Rain and Neon

Here's a drawing I've worked off and on for the last few days. I always wanted to do a Ridley Scott 'Blade Runner', 'Black Rain' scene. I read in an interview with him where he said that 'Blade Runner" was essentially a cinematography exercise in rain, steam, and light. All the story stuff was secondary. Doing a drawing like this is like rudimentary CGI. In the big blockbuster movies the CG we see that looks so photoreal is comprised of hundreds to thousands of layers, three dimensional models, hair, lighting, texture, rain, smoke, etc. Each layer takes hours and hours of manpower. I don't think the average moviegoer knows how complex it all is, there's no magic button that creates those images. I'm not a big expert on the stuff and it freaks me out how long it takes and all the mathematics and programs but I don't think anyone can argue that the images in those films are beautiful. Of course most would also argue that story is sacrificed for image, but for every 'Phantom Menace' and 'Day After Tomorrow' is an 'Iron Man' or 'Lord of the Rings'.