a village wound about one of the
>> support piers of the underground fields? (as in Imago)  If it's within the
>> Pyramid, then I'd imagine that the space would seem more oppressive or that
>> there'd be some "megastructural" detail beyond the habitation tiers (huge
>> cross-vaults or suchlike)... Tho' I suppose I wouldn't go with the
>>  implication in the original that the ceilings of the cities are universally
>> low and flat - there must be vertical elements around circulation nodes.
I take the point. The ceilings are too high. I'll think more Piranesi next 
time.  Ok?
  
>> I don't know if SMS knows of a fellow called Lebbeus Woods - an architect
>> who lives in New York, but the forms recall a little of his speculative
>> Centricity (Woods is a "paper architect" who never builds, but argues
>> through art).  I mention this as a matter of interest, that's all - W has
>> this timeless quality that seems superficially retro... But you can't place
>> the style, date or period and it has its own distinct integrity.
No. But it sounds like the right sort of thing. 'Superficially Retro' is 
what I'm after here.
  
>> All the usual SMS strengths are apparent - formal composition with lively
>> movement existing together harmoniously, characterisation, an economy of
>> line with a richness of detail, good depth in a "flat" medium/technique,
>> historical resonance (I think Vienna Secession, Edwardian book illustration
>> and so on) etc etc...
Wow! That's marvellous! Thanks!
  
>> I notice in some of the dwellings a Y-shaped motif that also appeared in
>> the clothing of seers for the Eater illustrations.  Nice consistency across
>> areas of design.
>> Brett Davidson.
More serendipitous than planned. I _have_ been trying to incorporate more 
of the Runic motifs into design and one of these is certainly a 'Y'
 shape. More specifically, I've been trying for some sort of Brutalist Art 
Deco dynamic. In the case of the city (Influenced by the tree) this has 
wandered to somewhere a bit Noveau. As the story says, there's a lot of 
cultural layers there, so I'm not keen for a 'one motif to rule them and
in the darkness bind them' look.
Great feedback.
From now on: Lower ceilings and more oppressive.
Time to dig out some old sketches then.
Then it's time to get back to a pic of the, more gloomy, central story.
I wonder if, perhaps, my pics have been  too 'cheerful'. That's the 'Kids' 
element.
Best:
SMS