POWERPLAY

"Now you're playing with power!"

New KP painting! :D Can't wait for EP 3!!!

3D AMP

Been working on a collab with an awesome, Zbrush sculpting friend: Jonathan Flanders! Had to draw orthographic views for him, and since I'd been missing turnaround sheets in my portfolio, I went all out with the orthos.

And here's a WIP of what we got so far:

EDM Arena Challenger Reveal 3

EDM Arena batch 5 is underway! Here's the second character reveal (first was on deviantART):

Mirza S★archaser (derives from Coyote Kisses)
     - This is the first character collab with an awesome friend of mine, Kezrek Laczin! She helped design the character, in particular the head and her colour scheme.
     - First female EDM Arena character!!! :D
     - Mirza's name comes from "Mirzam" or "Murzim", beta star in the southern constellation, Canis Major, "the greater dog". Mirzam is derived from the Arabic word "the Heralder", as it "heralds" Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris and the brightest star in the night sky. (Beta Canis Majoris, Wikipedia) Mirza's last name comes from one of Coyote Kisses' songs.
     - Picking Mirza's colour scheme was a challenge. Kez and I spent a while looking at nebulas for inspiration until she found one that worked. Fun Fact: The off-white colour on her is "cosmic latte", the colour of the universe.
     - Mirza is one of eight family members of grandfather Major Canis (based on the 8 main stars of the constellation) and the second eldest behind Sirius, the next head of the family. The family, also known as the "Acid Wolfpack" (name of Coyote Kisses' EP and one of their songs) were all born and live in space. Mirza is an upbeat explorer with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. She travels the cosmos aboard her personal shuttle, "The Galactic Love Song" (name of another Coyote Kisses song).

Kez and I were so excited about this character because she was so different compared to the rest of the EDM Arena roster, just as Coyote Kisses set themselves apart from the rest of mainstream EDM.

Secret EDM Arena Characters

I've been doing freelance graphic design work for FiXT Music and here's the product of said work:

Secret characters for EDM Arena have been unlocked!! :D

I got to design these characters for their respective artists exclusively for FiXT and it was a blast! These guys will not be featured in the main character roster because they belong to the music label. They're like hidden DLC characters.

To purchase these shirts, check out the FiXT store!

Process Log 20: Armour Series 1-4

I love sci-fi armour and my portfolio was lacking some realistic pieces, so I started a project where I had to draw five armour sets.

Armour 1: Stealth EGO "Basilisk" Revamp

     Basilisk, or "Bas", is my brand identity. His entire creation backstory and design choices can be found here. I enjoy drawing Bas, so this time I redesigned his armour to be even more organic, as if the armour was his skin. 

Armour 2: Hidden Armour "Sacred Fire"

     This armour was originally going to be strictly sci-fi, but the theme changed into combining old with the new - merging an ancient look with sci-fi. 

Armour 3: Trooper EGO "Sabre"

     Sabre comes from the same universe as Bas. Trooper EGOs range from gunners to melee fighters - Sabre specializes in melee and knife combat. Her armour is extremely unconventional compared to most (if not all) Trooper units, as she prefers keeping flexibility of the upper body intact and increasing power and defense to her weaponized legs. Since there's minimal protection on her upper body, Sabre has "Neo-Barrier" (energy shield) emitters placed strategically on her arms.

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Armour 4: [Sentient Machine Custom] Sound Reinforcement Unit 3226 "AMP"

     After the first three armours, I started the fourth one only to realize that this would be the last of the series because it took so damn long to finish, mostly due to motivational issues. I recorded the process for this armour:

And then the final with detail shots:

While AMP took the longest to finish, his concept was the most fun to develop. A backstory and personality for him emerged during the rendering process. 

A little note about the colours: AMP's light colours changed from blue to yellow because blue felt too serene for his personality. Yellow is more upbeat and fun, associating more with childlike behaviour. 

What I've learned from this project:

- Practice painting metallic spec. So much spec. I got sick of painting spec by the time I got to rendering AMP.

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For those who are interested in AMP's backstory:

Sentient Machines (SMs) are robots with AI curious for knowledge, but they also have a unique trait in that they can develop "personalities". These personalities are often related to their "Users", the person or persons that own the SM (like how pets usually take on the behaviours of their owners). There are many different types of SMs and they all specialize in various types of fields, whether it be something like construction, a boring desk job, camera work for a movie, or military reconnaissance. 

Sound Reinforcement Units (SRUs) are essentially SR systems with bodies. So instead of x number of speakers set up at a concert, there would be x number of SRUs, and SRU bodies are highly customizable in terms of installing different types of speakers. Some SRUs have been developed to be their own DJ and sound system.

When an SM unit is modified from its original, intended purpose it becomes a "Custom" unit (SMC). SMCs are closely monitored by the authorities, as most SMCs have been modified for dangerous purposes. "AMP" here, is a modified SRU, built for bass and beat-em-up.

SRU's are definitely not built for combat, but AMP's unknown User constructed his extremely unconventional weapons as well as add an advanced combat program to AMP's AI network. This resulted in a carefree, bad attitude robot that gives no fucks and takes no prisoners. AMP has been on the authorities' Wanted list for a long while, but no one so far has been successful in capturing or defeating this SMC. AMP doesn't go out picking fights, but he does like to cause mischief and won't back down from a challenge.