Sketching the Sunken City of R’lyeh: Art Inspired by Lovecraft

Hey all! This week in the sketchbook I’ve been trying to draw some “horrific” architecture. When I was flying back to New Mexico from Wyoming I was reading Lovecraft’s “The Call of the Cthulhu”. Not for the first time, but I was getting inspired with all the horrific imagery portrayed. Specifically the city of R’lyeh where the ancient ones dwell. Here is a synopsis of what the city is supposed to be like:

“In H.P. Lovecraft‘s fictional world, R’lyeh is a sunken city in the South Pacific, specifically near the Nemo point, where Cthulhu is entombed. It’s described as a city of ancient, non-Euclidean geometry, built from massive stone blocks with disorienting, impossible angles. The city’s architecture is vast and terrifying, with reliefs carved into the walls, and it’s designed to evoke both wonder and fear. “

It took me six iterations of sketching to get to a place where I finally thought it looked the slightest bit scary.

Below is the final version done. I think that would be pretty mind bending to find that in the middle of the ocean!

And for fun, here are some sketches of some Cthulhu-esque creatures from last week:

Hope you all are having a blast doing whatever it is you like doing! Till next time!