Tomb of the sphinxes

I made this illustration for a book cover. From the idea sketch to the final render and compositing. I was inspired by a real tomb recently discovered in greece which could be the Great Alexander family mausoleum.

The presence of the tank is related to the book story tellings and recalls (but it's not related to) the recent sad events about Isis destroying the archeological sites of Nimrud and Palmira. The sphinxes were digitally sculpted in Blender, and it was my favourite part. The detail image give merit to them.

Especially in the final dark version I was looking for a dramatic light. The black background emphatize the strong sunlight from the back, reflected by sand and stones from the bottom ground.

I really like archeology and I can't wait to work for digital restorations and cgi visualization, based on field research and studies. In this case the tomb element is quite faithful to the real discovers.