Robot 001: Hel

I've played with the idea of doing studies of classic robots from all traditions and periods. Interspersed with the studies would possibly be my own designs synthesized from the hallmarks of that period/style. We'll see how long it lasts. Regardless, I had no doubt as to what the first study should be: the robot Hel, from Fritz Lang's 1927 (!) masterpiece Metropolis.
One of the most influential and iconic robot designs, Hel stands the test of time.

Quake III Studies: Sorlag

Working this for a while and it just hit the "good enough" point for now. This is Q3's Sorlag somewhat recast as a more lizard-y (rather than dinosaur) character. A big inspiration would be the Skeksis from the Dark Crystal--the armor that's designed to make the body appear larger than it really is, some decadent finery, you know. I might take another pass at this later, as I might with any piece, as nothing's ever really finished, is it? There are only stopping points, some better than others.

Quake III Studies

Working with Painter I began to realize that trying to concept a character while also familiarizing myself with a new program meant neither was done very well. As there's been a popular resurgence on polycount with the old Q3 characters, I found it an excellent opportunity to work with established characters, perhaps modifying them slightly, but concentrating on doing better with Painter. This was the next piece after the one in the previous post, and felt quite a bit more confident (to say nothing of less stylistically derivative). If it's been a while, here's a link to the original Q3 character sheets.

Keel:


A Q1 Shambler snuck in there, too:


Visor:

Painter Paints

Painter IX is a tricky beast but I've been working at getting better acquainted, mostly through a series of studies. This was the first that felt pretty good, despite being so obvious a bite on Ashley Wood. Couldn't be helped. He's an influence and I know he's got a good handle on Painter, so there you are.

Early on: but somehow this has more charm? The charm of suggestion maybe:



"Finished," as much as it's likely to be: