wbd's General Art Thread

[Kris@WLP]

Yeah, that one works.

[wbd]

Sunbathing is always a plus!

Next up, Lina Inverse in a simple dress:

[wbd]

Most of the time we see the front end of an airport- the lineups, the baggage check, the terminal itself, and the never-ending flow of passengers on and off. It's important to think about how this all works, and all the hard work behind it. Sometimes we can get a better look when an airport holds an open house.

These two women are pilots for one of this airport's little utility helicopters. As it's summer, they do a lot of grass fire duty- that's what that bucket is for. Other times they're out using bird scare bombs, repairing weather boxes (and launching research gear), shuttling mechanics back and forth and helping with other maintenance tasks.

[wbd]

Painting practice:

[wbd]

I got a few things done today, some intentional and some not.

Konata's Custom Asshimar:





Bob Ross would not approve of this cloud:





I took these pictures today, and fortunately that unhappy cloud was unable to become any more unhappy. It was a bit dicey for a while there, and that funnel extended further downwards but I didn't get pictures of that for obvious reasons. It blew away soon afterwards, which was nice.

[wbd]

Arnval points the way:

[wbd]

Taiga and Louise:


Mindy, having transformed into her magical mechagirl form:


Yoko Littner:

[wbd]

Mighty Superoon:

[wbd]

Mindy in a bikini:

[wbd]

And a one-piece variant:

[wbd]

Great Superoon:

[wbd]

More comic practice:

[wbd]

No one would make a Cube action figure (from Jet Grind Radio), so I had to make one myself:




And another giant robot:

The final iteration of Superoon, Great Master Superoon was constructed from the damaged Great Superoon and recently excavated parts from doctor Hamstead's latest dig. With the revelation at the end of the last series that the Roog encountered so far were merely scouts for a massive alien invasion, Great Master Superoon's power was needed now more than ever! Henry and Toby were now joined in battle with Valerie who not only handled repair, but controlled the all-important Super Reactor that powered the new machine.



Abandoning the old Missile Mace, Great Master Superoon now uses an ancient technology to generate a guided energy beam mace- the Beam Mace! Fight on Great Master Superoon! Defeat the Roog!

This is the last iteration of Superoon, for now at least. My next mecha picture will be for a new made-up series, and I will build on what I've learned to make it.

[wbd]

On the planet Rhegium V the citizens made their living selling their farming produce to other planets in the star system- until pirates started seizing those valuable cargos. Many planets were on the verge of starvation when Hoplite 12, protector of Rhegium V rose up. Drawing from the spirit of the ancient farmer-soldier, Hoplite 12 battles on against all threats to the citizenry as they strive to feed a solar system.

With the mighty Striker Spear and Solid Shield, Hoplite 12 can use it's secret power- the Phalanx strike, where one super robot strikes with the force of 300!

[wbd]

Haruhiism:

[wbd]

[wbd]

The SOS-dan is down a few members thanks to Haruhi's latest desire. Seems that she's not the only powerful being around. It's now up to Kyon and Yuki to do something about it- but first, a bit of explanation on Yuki's behalf. This probably won't make much sense if you haven't read or watched "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya".

[wbd]

I've had a severe shortage of free time lately, but I finally had enough time to do the last finishing touches on my latest model. This is a 1/48 scale Tamiya F4U-1D Corsair, "Big Hog". I decided to take a few pics, since the weather was good.

I painted it using Tamiya spraypaints for the white underside, and Tamiya acrylics mixed with Gunze acrylics for the rest. I used Vallejo acrylics in the cockpit.

[tHEfOOL]

do the wing hinges work on that model or is it permanently in the wings folded configuration?

[wbd]

They're permanently folded- getting a working mechanism to be scale accurate in that size would be prohibitively expensive.

[tHEfOOL]

I guess thats true

[wbd]

(Pretend this is a Wikipedia entry):
AM-09 R Striker (Mecha)



The AM-09 R Striker is a mecha from the series "Belter's War".

Series Plot
The Governor of the asteroid belt has been increasing his control and power over the various asteroids that make up the Asteroid Zone, and this has been opposed by the various corporations, mayoralties, and sub-governors who control the individual asteroids. They prefer to have power devolve to a parliament where they make the rules, and the Governor's power is curtailed.

The whole thing has broken out into civil war, with each asteroid going its own way, and every asteroid rapidly arming itself with makeshift weapons. Some of the wealthier asteroid nations have specialist mecha, and this story focuses on the nation of Monck's Planetoid, a largish asteroid near the Jupiter edge of the belt. They have recently completed the development of the AM-09 R Striker, and with a team of five assembled are now navigating the tricky series of flowing and dissolving alliances.

The Governor wants absolute power, but the Asteroid Parliament has some very dangerous men in it, and they would likely seize that selfsame power. How can teenage tech wizard Harrack Koal know who to trust- other than his commanding officer and uncle Loam Balait, the rest of the crew of Monck's Marauders, and his childhood friend, Alisa Padock. He is now caught up in a swirling battle, and his home planetoid must tread a dangerous path. With the help of the AM-09 R Striker, they stand up for the parliamentary forces and against the might of the Governor's power (as he receives support from Mars and the Jupiter gas mining operations).


(end of pretend entry)

Art Notes:

I've been working on mecha design for my comic work, but I came to the realization that just like the Japanese robot anime series had to build from simpler designs to more complex ones, I need to do the same. I need to develop a mecha style of my own that builds from a simple base.

My first attempt was the slow development of the Superoon series- the final version is here:
http://wbd.deviantart.com/art/Great-Mas ... -133036457

Each design represents a slow progression through the seventies. This is my 1979 design, and that means it is an important one- because in 1979, in Japan, "Mobile Suit Gundam" was released, and it changed everything in mecha. It introduced the "Real Robot" genre, where mecha were treated like tools of war, rather than superheros of steel. The RX-78-2 Gundam represents a transition between the two- it is a Super Robot being used in a Real Robot world.

The AM-09 R Striker is my 1979 mecha, my transition between the Super and the Real. I've built upon my progression through the Superoon series and Hoplite 12 to get to it, because I need to have a mecha line that doesn't just come from copying Gundam or Eva. It needs to come from my own understanding of what makes a mecha.

The next design I'll make will be another Real design, but a wholly "Real" one, rather than a Super in a Real world. I'm in the eighties now, and my end game is mid to late eighties, because that's where my favorite designs lie.

[wbd]

Drossel Von Flugel (From "Fireball") has taken a bit of a trip, and found herself lost in the Savage Land. Being a self-repairing robot has its benefits, however, and she seems to be doing well enough. Perhaps she's been helping out a lost tribe or something.

[wbd]

On an ice moon orbiting a large gas giant, Mankind mined for valuable heavy water- Tritrium, so essential in the economy of the solar system, and vital for the clean Fusion power that made the lights of Earth glow and would end the destructive Energy Wars that had plagued her for many decades previous.

The work was difficult and dangerous, so the workers were a motley assortment- adventurers, roughnecks, dangerous folks and a large contingent of criminals whose sentences were to be reduced after sufficient service on the distant and dreary planetoid.

2nd Lieutenant Kou Landsman had just received his commission, and chose that distant outpost, perhaps to look for his now-missing brother, who always had an adventurous streak.

He picked a bad time- shortly after he arrived, something was stirred by the mining operations, and with savage speed attacked the miners. His Sgt, and the other soldiers under him with experience were all killed holding off the alien foe. This gave the miners a chance to escape, and to send emergency messages to Earth.

Now aboard the mighty tunneling machines, the survivors and their guards- Lt. Landsman and 5 rookie mechapilots- dig to live another day, having been driven from the sole spacedock, and away from the surface. Sometimes they see the space above from trenches cut in early mining, but often there is only the deep cuts of tunnels into the icy paths below.

Fortunately, they have a strong ally in their GL-10 IceHogs, specially modified general purpose combat mecha, equipped with the powerful Slicer cannon. Durable, reliable and easy to maintain, they are all that holds the line.

With rescue from earth 6 months away, can the beleaguered band hold out?


Art Notes

I need to develop a mecha style of my own that builds from a simple base. Just like the Japanese designers built their confidence throughout the seventies, I have to do the same.

My first attempt was the slow development of the Superoon series, and I worked my way through the "seventies", building up on each successive design.

With the IceHog, I've entered the 1980's in terms of my design and confidence. I'm at 1981 or so. My goal is to get to the mid-late eighties, which represents my favorite period of mecha design. Getting into the "eighties" is a big step for me, and took a lot of doing.

Oh, and the bits of robot in the foreground are an alien "Pickrunner", a robot that moves using a trio of sharp spikes, giving it good speed, but making it vulnerable to the Slicer cannon's beehive round.

[wbd]

Boy, a lot changed with Konomi between Junior High and High School. Taka-bou now has two neesan types to choose from. Unless they team up, of course.


"Hey, Taka-bou, let's have a sleep-over!"

This is a customized Konomi Yuzuhara from "To Heart 2". The base figure is a 1/8 scale Ryofu Hosen (I think the package says 1/7, but it's a bit small for that). I used Aves Apoxie Sculpt two-part epoxy putty to apply the conversions (bow, adjusted the collar, etc). I added a spare ahoge that I had kicking around. Paints are Tamiya acrylics and Tamiya lacquer sprays, along with some Vallejo acrylics for touch up.

This is what Konomi normally looks like:


Here's the kit I customized:


Here's an in-progress picture:
(Edit- Unfortunately this link is dead, so I've removed it.)

It shows where the putty went (the grey parts).

I still have to make a base, but the figure itself is done.