The Supernova - initial design

For a personal project about a merry band of space pirates and their floating home. This is the first illustration of a spaceship I want to call The Supernova. It's actually still in progress, as finer decorations on the ship will have to be determined by story, which I have yet to flesh out completely.

At its core, though, the ship is something that needs to be fast, gaudy and most importantly convey the idea of a shelter or safe haven. I kept the silhouette of a classic sea ship to hit home the whole pirate thing, though it's really purely aesthetic - the pirates here are more travelling circus than plunderers. The idea of a dome housing a small and vibrant village is fun, though I want to somehow keep it from resembling too much like a bubble (something I'll have to work on).