This is a sketch for the CG Talk Challenge "Steampunk - Myths & Legends"

for more info on my thought process and such, you can visit the forum at [link]

if you're lazy (like me) here's a snippet of what i wrote:

The basic plot of the illustration (loosely based on The Odyssey), is that Odysseus and his men have been lost at sea for several years now. Rather than being sailors, I've instead made them into deep sea divers. And instead of coming across a cave on an island, they have instead discovered an underwater cave. Fresh air comes in from several holes to the surface or perhaps pipes, I'm not completely sure yet.

Instead of Polyphemus being a sheep herder, I've instead made him into a scavenger/hunter who lurks around on the ocean floor, collecting bits of sunken ships and cities, and feasting on whales and giant squid. Part of the idea for this more underwater vibe came from the mythology that Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon and a water nymph. It seems like a no brainer to make something with parents like that into a sea monster (WTF Homer!?).

The original cyclops were great black smiths (or in my version, inventors). The second generation (which Polyphemus falls under) have lost these talents, and instead live a much simpler life style. Because of this, I thought it would be interesting to give Polyphemus some sort of jealousy or residual memory of his more inventive ancestors. He's not skilled enough to create things from scratch, but he can build things using pre-existing parts. Not to mention that I've always been a huge fan of Assemblage art and take any chance I can get to work it into my illustrations

So in short, the basic vibe could be summed up as "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", meets "The Odyssey".