My overall theme was of a post nuclear world where the use of mechanized walkers has caused the heat death of civilization as we know it. And now lone bands of survivors and raiders duke it out over the remaining mechs, as they are the only protection from the nuclear fallout that covers most of the known world.
And blowing each other up is still pretty fun. Old habits die hard, right?
Spider tanks are the predecessors to walkers, and are generally slower then newer bipedal models. This renders them useless for more nomadic tribes, but for a family or a group looking for a more stable homestead need to look no further. Most spider tanks lack a functioning nuclear core, and their inefficient and experimental structure leaves little power to work with. At best, a Spider tank with a functioning power core can only rotate and fire their main turrets, so long as ammo can be found.
Really this piece works with negative space as its source for highlights. A little shading here and there does a lot to add to the piece, defining a foreground, mid-ground, and background. otherwise the stories in the details, showing that the tank itself has been lived in for a least a little while.
(Nothing but sketches for here, whups, least its on the right side)
As most munitions factories we're lost in the Reagent Wars, Pilots who have taken a liking to raiding have resorted to creative methods to dispatch enemies without munitions. One of the brasher methods involves welding metal stakes to protrusions in a walker with strong propulsion pistons. Obviously used to ram combatants into submission. Usually the goal to to remove the enemies legs and board the Mech itself to steal its power source.
This oen didnt work out so well due to my focus on just filling in blank space, really I should have varied the shade for more detail, but its a little late now. The spikes make for a neat pattern, and adding the smiling face made of metal plates was a nice touch. but overall I could have done better with the background, and possibly the flares behind the mech itself.
Made before the war, Sparrow class jump mech's we're mainly used for scouting ahead for threats. Now in current times their used for lone pilots searching for lost artifacts and power cores. While not very good in combat with other mechs, Sparrow mech's are made to withstand the elements. This allows them to go into areas where geothermal climate change has drastically altered the landscape, making it impassable for most mech's not designed to handle extreme conditions.
This peice turned out pretty well, a full shade for the background creating an interesting light source contrast and setting it at odds with my first two pieces. Windows form a pattern that gets slightly muddied as light transfers to the dark on the left side. the fire plumes pull the most attention, and maybe I could have added the exhaust from the jump jets, but that would have made shading even more complicated in the end.
Long range Cormorent Models are an even rarer and more costly upgrade to Sparrow class jump mechs, Capable of long distance flight. these mechs we're the product of some government looking into possible alternatives to actual jet fighters before society collapsed. Highly sought after by both off shore settlements and raiders alike for their long range capabilities, many battles have been fought over possession of these ancient rarities. Leading to them being oen of the main causes of the Pacific War. As two of the largest off shore colonies duked it out for control over a hidden stash of Cormorants.
The final product looks intensely better then the sketch, mostly due to the fact that I used charcoal for most of the solid blacks like the ocean, the oil rig, and the land mass the Cormorant is on. The background was filled with heavy rain, lighter grey for the rain and a darker grey for the clouds. I added in color for once (Wowie), a yellow signal from the oil rig and a lightning bolt that might have accidentally cut the piece clean in two. Either way it adds variety to the piece, which is a good thing in my book.
Anyway that's all from me, best wishes! -Cameron
