...So lets get building...

So work has been busy and I've been too knackered when I've get back home so the 3D version has taken a back seat for a while. Any how I've now started the base model. The first image is a quick outline image to show the components and adjust sizes for each piece before building. Once done I begin blocking out with simple blocks. Just following my outlines and begin to add bulk and weight to the mesh.

Crab Tank - Concept final

I've now added a few layers of shading a rough idea of where the lighting is falling from. I try at this point to try giving the tank more detail by separating various shapes of the tank.

I next start adding glints and high lights. I like mange style art and my style is more tailored towards that type of colouring.
I've now completed the concept up to the standard I need to create my 3D version. I could have spent more time totally cleaning and really nailing all the shading and colouring but I rather get cracking on the 3D mesh. Hope you like the final concept. Jas:)

Multi limbed tank - Cleaned up and ready for shading

So I've started to clean up my image using vectors to create the sharp lines and t adding weight to various ones. Going back and forth trying to find the right weight. I keep doing this for several hours... So finally after redrawing and adding more detail I have the base image. The added detail really makes the tank pop out. I like the details around the ball joints, they really add to feel of a real working machine. Once I'm kinda happy with the lines I add a base colour to start adding the shading.

One man tank - First Pass

So once I've got the general feel and shape of my tank I did a very quick mesh mock up in 3d to give a very loose feel of the proportions. The reason I do this is so not to constrain myself if I want to totally redesign something. So I have a very simple mesh to work from I do a number of print outs so that i can draw over them to get my basic outlines. Once that's done I start to weight certain lines on my first pass of fleshing out the tank...I'll find a proper name later. As you can see the armor plating and the gun arms are are the main focal point of this concept. The legs are still a little loose in design as well as the rear section.

New concepts 20/09/10

So here's the first of my new concept ideas. I wanted to create a one man tank and to have an organic look. It has to feel strong yet compact. I wanted it to have a high maneuverability and feel weighty so the armour had to feel right. I looked at the spider tanks from Ghost in the Shell which looked great but felt a bit weedy. I also looked at other multi leg tank concepts to try and get a good balance of heavy armour look with in a compact unit. I want this tank to be able to take a beating and still keep going. I like the idea of the robot co-pilot like R2-D2 in the Stars War movies so I've added a weapons gunner pod to the rear of the unit. The ball/wheels on the end of the legs have` feet` that extend to allow the unit to walk if needed. The main engine core has a powerful electro magnetic generator which allows the tank to walk/run/jump from buildings or any other structure that has a metal infrastructure.

It's been awhile but time to update.

So it's been a busy few months since I last updated my blog. Long story short it's been a good summer. Been drawing a lot and coming up with a load of concepts and ideas. Over the next few months I'll start adding some more to so you can see what crazy stuff I've been coming up with.

Concept: Battle Tank

As promised the start of my concept images. I will be creating this in 3D later this month... between work and England's World cup matches :) I've based this on a old idea I had several years ago. I remember seeing Ghost in the Shell and and the spider tanks used by the Major and the team at Section 9. I thought Shirows's design was cool but I wanted something that would be a better fit on a battlefield.

I wanted to use a medium heavy core like a armoured vehicle rather than a full battlefield tank, this would be too heavy to support on the independent suspension arms. I wanted quite a hench feel to the shape, low with large`shoulders`.

I wanted to create a modern feel with the armour with a mix of hard straight edge and round shapes on the main arm housings. One thing I like is Mecha. So try and get some of this styling into my work. With this design I wanted the the pilot and gunner (this unit only needs 2 crew) to be connected with unit. They use a VR Headset and immersion body suit.

The gunner sits in 360 rotary seat and has controls the top unit. The pilot occupy the forward section. The pilot leans in over the front section and controls the unit in a semi-prone position. The wheels were a change from my original as each arm had one wheel. this looked fine but I wanted to create a real world unit so it made better sense to use two on each, plus it make the unit feel like a proper all terrain vehicle.

Hello, it's been awhile.

Since I last posted a few things have happened. Work has become dodgy as people are getting laid off so I've been working like mad to finish my project... so not a lot of time to do anything else.

But i have been hitting the drawing pad. After looking at various sites and portfolios of several artists, I've decide to knuckle down and start creating work based around stuff that I really like. So in the next coming months doodles, concepts and final imagery in 2d and 3d format will be posted.

Hopefully this will really pick up as work steadies and I can devote more time to creating.

Jas

Doodle time - Oversize bot

This one is more of a Cyborg design.

The arms are interchangeable to allow a number of different roles. I kinda thought the main body would be a human in armour. The tubes out of the back could be additional power-rods/food tubes.

Doodle time - Heavy Battle Suit.

Rather then keep my doodles stuck inside my meeting/art pads I'm going to scan and stick them here as part of my living CV/Portfolio.

So starting off here is a quick idea for a heavy Battle suit.

I like chunky looking armour, I think it helps to give the viewer a feeling that this hardware could take a pounding and still be able to protect the `pilot`, kinda like a tank on legs. It's got a rounded feel more like its built for space or underwater.

Image of the day:

Me and My little girl enjoying her first ice cream. :)