I’ve been ramping up my research for The Bell Forging Cycle, Book IV and while browsing through my Pinterest boards, I kept coming across the work of Chinese illustrator Zhichao Cai also known as Trylea. Since I found his work inspiring, I figured it’d be worth it to take a moment and share some of my favorite pieces with you.

When it comes to mood boards, I tend to like grimy and dank cityscapes occasionally interrupted with bright splashes of neon. So my eye is always drawn to pieces that show clusters of humanity. Trylea’s work has that, but it also differs significantly. It’s mainly due to his use of color. Even his densely packed cities are awash with a vibrancy that captures a unique and frenetic energy—it makes his work stand out, and his pieces serve as a good reminder that even in concept art we don’t need everything to be grim.

I included a small gallery of some of my favorite work below.

Yun Yunzhi – Tiangong Qingyang (Detail)
City in the Clouds
Pine
Fireworks
Izumochi – Moonlight Panorama
Skyburst
Song of Void Mountain

You can check out much more of Trylea’s work on his Zcool page, that seems to be where he shares most of his work. He also posts high-resolution versions as well as some process shots. It’s worth spending some time on his page. You can also find him on Behance, and he has some work on Art Station. If you’re not a member of any of those sites, I encourage you to join and give Trylea a follow.

If you like Zhichao Cai’s work be sure to check out some other illustrators and concept artists I’ve shared in the past:

2 Comments

  1. I like how you, as writer, “read” his illustrations. I am an illustrator myself (not in Cai’s level though), and now learning to write and draw my own story so this is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Also, thanks for links to other artists as well. Cheers!

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