Brave New World

Last week I entered the House of Illustration/Folio Society's competition to illustrate Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I kind of presumed that I'd read the book at school but upon actually reading the novel I realised that we can only have read a chapter or two. It was a good excuse to finally read it, and I was surprised at how early it was written, 1932 if I remember rightly.

Below are my three illustrations and my idea for the cover design. I tried to incorporate an element of 'technical' drawing into each to get across the idea of a society that has become biologically and ideologically mechanised.

Chapter 1. The incubation room.
"The bulging flanks of row on receding row and tier above tier of bottles glinted with innumerable rubies..."

Chapter 2. Fanny and 'Pneumatic' Lenina in their changing room.
"'Perfect!' cried Fanny enthusiastically. She could never resist Lenina's charm for long. 'And what a perfectly sweet Malthusian belt!'"

Chapter 14. The Savage in hospital, at his mother's deathbed.
"The Savage violently started and, uncovering his face, looked round. Five khaki twins... were standing in a row, puggily goggling at him."

Idea for the cover.