Science fiction concept art of an abandoned city reclaimed by forest, towers overgrown with vines beneath a dim sky.

Guy Warley Imagines Our Cities Thousands of Years After We Are Gone

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Written by Flynn Matthews

2026-11-08

Picture an excavation crew, centuries from now, brushing dust off a machine the size of a cathedral. Guy Warley builds scenes like that in his science fiction concept art, and the questions they raise are the point.

Ruined skyline of tall towers rising above dense green vegetation and broken streets.

British illustrator and concept artist Guy Warley asks what our cities will look like long after we are gone. His large-scale science fiction landscapes answer with colossal buildings, abandoned industrial structures, ancient machinery, and societies that feel half-buried. Some read like finds from a distant archaeological dig. Others suggest alien civilizations sealed under layers of technology and plant growth.

Fans of Warley’s ruined futures may enjoy Vesarie’s gothic digital fantasy worlds for a similar mix of atmosphere and invented history.

Crumbling bridge spanning a wide river, with trees growing through its collapsed sections.

Warley plays with scale in his work. Small human figures stand at the base of towers that seem to pierce the sky. Futuristic cities fade into colored atmospheric haze, and overgrown ruins hint at histories no viewer will fully recover. His fine linework and deliberate palettes give each scene a clear identity.

The work draws on three traditions at once: mid-century science fiction book illustration, technical architectural drawing, and the concept art pipeline used in modern video games. Even when the machines are enormous and the structures menacing, the images carry a quiet sense of loss.

Empty city street where plants have pushed through cracked pavement and climbed the buildings.

Warley came to illustration from graphic design and branding. His interests in science fiction literature, historical architecture, and landscape painting pushed him toward detailed world-building in illustration. He now works as a concept designer at Lo-Fi Games, a studio based in Bristol, on the sequel *Kenshi 2*.

His science fiction art has also appeared in *Halo Encyclopedia* and *Lancer RPG*, on science fiction book covers, and on electronic music releases. Each commission places a different kind of viewer inside the same visual language.

Warley’s illustration work also overlaps with book art, and Building a Breathtaking Fantasy Novel Cover shows how a single image can set a story’s tone.

Science fiction concept art built on unanswered questions

Massive abandoned tower standing alone in a field, its upper floors open to the sky.
Overgrown rooftops of a deserted metropolis stretching toward a hazy horizon at dusk.
Glowing ruins of a futuristic structure half-buried in sand and surrounded by scrub plants.
Long avenue lined with decaying high-rises, their windows dark and facades cracked open.
Wild animals wandering through the streets of a city that people have long since left.
Collapsed skyscraper lying across a valley, with a river flowing beneath its broken frame.
Aerial view of a sprawling city slowly swallowed by forest, roads barely visible under trees.
Lone figure standing in a plaza among weathered statues and tall, ruined monuments.
Towers with broken glass walls catching the light of a low sun over quiet water.
Dense jungle growing over the foundations of a large, abandoned industrial complex.
Stone archways and columns of a vanished city rising from thick green undergrowth.
Coastal city where waves reach the lower floors of partly submerged office buildings.
Rusted transit rails curving through an empty station overrun with tall grass and saplings.
Snow-covered ruins of a city, with a few rooftops and spires poking above the drifts.
Vast desert landscape dotted with the remains of towers and walls worn down by wind.
Interior of a deserted library where roots and vines have broken through the ceiling.
Glass dome over a city district, cracked open and filled with trees and hanging plants.
Night scene of a city in ruins, with a few faint lights flickering among dark buildings.
Overgrown highway curving past abandoned vehicles and collapsed overpasses toward the hills.
Peaceful scene of birds and wildlife nesting in the upper levels of an empty city.
Science fiction concept art of an abandoned city reclaimed by forest, towers overgrown with vines beneath a dim sky.

Via designyoutrust.com

Frequently asked questions

What is Guy Warley known for in science fiction art?

Guy Warley is a British illustrator and concept artist known for large-scale science fiction landscapes. His scenes feature colossal buildings, abandoned industrial structures, ancient machinery, and societies that feel half-buried.

Where does Guy Warley currently work as a concept designer?

Warley works as a concept designer at Lo-Fi Games, a studio based in Bristol. He is working on the sequel Kenshi 2.

What artistic traditions influence Guy Warley’s science fiction concept art?

His work draws on three traditions: mid-century science fiction book illustration, technical architectural drawing, and the concept art pipeline used in modern video games.

What was Guy Warley’s career background before becoming an illustrator?

Warley came to illustration from graphic design and branding. His interests in science fiction literature, historical architecture, and landscape painting pushed him toward detailed world-building.

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