Concept
Based on a pencil sketch on graph paper, I ran this through a Photoshop Actions template I created (to remove the lines, increase the contrast and create symmetry). I used Procreate to paint the texture on my iPad.
Implementation
Modeling, material and rendering were done in Blender3D. I plan to use either Illustrator or Autodesk Graphic to clean up the lines, create some greebles and a normal map, and better define the technical aspects of the ship.
Experimentation
I was experimenting in Sverchok (a procedural content generation plugin for Blender3D) to develop a method for creating internal decks for a ship. I was fairly successful, but the process as I’ve worked it out so far is a bit tedious and not 100% satisfactory. I’ll be refining it in the future and perhaps creating some convincing cutaways with what I’ve learned.
Link to Sverchok: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Nodes/Sverchok