Building the World of Iron Providence
It feels like very creative project starts with a “what if.” For Iron Providence, mine was simple:
What if a group of kids stumbled on a buried robot from a forgotten war?
From that spark grew an illustrated adventure series that I’ve been quietly building between client work, late nights, and early mornings. It’s part children’s book, part graphic novel — a mix of story, sketch, and design that lets me flex every creative muscle I’ve got.
A Story About Curiosity and Courage
The story follows three kids — Ember the fox, Ollie the frog, and Sully the dog — who uncover an ancient robot named W72A buried deep in the woods outside their town. What starts as a summer mystery turns into a journey across forgotten cities, lost technologies, and questions about what it means to be alive.
It’s written for ages 10–13, the age where imagination meets independence. I wanted it to feel cinematic, like Gravity Falls or The Last Kids on Earth — full of humor, heart, and strange corners to explore.
Designing a World from the Ground Up
Because I’m both writing and illustrating, Iron Providence is a design exercise as much as a story. Each character has a model sheet, color palette, and visual logic behind them — from Ollie’s bright green and blue cap to the rusted metal textures of W72A. Even the logos and symbols for in-story corporations (like Brighton Technologies and Hawthorn Industries) are treated as real-world brand systems.
Building these details helps the world feel lived in. The goal is for readers to believe it exists just a few towns over — maybe hidden in their own backyard.
A Place for Process
As I continue writing and illustrating, I’m using this space to share concept art, sketches, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. It’s a work-in-progress journal — equal parts storytelling, design study, and creative therapy.
If you’re into character design, world-building, or the weird intersection of art and story, stick around. Iron Providence is still evolving, but that’s half the fun.
Model sheet concept for drone robot that harasses our heroes.