Trench Cats: Lost and Found

You know those creative itches you just have to scratch? That's how this Trench Cats illustration came about. It started life as a pencil sketch last year, which, in a moment of questionable tidiness, I've since thrown away! Needing a break between Chuffin' Billy episodes, I felt the urge to create something for myself.

While the original sketch had a certain atmosphere, going digital allowed me to really dive into the textures. It was a satisfying process, yet the initial image felt a little… flat. It needed a touch of reality about it.

Ai generated images using Google Gemini.

My first thought was a quick layout AI fix, but no matter how I prompted it, Gemini just wasn't capturing what I wanted (hurrah!?). So, I went back to basics and did a bit of research. A walk into town along The Black Ash Heap route, hugging The Calder, provided the perfect visual fuel. I collected photos of the wonky wooden steps, twisted trees, and the raw, desolate landscape.

The Black Ash Heap along The River Calder reference photos.

Back home , indulging in a bit of prop making and dressing up to get the reference pose right! This really helped in getting good reference for the hands holding a rifle. I looked at online ref for the soldiers uniform. 

Gnarly tree and soldier reference pose.

Armed with tangible inspiration, I could confidently begin the digital inking process. My initial colour thoughts revolved around muted greens and greys. But the beauty of digital work is the freedom to play, and when I stumbled upon a version with a complementary blue in the shadows, it was an image-changer. The depth and mood it added were undeniable.

Black and white inking and texturing.

Muted greens and greys.

Adding a blue layer into the shadows.

Coloured soldier and a bit of atmospheric perspective.

This piece is a personal exploration, but I can definitely see a future where, with a little tweak, it could integrate into the world of Chuffin' Billy, giving it a whole new life.

Having a Billy at your back is the only way to survive Trench Cats!

As a point of interest Trench Cats were a real thing, used as company, vermin control and gas detectors in the first World War.