Mechateks

Mechateks - Biologic Robots
Not nanobots, but rather..Robotic crustaceans with soft tissue and organs on the inside. A robotic metallic shell serves as the exoskeleton.

Comments

[William B. Hand]

I like that middle one -- nice sense of form and depth, plus it's just fun. :)

I'm really glad that you're continuing to press forward with colour, texture, and shading. It all gels well on the middle one, worked pretty good on the rightmost critter, but the one on the left is... is... Well, that one is a cry for help.

That thing is kinda glaringly flat, with super wonky highlights used only as... as... as a warmup bubblegum thoughtfree filter. I STRONGLY recommend (to help your brain exercise those muscles in a more focused way) that you practice describing forms using ONLY planes of dark, medium, and light. You can do this with whatever tools are most comfortable to you, but just make it all about HARD planes of solid to describe the form. Maybe stay away from soft transitions for this exercise, too... And if you're brain insists on including some thin little detailed legs sticking off, then go ahead and toss them in, but make the larger forms bow to the will of your need to show planes that respect a light source. I'm saying do this as study... as warm-up... as moments of concentrated self-schooling.

Likely it'll be frustrating and a bit tediously grueling for you, because you have relied so heavily on line to (very effectively) show complex form, whereas this exercise will demand some embarrassingly simple form. And like I say -- stay away from soft transitions, by which I mean rounded things. It's just too easy to lazily fudge the soft rounded forms, and you need the core knowledge that'll only come from the honesty of hard planes.

Like I say, you have a very advanced ability to imagine, and show, deep complexity of form with line. Realize that you are making a rather bold bid for a deeper ability to express and increase your understanding of such forms by use of shadow and light, and that there's an inherent period that will be clumsy and requiring of your concentration. And, like anything, after practicing for mystery amount of time, it'll organically work its way into the rest of everything that you do. The thing is, once it clicks, it'll be your Super BFF in the same way that line is now. It's a sideways step, because your brain already is accessing the power of deep understanding -- This will just be a new way to express that understanding. I know you're already headed in that direction, but I see a pic like that one on the left and it makes me want to nudge you faster. :)

Oh, by the way -- I got your book and am loving it, left an upbeat review on LuLu, and have been actively inspired into tiny critter creation! Cheers, mate!

[Mike Corriero]

William - "a warmup bubblegum thoughtfree filter" I agree 100%. Part of this is laziness and part of it is not understanding how to communicate the form fully. I rarely if ever produce studies, or use reference and so I continue to make the same mistakes. I think as you mentioned, focusing on b&w simple studies of plane will help and I should use some reference when possible to better understand what I'm missing with the lighting and form of things like this. Thanks for taking the time to give such an in depth crit, and thanks for the really nice review over on lulu, I'm glad you like the book.

[Brynn Metheney]

I'd take the green one as a pet. :) These look great Mike.

[Mike Corriero]

Thanks Brynn