How a photo of an insect inspired this surprising retrofuturistic cityscape

Concept art showing a retrofuturistic urban scene with a hanging monotrail

(Image credit: Xie Xufeng)

We've seen lots of examples of how concept artists can find inspiration in the most unlikely of places. Sail Lin turns vegetables into weapons, and Max Froer combines insects with retro tech for his hybrid insect machine characters.

The Chinese concept artist and illustrator Xie Xufeng works for major studios in the gaming industry. His inspiration for the personal retrofuturistic scene above came from a photograph of a grasshopper.

“I tried to blend these two very different elements together when creating this piece,” he explains. “In the midst of the bustling city streets, a train with countless mechanical legs slowly crawls into the station, while people wait patiently on the platform”.

“This scene, I hope, adds a touch of whimsy and delight to the otherwise monotonous routine of daily commuting,” he adds.

01. Laying down the initial sketch

“I begin the artwork by outlining my ideas and composition of the unusual-looking commuter train pulling into a station in monochrome line art. This approach makes it possible for me to quickly visualise the desired shapes and design concepts without becoming distracted by other visual elements.

“Focusing solely on structural clarity at this stage helps to solidify the foundation before moving on to complex rendering.”

02. Value blocking

I add greyscale value layers to establish foreground/background relationships.

Each object is on a separate layer for organisational efficiency, creating a clear roadmap for colour application later on.

03. Applying colour

I start with flat base colours (local colours), initially avoiding complex colour mixing to maintain clean hue relationships.

Once this colour framework is established, I move on to refinement and detailing, ensuring colour harmony remains intact throughout the polishing process.

You can see more of Xie's work on his ArtStation profile.

For more inspiration, see our feature what is concept art?

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.

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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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