StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Yeah, I've relapsed into drawing mecha. I got bored at work and doodled a rougher version of this on some paperwork, afterwards I decided to transfer to my sketchbook and try to improve the design. I don't think it is a drastic departure from anything, but I do feel like I'm getting better at proportions and perspective...even with my busy schedule. In light of this, I want to improve it still, and am not done yet. I'm going to work on some action poses this week before heading to work.

Looks pretty good, what scale would it happen to be?

Not bad at all, but still needs work on the perspective. The viewers eyeline appears to fall about half way down the model, but when we look at the legs and feet it looks like the eyeline is meant to be worms-eye view in line with the bottom of the feet. It's making everything below the thighs look very odd. We should be looking down on the feet, instead of which we're looking straight at one of them. The forearm also looks a bit long. When a human arm is straight by our sides the hand should end midway down the thigh, but your guy looks like he could reach his knees no problem. I realise it's not meant to be exactly human, but it will look more gangly than powerful if it's got very long arms.

Kenny_10_Bellys wrote:Not bad at all, but still needs work on the perspective. The viewers eyeline appears to fall about half way down the model, but when we look at the legs and feet it looks like the eyeline is meant to be worms-eye view in line with the bottom of the feet. It's making everything below the thighs look very odd. We should be looking down on the feet, instead of which we're looking straight at one of them. The forearm also looks a bit long. When a human arm is straight by our sides the hand should end midway down the thigh, but your guy looks like he could reach his knees no problem. I realise it's not meant to be exactly human, but it will look more gangly than powerful if it's got very long arms.

Yeah, the perspective is a problem I'm trying to wrap my head around. Having it explained helps though, as I had trouble trying to visualize what I needed to work on, so thank you...you input is very helpful! As for the arm, I meant it to be kind of gangly, I thought it would be cool looking.

Norade wrote:Looks pretty good, what scale would it happen to be?

I haven't though much about it...I suppose it could accommodate a 6 ft tall person sitting in the torso, thus making it more of a small mech than a power armor. When i drew it I was thinking of scaling it either to battletech elemental armor, or to the mechs from the most boring anime ever: Gasaraki.

I must commend you for being better and more creative than I in the area of sci-fi mechanical designs.

Zor

Glad to be of service. If you want to give yourself a guide just sketch a horizon line right across your drawing as a reminder, and then you'll know pretty much how your guy should look above or below that. Draw the horizon line low down and you'll do a drawing looking up at the mech, making it look very imposing, draw it 3/4 the way up and you'll do a drawing as if level with the shoulders and head.

I'll be trying to work on this in GiMP sometime this week. This is a rough cleaning of the picture that I'll use to work on color and shading. Next time I will try to exercise proper perspective using what Kenny suggested earlier.

That looks very intimidating and pragmatic for a mech.

Big Orange wrote:That looks very intimidating and pragmatic for a mech.

Thank you, I try to stay away from anything to fanciful as I'm easily put off from enjoying mecha as I tend to analyze and scrutinize much of the media I consume in an effort to see how it works. I try to rely on my mechanical background as an aircraft mechanic and from visuals of power armor concepts for inspiration. I found that near-future "realistic" designs hold my interest much more than other more fantastic designs.

Big Orange wrote:That looks very intimidating and pragmatic for a mech.

Agree, but it has a lot of bullet traps.

Starglider wrote:

Big Orange wrote:That looks very intimidating and pragmatic for a mech.

Agree, but it has a lot of bullet traps.

Yeah, but I figured it wouldn't be a problem as I intend this to be largely immune to small arms fire. Shooting it with a .50 caliber machine gun would pretty much defeat it outright though.

I like the look.

It also looks similar to the personal power armor used in the anime adaptation of Starship Troopers

I agree with ZGundam, and yeah, I tried to like Gasaraki, I really did. Especially how they would go "Oh Shit" whenever an MBT showed up. But I agree, it was the most boring Anime I ever watched. The first minute or so was okay, and then...

Good mechanical visual design work as usual.

Yeah, it's rare that a design is both pragmatic and intimidating at the same time.

Thanks for the positive input guys!

The right foot looks a tad blurred to me in that last pic, but still very nicely designed.