I hate cities.

In fairness, I like the idea of cities. There's some promise there. A gathering of minds, the existence of such a thing as a scene, robust public transport and most amenities within walking distance, the ability to stop for a coffee at one in the morning, like something out of an Edward Hopper painting. But then you hit the reality of it: Loud. Oppressively bright. Impersonal existence at phenomenal expense. An unnavigable sea of people, forever roiling in a tempest of ambition and emotion, leaving you surrounded by your fellow man yet unbearably alone like something out of an Edward Hopper painting.

Now add in the worst of turn-of-the-century corruption, demonic backbiting, and the threat of Phyrexian invasion and you've got New Capenna. Suddenly, that look of bitter melancholy starts to come into focus.

And to be clear, as far as a Magic: the Gathering expansion goes, I don't mind the set and I quite like the setting concept. Plus, the art direction absolutely nailed the delivery of the premise. But I know I'd hate it there, and by extension Syd would as well. The things we do to get that Titan of Industry for our Commander deck...

As for the picture itself, this was a fun challenge. Syd cleans up nicely, for one thing, and even adapting the overcoat to feature the traits of his more usual stylistic sensibilities was a fun exercise, as was trying to figure out how to give the cocktail the right level of vividness. But it goes without saying that the biggest step out of my comfort zone was the cityscape outside the window, which is- naturally- one of the most important elements in selling the entire concept I'm trying to show here. At first I had no clue how on earth I was going to pull it off, but once I started experimenting with painting in building silhouettes things just started coming together. And by the time I was figuring out how to put the right level of shine on the gilding, I knew I was onto something. I'm uncommonly proud of my work with this one; it really did come out better than I could have hoped. It's a lovely picture.

But I still hate cities.

Oh, and before you ask: No, that's not a Halo-based cocktail in his hand. Syd's best friend is an injury-prone Albino; he knows better than to try and drink the angel juice.