45 replies to this topic

[Zaptruder]

Hello all.

It's been a while since I last drew a mech, but after seeing some of shortpainter's work from his thread, I was inspired to start sketching up some of my own. Where better to start than the ever popular and ever lamentable unseens.

I'd like to make my way through the unseen list (or at least the ones from the 3025 TRO which are the ones I care about), so I'll use this thread to post my works here. I apologize in advance for the rough sketchy and generally unfinished looking nature of the work... I like to keep my concepts sketchily ambiguous so as to draw additional details from misinterpretations and misreading of lines. Also, I'm just not that great an artist.
My intention is to redesign the unseen in such a way that they could maybe appear in MWO, using my interpretation of the design language established by Flying Debris/Alex Iglesias in the overall shapes and forms of the mechs. I'm less concerned about making it pass muster with some legal jerks (after all, they're not going to actually be used as anything but fan art); but I do at least somewhat keep that in mind; I'm more concerned that the designs are immediately recognizable as the mechs that they're meant to be.

To that end, I try to keep the general relative proportions established by the original designs, while modifying the shapes and details to befit a more modern form. Secondary equipment such as the Warhammer's search light, some times hands (especially if its a hand holding a gun shaped weapon) is sometimes discarded; equipment might be moved around (I'll try not to).

I'll start with rough sketches of the redesigns, and then seek some community feedback and approval and iterate to a general level of satisfaction. After that, I'll move onto plan and elevation views of the mechs, and model up basic shapes of the mechs and sketch over them. I'll pretty much leave it there; I don't have the skill or patience to actually model the mechs in fine detail. Once that's done, I'll move onto the next mech or two and proceed until I get bored, the community gets bored, or I run out of unseen to redesign.

Warhammer: As you can see, I've moved the location of the cockpit from beneath the hunch in the head to the hunch itself, as well as deleted the search light. It changes up the feeling of the Warhammer quite a bit, but it retains a very recognizable silhouette and overall geometry.

Marauder: I used FD's version of the Catapult as a reference for the proportions of the Marauder... It is a little ambiguous, but otherwise I think it works quite well. I don't think anyone can mistake this for anything but a Marauder - even though it's a much chunkier looking mech than the finely proportioned lines of the original. Its cockpit is located in the forward section, under the cowl, as in the original Marauder (but not the Zentradi Battlepod); the various lines above it are just panel lines to break up the surface of the upper center torso.




Here are the originals just for reference - are they different enough that we'd be able to resee them with designs like this?



3/Jan/13
Battlemaster BLR-1G



Quite happy with the result. A tad sporty looking, might tweak the feet. But this one was done relatively quickly. It's different enough from the original version that you wouldn't call it the same mech - but it is still recognizably a Battlemaster. And it's got weapons in the right places as well.

And original for reference


4/Jan/13
Locust LCT-1V



It's probably wouldn't pass the MWO gameplay requirements muster given the lack of torso twist.

But the way I've designed it - the center ML and arms can rotate on the horizontal and vertical axis; meaning you can actually track weapons fire beyond just where you're heading.

Give it an increased turning speed, and the mech could be quite viable in game, albeit a little different to play with.

Original for reference:


5/Jan/13

Stinger STG-3R



I started working on the Macross series of unseens starting with the Stinger. I'm quite happy with the way it's turned out. As always, the intention is for you to recognize it as whatever unseen mech it's meant to be instantly... but no one part is supposed to look like the original... and the overall design continues the theme that I've established; of mechnically visible internals (at the joints) with armored fairings bolted on top.

Note: Neck is fixed - the cockpit visor is around the head/upperbody level, while the lower torso and legs of the pilot sits recessed in the neck. This is done because I have a scale sheet that I've been updating with each new drawing; and you simply can't cram a human in just the 'head' portion of this mech alone. That's ok though - none of the other mechs I've drawn so far have moving heads! Not even the Atlas has a mobile head.

I've taken the liberty of painting this one in Marik Militia colours - similar to the Stinger that appears in the old Camo Specs booklet.

Original For reference:


Phoenix Hawk:


Reference:


Shadow Hawk:

Reference:

Thanks for looking all.

Edited by Zaptruder, 13 January 2013 - 04:55 AM.

[Monky]

The warhammer redesign is good, but the Marauder is beast mode. Nice job. Would like to see more angles/more refined sketches!

If anything I think the warhammer needs the left side search light/radar thing (it doesn't have to stick out to the side or be obnoxiously large like the normal design of course).

I'd also like to see your take on the battlemaster.

Edited by Monky, 31 December 2012 - 04:02 PM.

[Adridos]

Nice to see you've been inspired to create such great art.

As far as reseeing goes, the first Warhammer would be just booed out by the Btech community and the Marauder would not even get the premision from Harmony Gold. Don't worry, it's not the problem of art, just a tradition amongst them.

Also, have you seen other Marauders from around here? Like these:
http://i290.photobuc...hes7/MAD-3R.jpg - By Bishop Steiner, he also makes remakes like Shortpainter around here, just with a more anime-ish feel to them.
http://memberfiles.f...gbiuOconnor.png - By Shimmering Sword. Check out his Deviantart, he's made quite a lot of great remakes, altough this is my personal favorite.

[Zaptruder]

Adridos, on 31 December 2012 - 04:25 PM, said:

Nice to see you've been inspired to create such great art.

As far as reseeing goes, the first Warhammer would be just booed out by the Btech community and the Marauder would not even get the premision from Harmony Gold. Don't worry, it's not the problem of art, just a tradition amongst them.

Also, have you seen other Marauders from around here? Like these:
http://i290.photobuc...hes7/MAD-3R.jpg - By Bishop Steiner, he also makes remakes like Shortpainter around here, just with a more anime-ish feel to them.
http://memberfiles.f...gbiuOconnor.png - By Shimmering Sword. Check out his Deviantart, he's made quite a lot of great remakes, altough this is my personal favorite.

Hmm yeah, I've had a look at his work. Reminds me off oldschool Battletech line and ink illustrations.

Monky, on 31 December 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

The warhammer redesign is good, but the Marauder is beast mode. Nice job. Would like to see more angles/more refined sketches!

If anything I think the warhammer needs the left side search light/radar thing (it doesn't have to stick out to the side or be obnoxiously large like the normal design of course).

I'd also like to see your take on the battlemaster.

Sure, I'll attempt the battlemaster next after these two are done. Also, I've cleaned up the lines a little, defining the shapes better and added the toes back to the Warhammer.

Here they are in scale next to a Timberwolf, which gives you a reference for the relative size of the mechs and how the mechs compare in my style of artwork.

[DerMaulwurf]

Love the Marauder. Unlike the original, your version even has a sensible size relation between torso and legs. My favorite version on this board so far.

It's also nice to see an attempt to conserve the shape of the head on the Warhammer.

[Zaptruder]

Thanks for the kind words DerMaulwurf.

I've gone ahead and cleaned up the line work on the drawing, making the faceting and details more definite than before. I'm happy with the results - but there's still a fair bit of work to do. The design details emerges through iteration and uncertainty; as a result, the parts that you can't see... probably haven't been thought of yet!

Also, it's one thing to draw a one off; but the trick is to nail down the proportions so that it can be done in 3D from multiple angles in a consistent manner. So next up, I'll be doing elevations/plans of the mechs their torsos and limbs.

Edited by Zaptruder, 01 January 2013 - 10:07 AM.

[Zaptruder]

Monky, on 31 December 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

I'd also like to see your take on the battlemaster.

Request fufillment!

Battlemaster BLR-1G

Quite happy with the result. A tad sporty looking, might tweak the feet. But this one was done relatively quickly. It's different enough from the original version that you wouldn't call it the same mech - but it is still recognizably a Battlemaster. And it's got weapons in the right places as well.
Still open to modifying the design through feedback!

[Bishop Steiner]

I like it.

I agree with you on the feet, (of course, the feet on a lot of the MWO redesigns are kinda "Off" looking to me, too), they do look a little pedestrian, maybe like loafers? Only other "knock" is I think it needs more of a jutting canopy, be it a bubble, or more angular like an Apache Longbow, to capture the "feel" of a BLR-1G.

Nicely done regardless though. (I'm still mucking my way through multiple prototypes on the BLR myself, always finding this or that that needs fine tuning)

[Monky]

That battlemaster.... is amazing.

I have always been of the line of thought that cockpits where too big on the Unseen (which of course has to do with the source art), and would like to see the head re-worked to hang on to the shape but have a smaller actual glass area (similar to how an atlas has a big 'head' but only a small portion of that is the actual cockpit). That said, your designs are excellent, and you take criticism well and with imagination (that warhammer rework makes it really feel like a warhammer to me). The Marauder of course, still top notch. Now, for a challenge... make the locust look like it could be an actual mech

[CutterWolf]

Zaptruder, on 03 January 2013 - 01:41 AM, said:

Request fufillment!

Battlemaster BLR-1G

Quite happy with the result. A tad sporty looking, might tweak the feet. But this one was done relatively quickly. It's different enough from the original version that you wouldn't call it the same mech - but it is still recognizably a Battlemaster. And it's got weapons in the right places as well.
Still open to modifying the design through feedback!

For the cockpit, try looking at the "Super Cobra" or "AH1" Helo's for some good idea's

[Zaptruder]

Monky, on 03 January 2013 - 12:45 PM, said:

That battlemaster.... is amazing.

I have always been of the line of thought that cockpits where too big on the Unseen (which of course has to do with the source art), and would like to see the head re-worked to hang on to the shape but have a smaller actual glass area (similar to how an atlas has a big 'head' but only a small portion of that is the actual cockpit). That said, your designs are excellent, and you take criticism well and with imagination (that warhammer rework makes it really feel like a warhammer to me). The Marauder of course, still top notch. Now, for a challenge... make the locust look like it could be an actual mech

Haha... glad you asked for the Locust. It's the only other one I've drawn up (before you asked for it).



It's probably wouldn't pass the MWO gameplay requirements muster given the lack of torso twist.

But the way I've designed it - the center ML and arms can rotate on the horizontal and vertical axis; meaning you can actually track weapons fire beyond just where you're heading.

Give it an increased turning speed, and the mech could be quite viable in game, albeit a little different to play with.

CutterWolf, on 03 January 2013 - 03:53 PM, said:

For the cockpit, try looking at the "Super Cobra" or "AH1" Helo's for some good idea's

As for the cockpit... I actually did start off with a smaller cockpit that was more angular. But I kept thinking to myself while drawing the other details: "Why does this remind me of a zeus and or griffin?"

So I redrew the cockpit a little larger and curvier: bam - it started to resemble a Battlemaster.

Also:



You can see that it's not that much larger than the famed Mad Cat cockpit - something I wouldn't change in a million years.

The way I see it - the whole glass canopy doesn't necessarily have to be the whole cockpit - you could have the glass (or armor like see through material) backed up against a solid frame for parts of it - such that the cockpit is actually smaller than the bubble; true in any over large canopies.

And the best part is for the command unit version with the extra seat, you don't have to resize the canopy to accomodate. It's already large enough to accomodate both

Edited by Zaptruder, 03 January 2013 - 07:50 PM.

[Zypher]

The Battle Master looks good but I think you have strayed too far away from the original concept, more so from the waist down. The original work makes it look like it is wearing combat boots, as much as a mech could be. I guess the trick would be create the legs in the same style but up the angles and detail so it doesn't look so blah as it does in the original artwork.

[Zaptruder]

Zypher, on 04 January 2013 - 07:38 AM, said:

The Battle Master looks good but I think you have strayed too far away from the original concept, more so from the waist down. The original work makes it look like it is wearing combat boots, as much as a mech could be. I guess the trick would be create the legs in the same style but up the angles and detail so it doesn't look so blah as it does in the original artwork.

Hmmm. Thanks for the feedback. I took a look at the original artwork again, and the biggest 'stray' area is probably the feet. So I took the liberty of redrawing the feet, and I think it's improved the overall design, making it... well, less sporty looking and more like the battlemaster.

I've explicitly swapped out the armor skirt with the thigh armor that runs past up to the hips in order to differentiate the design - but I'm also quite proud of that bit; it retains the overall form of the original, while creating an element that is relatively rarely seen in mechs.

Here's the new one:




Also, I started working on the Macross series of unseens starting with the Stinger. I'm quite happy with the way it's turned out. As always, the intention is for you to recognize it as whatever unseen mech it's meant to be instantly... but no one part is supposed to look like the original... and the overall design continues the theme that I've established; of mechnically visible internals (at the joints) with armored fairings bolted on top.

Note: Neck is fixed - the cockpit visor is around the head/upperbody level, while the lower torso and legs of the pilot sits recessed in the neck. This is done because I have a scale sheet that I've been updating with each new drawing; and you simply can't cram a human in just the 'head' portion of this mech alone. That's ok though - none of the other mechs I've drawn so far have moving heads! Not even the Atlas has a mobile head.

I've taken the liberty of painting this one in Marik Militia colours - similar to the Stinger that appears in the old Camo Specs booklet.

[DerMaulwurf]

Nice mech and the mech pistol is a nice throwback to the old times. I'm only missing a more insect-like head.

And since you've started taking requests, how about a Phoenix/Shadow Hawk?

[Adridos]

DerMaulwurf, on 04 January 2013 - 12:43 PM, said:

And since you've started taking requests, how about a Phoenix/Shadow Hawk?

I'd also love a Shadow Hawk, but it's a really hard mech to get right. So hard, in fact, there exists no actually good version I'd vouch for. Both unseen and reseen designs leave something to be desired.

[Zaptruder]

DerMaulwurf, on 04 January 2013 - 12:43 PM, said:

Nice mech and the mech pistol is a nice throwback to the old times. I'm only missing a more insect-like head.

And since you've started taking requests, how about a Phoenix/Shadow Hawk?

Cheers. I'm holding off the more insect like head for the Wasp.. because that's the one that featured the insect like head.

Actually, I started drawing the wasp - but the proportions weren't quite right so I ended up deciding to turn it into the Phoenix Hawk instead. I figured I might as well given the request that was made.

Adridos, on 04 January 2013 - 01:24 PM, said:

I'd also love a Shadow Hawk, but it's a really hard mech to get right. So hard, in fact, there exists no actually good version I'd vouch for. Both unseen and reseen designs leave something to be desired.

I'll do the Shadow Hawk next. Not my favourite mech... but perhaps it'll be a more interesting challenge because of it.

Whatever the case, gonna have to take a bit of a break after the Shadow Hawk.


Here's the Phoenix Hawk in Lyran Guard colours. As always, comments, feedback are welcome. Cheers.

[Adridos]

Looks pretty nice and sticks rather well to the original. I'd go as far as to say this was what the Japanese originally had in mind when they drew that mech. A fine piece of work you did.

Also, I have to ask. Where is the 5th weapon barrel? There should be a ML + MG in both arms and then that LL. Or did you make a different variant?

[Zaptruder]

@Adridos: They're in a mount obscured under the right forearm. If you look closely - you'll notice that the elbow joints are rotating in different directions... the MG/ML mount is situated in the same place on both arms and are of the same design.

[Adridos]

Oh, ok. Thanks fo the explanation.

[Zaptruder]

Added decals for fun.