.Reflections.

I believe I did the best I could with this independent project. Many things could have been better, but the time delay and initial setup was a bit troublesome. However I do think I put effort into it, And I like the results from all the ideas that came about. If I were to redo this project, I think it would be really cool to use MudBox on the Invader sketch I did. And try to develop a better understanding to this character. I learned that I still can draw and imagine very detailed and awesome characters for any sort of idea, and overall this project was very fun, I had time to think about what if and wether my idea could come to life - Nick

.Savage Advancer.Colored.

I colored this troop with the idea of basics. Everything is simple, the armor, skin tone, etc. This advancer is common, so there is no need for exact detail, and unique quality. It being the way it is, is what makes it a fearsome troop.

.Invader.Color.

A light blue skin tone. With armor consisting to dark colors. The Invader looks very calm and stable, but actually is capable of becoming a fierce warrior dedicated to the cause.

.Weapon Set.More Description.

"The Snake" A unique SMG that incorporates a rotating barrel. Heats up fast, but this in turn is why there is a water tank on the upper most part of the gun.

"Limbo" A small SMG that can be dual wielded if needed. It is the weakest of all firearms.

"Pear" A basic grenade that does exceptional damage.

"Stick" A grenade capable of sticking to objects and troops as well.

"Mine" A mine set at areas for choke points and etc.

"Doomsday" A unique hand held grenade that can be used as a melee until set number of spikes are removed or broken.

"Basic Shotgun" Shotgun often used on both sides, is double barrel and has a wide range.

"Tripe" A unique shotgun that has three barrels and a drum, capable of extreme amounts of damage.

"The Shockburst" A typical sniper rifle, high velocity bullet, big clip, very powerful.

"The Track On Bolt Action TOBA" A bolt action sniper rifle, that has an in built hud displaying the surrounding area. Very effective in finding troops behind walls or other objects, a some what sonar like quality to it.

"The Bomber" As the name implies, it use's small explosives planted in the barrel, from there a high power air blower literally pushes the explosive outward.

"The Rashigin" A gun that shoots a unique substance, close to ivory capable of acidic effects. This is the most feared weapon on Zeta. Capable of eating through metal, stone, anything really.

"Shell Gun" A weapon that holds 4 explosive shells, being shot from a combustion system in the middle area.

"The Lasuglra" A unique weapon that fires explosives, designed for anti infantry. Capable of mass damage from afar and up close.

.Weapon Set.

Here is a weapon set I drew for the characters and each one has a unique quality and trait that makes it useful on the battlefield. And if all else fails, most are effective in melee.

"The Ox" Most heavy of the assault rifles, it relies on active water systems and has the highest caliber bullet.

"The Noodle" A unique weapon that has pieces that detach in order for compact movement and weight. You literally can carry 3 to 4 on one soldier.

"The Block" As said by the name. A very basic rifle, used by both armies. Its reliable and gets the job done.

"The Basher" A pistol with the clip extended through the back, it has a blunt end around the trigger for hitting enemies if needed.

"The Slicer" A pistol thats clip is extended vertical and upwards, it has a small blade capable of doing damage.

"The Oldschooler" A revolver based pistol, that holds 6 rounds, highly effective but prone to malfunction often. This gun is as old as it gets, only used by people who know its ways.

(I'll give quick descriptions of the other guns, on a different page)

.Weekly Goal. 2

For this week I want to finish everything up to date. I have done ten sketch's with color and etc. By the end of this week I'll be done and finished with everything I had expected to be done with. - Nick

.Savage Advancer.

So this is the savage advancer, an idea I came up with. As you can see this one is more animalistic and is well an advancer, it rush's the enemy with pistols and melee weapons. Its scarred excessively and only the bottom half is protected by scarce metal alloy. The savage advancer is highly feared, for both being ferocious and known for eating its enemy after a successful win.

.Invader.Finished.Weekly Goal.

I Managed to finish my Weekly Goal.

.Weekly Goal. 1

So For my weekly goal as of this week, which is April 30 towards May. I would like to finish the sketch I previously have shown, this idea and concept makes the sketch worth while. I will finish this sketch and also intend to color it. And give a short description of the armor and type.

The Invading Force. Enemy Of The Natives.

This will be the other species that wages war against the Natives. They look animalistic, with both pointy ears and a wide gap between the eyes. They have unique armor, each has a style, emblem, etc. The Invading Force is a very unique breed, in that they will fight without the fear of death. They have a pride far more superior then the Natives and in many ways this is how they win their wars.

(Note: this sketch is not done, just wanted to show a preview of what is to come.)

Explosives Troop. Colored.

An Explosives Troop. He use's a metal caste for both arms in order to project against blasts and fire fights alike. As you can see they are worn down and rusted, this is due to the climate. A warrior with principle, the Explosives Troop is very effective in its use of grenades and heavy weapons.

.BreakDown.

April 30 - Color all sketch's that have been done at the time.
May 5 - Finish up to half of the initial sketching for Video Game idea.
May 10 - Finish all sketch's that were either partially done or yet to be considered.
May 14 - Final day in Computer Art Class, be done with project entirely, Hope all is good.

Colored Version.

Basic set up. Low quality armor with few areas for protection. The Sniper relies on Thermal goggles, and because of this they are capable of killing. They have three toed feet, an adaptation in order to climb surfaces to get to higher ground or literally claw at anything coming its way. The Sniper is a valued asset to the Natives Army, mostly because the "Shockburst"is an incredible weapon, but also because the sniper knows of an army advancing towards him.

Sniper.

The Sniper is a skilled and highly feared troop within the Natives army. They use goggles on their upper set of eyes, this still allows for the lower ones to scan the area looking for targets. Efficient with the "Shockburst"and utilizing the "Slicer" pistol. There only last means of defense if in close combat would be its clawed hands and feet. Hence the reason for little armor, they stay protected, well behind others by the fodder of common soldiers.

Assault Trooper.

The assault trooper is an expert at guerilla warfare, exceeding the potential of the common soldier. They attack with ruthless brutality and manage to take squads on there own. Not as willing to wear the hefty armor of the soldier, they wear light robes in order to advance at incredible speed. Lastly they rely on heavy firepower, ranging from the "The Scrounger" "Triple" "The Old Schooler" but if in dire need to kill the enemy, they will resort in taking weapons from anyone. This is both unconventional for the Natives and the Invading Force.

*Proposal*

As an artist, making deadlines and proposals is common. Although I dislike that fact, I understand that in real world society we deal with that on a day to day basis. So as for my independent project, I will attempt to produce a set of both quality and idea making concept art revolving around my video game idea. This will include the following:

- Have at least up to 15-20 sketch's revolving around my ideas on this video game thought.
- Of the 15-20 sketch's, a few will consist of setting, background ideas, overall feel of the game.
- Most will be ideas of the species, with both the Natives and Invading Force. Each will have unique qualities and an overall aspect to themselves. Example be: The Natives gold like armor and their savagery. The Invading Force's text book example armor, strict code of weapons use, and etc.
- A few weapons sketches, and each explaining a little about some and what they do and how they work.
- And finally, I'll take my time on a few sketch's I believe to be best and do much more time and effort on them, and in a sense revamp them up to the viewers eye. Not all sketchy and drawn with little consideration for detail and consistency.

These will be done in intervals, but by May 10th I will have completed all of these requirements and show the capability to do such. I believe what I am doing is original because a video game idea that I thought of by myself is one key fact. The sketch's and artwork are original to my own hand, and finally my motivation is that its a brand new idea that I think would be awesome. If ever to become something more then just sketch's and thoughts. A simple idea can become something far greater then ever perceived, small things have great potential

.Art Analysis.

What I find really cool about the idea of concept art is its freely done by the artist and anything can be drawn if thought of. What I see with this artwork here is a wild, almost feral looking version of the Locust. I like the way the artist implied grenades and a rustic and survival style to it. The artist is trying to say, that even though we believe the Locust to have a system and order, its not always seen. I believe the surroundings used are based on a sort of scrounger scavenger feel. Like the Jawas from Star Wars, or Raiders from Fallout. Emotion? I guess the artist wanted to express anger and hatred. The face on this grenadier clearly shows it. The reason this artwork was done in this style, was to show a difference between the Locust who are with the Queen, and those who have been abandoned and left on there own. It shows how much a species can change within itself.

To the right is concept art done for an upcoming game, known for now as "Destiny" a game being created by Bungie. Which is the same company that did Halo. This concept art revolves around how futuristic the time will be, and how its going to be first person detail. The significance of this work is based on how Bungie strives to make the ultimate Sci Fi fantasy, and this simple concept art here does show a mere glimpse of what can be. This work helps people like me have inspiration and goals. Dreams of becoming an excellent concept artist for any corporation. As for contemporary society, I believe video games help people become more creative, to think as abstract as possible. I believe that a concept artist has the greatest job and honestly life of any individual in society. They create, imagine, bring life to what we see on televisions and I think thats really cool. Without ideas and the ability to draw them, there would be no video games, heck I doubt movies would be created either. Concept art brings every culture in a sense together, because an idea cannot have one sole group. So in many ways, the ideas brought on by artists that go into these video games, actually brings the world together in a very small amount. And finally, how do these artworks differ from my own? Simple. Everyone has their own image, thought, and overall creativity. It reflects to mine in the sense that no matter what your ideas are, you have to have a core system. A block to stand on, without it, the process for concept art would not be possible. Everyone goes by a set of standards and this is why we see what we do. In the end, art is universal and cannot be set in stone. I just want to understand it, and hopefully bring up my ideas as so many have done before me.

Common Foot Soldier.

So as I said, this is a common foot soldier in the (Natives) Army. They look humanoid but also have other worldly features, such as the eyes and head structure. Very basic armor, and relying mostly on brute force rather then weaponry. The foot soldier is both feared and often not cared about among many types of classes.

They are the most basic, and although perceived at times to be dumb and unreliable. They make up for in combat capability.

Colored Version.

Metallic armor of a substance only known to Zeta, its yellowish tint often warns of the coming advance. Basic garb and little amount of bandoliers for ammunition, the foot soldier is more often then not capable of reckless actions in order to eliminate the enemy.

Project Inspiration.Adam Adamowicz.

The idea of drawing things that come from within, or from a mere image. Make me wonder just the possibilities that some people can come up with. Hopefully my ideas can be just as amazing and offer a great experience to a huge audience. Adam Adamowicz is an example of a man who could simply think of something cool, and bring it to the paper. And that inspires me a lot because there are times where something is in my head and I just cant help but draw it.

Adam did concept art for the spectacular and beautiful game Fallout. By Bethesda Softworks, they also did the games Oblivion and Skyrim were there is a ton of majestic landscapes, scary monsters, and just a feel of adventure in a sense. He did concept art for the Super Mutants, Robots, Human Designs, etc.

Adam passed away at the age of 43, after a long battle with lung cancer. Throughout his life he did many things, he got a degree in psychology and also did odd jobs to manage at the time. He was a freelance illustrator for the Dark Horse Comics before being offered employment at Bethesda.




He was a very gifted individual who could come up with some very amazing ideas that in turn became what Fallout was. This inspires me because I truly believe my skills and thought can also become the next thing in whatever comes to me. My illustrations could become a part of an amazing game that who knows could come? Hopefully, I can do my own concept art and it can become part of something.

Project Inspiration.Bob Rafei

Well. Cause everything is blocked, I have very little information on Bob Rafei to explain. But I have some insight on him and why I find what he does is really cool. He was one of the first employees of Naughty Dog and started his career by drawing concept art for Crash Bandicoot. Which became a major hit and led to more then one being created. Cause of this, Naughty Dog became a player in the early days of Playstation.








The next big hit that Naughty Dog came out with was the Jak and Daxter video game for the Playstation 2. In which he did concept art on leading characters and also background design. Because of this, it just like Crash Bandicoot became a major hit and led to not one but 3 games set in the series. Jak And Daxter, Jak 2, Jak 3

This is what I think is really cool. The process of bringing your artwork that you do through imagination and creativity to life and showing everyone your skill is something I want to do. Bob Rafei is skilled in both concept art and background sketching, which I would like to get into if my skills could be attributed to such. Character sketching is the foundation to any video game. Without it you honestly can't get it going.

*Potential Project Ideas*

What my core basis is, for this Project revolves around character design and illustration. By this I mean, I will be doing my own concept art and back story in a sense on the video game concept in my head. It will include settings, character designs with various alternate views and all along the line of my video game idea. An example will be the core species that lives on the planet Zeta, a rocky and desolate planet that inhabits both the natives and the "invading force" which both have begun a grueling war in order to see who rains supreme.

(Natives) Which for now they will be called. Are a arachnid humanoid species that live around the outer "far lands" of the planet. They have a reddish hue and use their four eyes to see at almost inhuman level. Living in the caves and some how managing to learn techniques such as mining and metal casting, they have a gold like armor and manage to use this metal to their advantage. However the outer rim is barley inhabitable and this species lives a cold and barbaric, almost caste system in where dominant males rule above all.

(The invading force) Or if you would like, are a planetary species who over their existence have destroyed the planets that they conquered through their own means. Pollution and War are the main two, but as this occurs they simply mobilize and put civilian populations aboard a massive carrier around the orbit of the new planet, and then they seize it with sheer military might. They are organized and to some degree show respect, but under the government they follow, hides darker secrets unknown.

As I go through this project, I hope to expand my ideas to those who might be interested and in general I just want people to imagine a really cool and awesome idea for a video game that I would love to do character designs on. In the end, this whole thing is fun because it allows yourself to wonder and think of all the possibilities. Hope you enjoy and maybe give better examples to me on this image of mine. -Nick

Project Inspiration.Kevin Lanning.

Iv'e Always been inspired by video game characters and how almost all the time there is unique and subtle approaches to each one, wether it be the way they look or how one is different from the other. Anyway I'm truly inspired by the Gears Of War franchise, with both the Locust and COG being represented in special ways. Kevin Lanning is one of the lead character designers of Gears Of War. 

Kevin did as most artists do, and got an education at a college that would hone his skills. And this is something i really want to do as well, I believe college is one of the few steps that must be taken in order to achieve your goals. He attended the Art Institute of Dallas with his brother, he studied character modeling for around two years then learned as much as he could with applications to further advance his skills with modeling.




And as for now, he is currently employed at Epic Games were he does what he loves. To me this is a great example and inspiration for what i want to do, the general ideas and sometimes weird thoughts portrayed in our minds can be one of the greatest art standpoints out there. And character modeling and concepts are what i really want to do. Kevin Lanning is one of those people who has done and still is doing character modeling and design. And to me that shows that anyone can do this, as long as your determined and know that what you want to do is worth every aspect of the cause.