During the last couple weeks, I've been working on a character who I've largely neglected in the past, Gray--an antagonistic counterpart to Reina. I've needed for several years now to figure out the look of Gray's armor (an by extension, the armor worn by the other KAIROS soldiers). The following sketch was done based on a series of prior sketches which were so rough as to not warrant posting:
That sketch did a decent job of capturing the feel that I wanted. I particular, I'm pleased with the forearm and shin armor. The rest of it makes for a starting point, if nothing else.
I decided that it would look pretty interesting if the armor had a jaw-component separate from the rest of the helmet. While I'm not entirely satisfied with the light-shadow rendering of Gray's face here, I think it still manages to capture some aspect of his character.
This one is a more developed pen and marker sketch (with digital color) expanding off of the earlier pencil sketch. It's getting closer to what I want. I also tried to work out what kind of helmet might attach to that jaw section.
While discussing the previous sketch, a friend suggested that Gray's swords might have super-heated edges, so I went ahead with that in this action pose. I also tried to better define the shape of the helmet. I think it might look similar to the head of the Bladewolf from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but I'll have to go back and compare those directly to make certain.
That charging sketch of Gray inspired me to attempt a corresponding action sketch of Reina in-armor. I also took the opportunity to start working on Reina's own head-covering. The basic concept is that the covering is made of flexible/semi-flexible materials similar to the bodysuit. The fin-like optics system attached to front of the covering can be folded in the middle for more compact stowage.
Lastly, another study of Reina. I've been meaning to do a sketch like this for quite a while, showing "where she ends and her prosthetics begin," as one friend described it.
I'm hoping to get back on schedule with the blog, so expect more next Friday!
Geoff
(Also, I think it's about time I worked up a new background for the blog.)
