[Art] Cheerleader Ziggy

[VSMIT]

llearch has absconded with the Haro!  We must get it back!

[Ren Gaulen]

llearch has absconded with the Haro!  We must get it back!

Oh, NO! Quick, to the Bad-Mobile!

[Sunblink]

I'm feeling emotionally unstable and hormonal today, so I wibbled something FIERCE when I first saw this. But it was a happy sort of wibble, because this was exactly the thing I needed to see to help cheer me up. It was totally coincidental, but it's still touching

Ren is awesome and made of win and fantastic. THANK YOU

Um, I'll try to come up with something more constructive later. But right now, all I can say is that the image looks fantastic.

Nice.  I guess Keaton sent you a cake, Ren?

I REGRET NOTHING

[Jairus]

I'm feeling emotionally unstable and hormonal today, so I wibbled something FIERCE when I first saw this. But it was a happy sort of wibble, because this was exactly the thing I needed to see to help cheer me up. It was totally coincidental, but it's still touching

Ren is awesome and made of win and fantastic. THANK YOU

Awww... here Keaton, this is from me. 

[Ren Gaulen]

And more hugs from me! Now cheer up, or I'll draw "Sad Keaton in Snow"!

[Brunhidden]

and someone else will draw 'big fuzzy coat for sad keaton in snow' because the puppy dog eyes cannot be defended against

[Sunblink]

Aw man you guys are the greatest. GROUP HUG.

And more hugs from me! Now cheer up, or I'll draw "Sad Keaton in Snow"!

Ren, after a picture this awesome, I don't think it's really necessary for you to draw anything else for me. *gnaws*

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I'm afraid so.  Blame llearch for that (because he's on holiday).

Why not? Everyone else does...

Yes. The Box is watching us... do whatever we are doing.

Always watching. Always... ;-]

[Brunhidden]

Aw man you guys are the greatest. GROUP HUG.

And more hugs from me! Now cheer up, or I'll draw "Sad Keaton in Snow"!

Ren, after a picture this awesome, I don't think it's really necessary for you to draw anything else for me. *gnaws*

draw it for the rest of us

[Ren Gaulen]

And now for something completely different. I present you.. the Panzer Knight, Lowengren type!

Lowengren, "White Hawks" colours.

Lowengren, "Aces of Spades" colours.

Lowengren, Scarlet Flash colours.

Lovengren, Orange-kun colours.

Panzer Knights are large humanoid robots used by the Federation's military both for ground and space combat. These are highly advanced machines capable of working in many kinds of environments. They are not very large, but they are very mobile and often carry very powerful weapons. Lowengren model is capable of transforming from the "Strider" mode into the "Fighter" mode, which is capable both of atmospheric and space flight. More over, it's powerful plasmatic engines can let it to reach the escape velocity on its own, while anti-gravity harness allows it to re-enter atmosphere with ease. The four variants of the Lowengren presented here have the same basic armaments and equipment: Nanoswords in the wrists (usable only in the "Strider" mode), two light rapid-fire accelerator guns on the sides of the cockpit (usable only in the "Fighter" mode), several hidden micro-missiles banks (in different places under retractable armour - on the shoulders, on the back, on the hips) and a heavy "Quasar" particle accelerator cannon (attached to the hip for storage in the "Strider" mode, attached from the underside in the "Fighter" mode). The Nanosword works like a usual High-Frequency blade, but it is retractable and can regenerate if broken. The "Quasar" is capable of penetrating even very tough armour and can breach force fields; it also has exceptional range of fire.
"White Hawks" are one of the most famous Terran Space Forces Battle Groups of the last century. "White Hawks" mostly use either Panzer Knights or air-space fighters (of course, they have some large spaceships to get around, and some support machines too). Currently they are busy chasing a Kzel-Sul swarm somewhere in the Frontier.
The "Aces of Spades" are a squadron comprised entirely of the best fighter pilots. They are a part of the "Black Legion" Battle Group, being the "wings" of it. All of their machines are modified by their pilots to enhance their performance even further.
Scarlet Flash is a nick-name given to one of the Aces of Spades, Liah Bale. She is one of the best pilots even among the other aces in her squadron. She has upgraded the reactor of her Lowengren so that in the "Fighter" mode it flies almost three two times faster then normal models. Also, she uses a Heat Nanosword instead of a normal one.
Lowengren Haro? Orange-kun?? WTF???

[Tapewolf]

Oh, nice.  I like the paint job, though it's more akin to a training aircraft, or some of the re-tooled ex-military aircraft in my 'DOUG the Eagle' universe.

I'm not wholly sure from the description whether these 'robots' are completely independent with AI, or piloted?  I'm thinking it's probably the latter, but it's not quite clear.

[Ren Gaulen]

Oh, nice.  I like the paint job, though it's more akin to a training aircraft, or some of the re-tooled ex-military aircraft in my 'DOUG the Eagle' universe.

Well, during the wartime they usually bear dim colours. That goes hor the "White Hawks" (or other squadrons and Battle Groups like them), though - "Aces of Spades" often bear bright colours in battle, as if to taunt their opponents (see Scarlet Flash).

I'm not wholly sure from the description whether these 'robots' are completely independent with AI, or piloted?  I'm thinking it's probably the latter, but it's not quite clear.

Normally Panzer Knights are manned (though there are some AI-controlled ones). Pilots of such machines are always cyborgs, and Panzer Knights are controlled through the Mind-Machine Interface (in other words there is no way to control them without a cyber-link wetware implants which involve extensive neurosurgery).

[Brunhidden]

i am impressed that it does manage to look realistic, not like the freaky way that a 'transformer' must be entirely hollow to work or the other plane/mechs which seem to have a cockpit just for crotch jokes

once again, kudos and good job

[Jairus]

Nice designs... especially Orange-kun's unit. You know... you could turn that model into an experimental AI controlled one in series.

Nice reference to Lohengrin with "Lowengren," there. And I'll agree with Brunhidden in noting that they're somewhat "realistic" transforming giant robots, especially how the pilots are all cyborgs. Very interesting.

How widespread is cybernetics in this universe? I kind of get that the military uses it a lot, but how accessible is it for civilians, and about how likely are you to encounter a cyborg?

[Ren Gaulen]

Nice designs... especially Orange-kun's unit. You know... you could turn that model into an experimental AI controlled one in series.

I believe that was a joke.. Actually, AI-controlled Panzer Knights look exactly the same as manned ones. They even may retain a cockpit - for a passenger.

How widespread is cybernetics in this universe? I kind of get that the military uses it a lot, but how accessible is it for civilians, and about how likely are you to encounter a cyborg?

Well, cyborgs are mostly limited to military, because most of the cyber augmentations are mainly used for military purposes. The medicine of the Federation is so good that there is no need for bionic prosthetics, as any organ and any body part can be replicated and transplanted. Simple cyber-links are widely spread among the civilians, but that kind of implants is pretty simple and does not make one qualify as a cyborg. Planetary Strategic Self-Defence Forces don't use much cyborgs either, as soldiers serving there stay in the army for only a couple of years and then go home without ever being in combat, and there is not much need for them to have cyber augmentations. Most of the professional soldiers (or those who are sent into some "hot spots"), however, are cyborgs. By the way, even extensive cyber augmentation is not permanent - due to the good medicine.

[Jairus]

So it's more like cybernetics are used in situations where an unmodified body would not be suitable, such as combat or high-gee force situations? Interesting. And I don't think I've ever seen a setting where cybernetics could be considered temporary: most of the time a cybernetic implant is treated as a permanent fixture, not like something that comes with the job.

[Ren Gaulen]

Does anybody still remember that I was going to do some comic project or something? Well, I'm still planning to do it one day (if all else fails, I'll convert it into a written story with illustrations - a sort of a graphic novel, I guess)! And to show that I mean it here is a sketch of a scene from a later part of the story. Ren versus Siegfried, Dai Raoh versus Eversor, Good versus Evil.

The Battle of Titans.

Dai Raoh, with its armour cast off, is on the right, trying to jump punch the hell out of Eversor. I realize that I should have plased Dai Raoh closer to Eversor to make the punch more visibly powerful, but it's kinda too late to change it.. Also, I should remind you that Dai Raoh (and Eversor too, by the way) is a biomechanical construct (somewhat similar to the Evangelions), so don't be surprised that it looks rather.. organic.

[Jairus]

Cast off? Oh me...

"Dai Raoh... Cast Off!" "CAST OFF. CHANGE CONSTRUCT." "Rider... Kick!" "RIDER KICK."

In all seriousness, it looks really cool. I have to confess that when I first saw it, I thought it was two people duking it own in powered armor. But a background would fix that right up. Very cool.


Now, how do you draw giant robots...

[Ren Gaulen]

"Dai Raoh... Cast Off!" "CAST OFF. CHANGE CONSTRUCT." "Rider... Kick!" "RIDER KICK."

"Dai Raoh!.. Overdrive Mode!! GRRRRRAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!"  (Don't mind the PROMOTIONS) "Shinha! Ganshin Mogeki Reppa!!!" Because Dai Raoh is that awesome.

Now, how do you draw giant robots...

To be able to draw Giant Robots you must become one with the Giant Robots.

[Sunblink]

Aha, I don't think I've ever seen any of your drawings before you've inked them prior to this image. Seeing some of your sketches is very interesting; it gives me a good insight as to how you draw your stuff.

The detail in this picture is fantastic. I really envy the way you draw armor and mechanical suits; they're ridiculously hard for me XD The action poses are great, too; that's another thing I really love about your work. All-in-all, the picture looks extremely awesome.

*pinches your ear* DON'T EVER FEEL BAD ABOUT YOUR ARTWORK AGAIN.

[Brunhidden]

all i have to say is chicks dig giant robots

[WhiteFox]

Do you ink digitally or manually?

[Tapewolf]

Do you ink digitally or manually?

AFAIK Ren's away this weekend.  However, he does ink manually.

[WhiteFox]

(Ah. Thank you, Tape.)

Whenever I ink something, I somehow loose a lot of the feel the pencil sketch gave me: Weight, fluidity, the fibrousness of hair, etc.  I'm kind of seeing some of that here: I like this pencilwork ten times more then anything else in this thread. Damned if I know how to fix it, but that's my 2c.

If you want the arm to feel like it's hitting with more force, rolling the arm over might help. The palm of the fist would be facing straight down, same for the crook of the elbow, and the shoulder muscles would bunch up significantly. It might make a little more sense for the hit to be traveling downward if he's jumping into the attack.

Also, I've seen it written a dozen times in guides and how to books, you never actually show the punch. You draw the wind up, you draw the follow through and the target's reaction, but you never actually draw the point of contact. It's near impossible to make it look dynamic.

[Ren Gaulen]

While I was away, I have drawn a little something to get over my funk. This is still a WIP, but I'll try to finish it as soon as possible.

Keaton VS Siegfried.

HEAVEN OR HELL! LET'S ROCK!!!

Those of you who know Keaton are probably surprised with her having angelic wings. But this is actually a version of Keaton converted for the "Shades of Grey" setting. And there is no Cubi race there. While there is a race of "professional shapeshifters" called simply Shifters there, I decided to make Keats an Angel instead. She even has a bit of a back-story (fully approved by Keaton):

If you remember Zig's back-story, I have mentioned Prince Seth who more or less "owned" Zig for a while, until Zig killed Seth and took his place. Well, even before Zig ended up as Seth's slave, Keaton was one of his (Seth's) agents - against her will. Seth held her younger sister, Lianna, hostage to make sure that Keaton obeys him in all things. And to be extra-sure in it he put a curse ward on her, which allowed him to track every Keaton's move and remotely inflict pain on her. I'm not very certain about how Keaton ended up as Seth's servant yet, but eventually she was rescued by Darius, a member of the "Sanguine" Extermination Group. She didn't want to go, though, since that would have doomed Lianna, but she wasn't given a choice. Much later, when that ward had been removed and she had fully recovered, she tracked down Seth's new hideout, wanting to kill him - only to find out that Seth was already killed by Zig.
Zig didn't know that Lianna ever existed, which meant that Seth has.. disposed of her. Keaton in her grief swore to destroy all of the Demons. Zig became a sort of a Seth's substitute for her (which kinda made sence with Zig taking Seth's place and all, anyway). By the way, Zig himself started some sort of an "Unholy War" against the Angel race at that point. So as he led Demon hordes against the kKingdoms of Men (humans), Keats became a member of an elite "Sanguine" Extermination Group - an Angel task force created for tracking down and killing dangerous altlings (well, Angels are altlings themselves, but they consider themselves superior to other races).

"SoG" Keaton is a bit crazy and totally hell-bent on destroying the Demons (to the point where she may wander off to Cleave and Smite Evil even if she didn't get any direct orders). In battle she uses her impressive skills in Wind, Fire and Light magic, natural Angel abilities and several magical and enchanted weapons. The two curved blades she is wielding in the picture are made of Living Crystal and are dynamically shaped by their user's will (they are also a reference to Archer, along with Keats' outfit), so they may be as sharp as the user wishes. They can also recombine or regenerate if broken. They can also be transformed into a bow that shoots arrows of concentrated energy. The weapons that are not presented here are a longsword which is one of the Nullifier weapons (Nether weapons that erase magical energy around them) and a revolver (with enchanted bullets).
A couple words on the Nullifiers. Some of these weapons are so powerful, that most Altlings can't stand their very presence. Even Mortals, who are not that dependant on magical energy, and Arcanids who produce magical energy themselves would feel uncomfortable around such weapons (however, there is a sort of Arcanids who are living Nullifiers). Since they erase magic, it's impossible to cast while holding such a weapon (it is still possible to simply discharge magical energy as primitive elemental attacks, and natural magical abilities are not disrupted either). Nullifier weapons usually have some sort of a sheath that negate their effect and keep them hidden and safe for those around.

[Tapewolf]

Looks good to me.  Keaton is in fine (psychotic) fettle.  I see you've put a lot of work into the setting as well.

[Jairus]

Oh, very cool picture, and some neat info on those characters and weapons, especially on the Nullifiers. I've got a similar weapon in my universe, slightly different mechanics but close in function: very cool that someone else uses them. Are you going to color this at some point? I also love Keat's blades. Very cool looking. And that's Siegfried's gauntlet, I presume?

[Ren Gaulen]

Are you going to color this at some point?

Yeah. I didn't ink it for nothing, after all.

And that's Siegfried's gauntlet, I presume?

Yep. And it is somewhat similar to the Nullifiers: it is also capable of erasing magic, but it can also drain life of the living creatures, transferring it to the wearer. However, if it remains activated for too long, it starts draining wearer's life force. It is actually a part of a set of armour once worn by some Lich King or something. It was originally in Seth's possession (the gauntlet, not the whole set), but he gave it to Zig.

[Jairus]

And that's Siegfried's gauntlet, I presume?

Yep. And it is somewhat similar to the Nullifiers: it is also capable of erasing magic, but it can also drain life of the living creatures, transferring it to the wearer. However, if it remains activated for too long, it starts draining wearer's life force. It is actually a part of a set of armour once worn by some Lich King or something. It was originally in Seth's possession (the gauntlet, not the whole set), but he gave it to Zig.

Ah, so you have a magical suit of armor/set of weapons/set of body parts as well? Very cool info, by the way. Out of curiosity, does the gauntlet have to be "off" in order for the wielder to use spells?

[Ren Gaulen]

Out of curiosity, does the gauntlet have to be "off" in order for the wielder to use spells?

It does disrupt the magic, yes, but you can still use the most basic Elemental Magic. Oh, and I forgot to mention that neither this gauntlet, nor any of the Nullifiers affect psychic powers.