Diocle's Gallery, drawings, pics, screens. (Post 3# updated 23 November '16)

[Diocle]

I open this Gallery to share some screenshots I've taken form various games I'm playing, you'll find Warhammer40k screens and WW2 screens from Company of Heroes 1&2, and TW games screens.
Probably I'll post here also some of my drawings actually on Deviantart, and maybe some other stuff I've made for fun, in the hope you'll like them maybe adding some comment or even your thoughts about my works.

So, I've decided to open this Gallery with some screen I've taken playing CoH, the game is very good and I've noticed that the models sometime can look like old photos taken on some real battlefield of WW2. You'll notice that great part of the screens are from Axis' perspective, this is due just to the fact that I like very much the German war machines of that age, and I prefer the Axis' gameplay in CoH Mods, any political matter is misplaced. So ..

1944, somewhere in France:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

North Africa, 1942:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Italian trench:

Ukraine, late war:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

'King Tiger' in action, with mechanical issues, of course!









Just few Russians (more to come):

CoH2, Eastern Front, new pics:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Diocle]

AVATARS by Diocle

I feel that Christmas can be considered the right occasion to post here some of the avatars I made for fun, you can use them if you like, you can modify them, you can do whatever you like with them, I ask you just to leave a comment or to add some rep under my Avatar if you like. Great part of these Avatars is already hosted at Deviant Art, I used a large amount of sources: paintings, pics and images from everywhere to make them, being just fragments of larger pics, there should not be any issue about the use of them; To make them I used mainly GIMP and they are just PNG or Jpg files, the dimensions are already suited for TWC but some of them are oversized. Probably I'll add some new stuff in the course of the time: there will be Napoleonic stuff, Warhammer 40k, Pike and Shot, WW1, WW2, Steampunk and much more; I've thought to divide them into thematic groups, so, with the hope you'll enjoy them here they are:


Roman and Late Roman World:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Napoleonic and XIX century

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Diocle]

Drawings & Sketches



Here you'll find my sketches, or drawings, or artworks as you like, concerning ancient military subjects, especially Romans, Late Romans and Dark Age Germanic Tribes and/or Nations.
The works have been alredy published on DeviantArt, few of them are/were on RAT (but I've removed great part of my contents when I left that place slamming the door),
I've just discovered that many of them are on a Russian site collecting pics about Roman Army and few of them have been already posted on TWC in The Tavern (RIP) in IBFD Forums,
so I've said to myself: "Come on Charlie, they're in many places now, why don't you add them also in the place for which they have been originally designed?"

I've divided the drawings in three groups: Romans, Late Romans, Dark Age Germans.
I hope that in future I'll be able to add new works, actually they are in the make a Langobard archer, a new Langobard knight, a III cent. Roman legionary,
I plan to add also a whole new range: early medieval Italians, the first should be a Genoese xbowman and then nothing less than a Genoese War Galley!
Sadly, as always, time is short, I'm a lazy man, and frequently when I've some free time to spend at desk I play games.
In any case, here they are my drawings and sketches:

REPUBBLICAN & MIDDLE IMPERIAL ROMANS:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sulla, a work on commision (I deeply hate Sulla), it was intended to be coloured as you can see in the second sketch. The man is depicted in the act to send to death other Italians! All in all, it was the job he knew best!


Princeps, Republican Army.


Pharsalus (I love Pharsalus!)


Caesarian Centurio


Early III century AD Roman Legionary.


Legionary, III cent. AD. Helmet, weapon and defensive equipment make it also suited to be a Centurio or an Eques.


An officer, one of those powerful characters who contended the power inside their restricted elite, actually he's a scumbag but .. he hasn't yet realized the concept!


A legionary belonging to the Garrison of Dura Europos .. before the fall of the town, of course. Yes, OK, I was reading Sidebottom!


Legionary of one of the new Italian legions recruited by Marcus Aurelius in the dramatic days of the Marcomannic wars,
as you know for sure, the Emperor has been forced to recruit Galdiators and being short in money and equipment so,
it's possible that few of those guys brought with them their gladiatorial equipment ..



Auxiliary, III cent AD.


Late II/Early III cent. Roman Legionary. The point here is the armour, it's a legendary armour known as Alba Julia, it's sculpted
on a bas relief found at Alba Julia, it was a mix between Lorica Segmentata and Lorica Squamata, but ..

LATE ROMANS:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

One of those unfortunate Pretorians who fought under Maxentius at Milvian Bridge,
he wears the classic Lorica Squamata and a late version of the classic Attic helmet
(a largely mysterious item, depicted in hundreds versions on Roman art but never found on the field)
in the second version I added some computer graphic on the background
coming from the depiction of the scene sculpted on the so called Arch of Constantine.


The armour this man is wearing is a padded leather subarmalis worn over a padded linen subarmalis with neck protection.


A legionary belonging to the Martenses Seniores, a Comitatensis Legion in the IV century.
He wears a Leather Lorica Musculata over a padded linen subarmalis. Yes I do believe Late Romans used leather armours.
The other image is the study for a colorized verison of the same subject.


Catalaunian Fields, Magister Militum Falvius Aetius, holding the hill on the left of the battlefield,
it's the last battle of the Last of the Romans, where history turns into legend and legend meets the roots of Western Civilization.


Here I've tried to depict the Magister Militum Falvius Aetius with his Hunnic Bucellarii
just before entering the room to talk with the emperor and where he was barbarously and treacherously murdered by the emperor himself,
whose name I don't write because I think the assassins' name is negligible.


Gaul, V century AD: Legio Pseudo Comitatensis Romanenses. Strictly speaking this man is still fighting for Rome,
actually he is fighting for his home, his family and his land, I don't know if technically he is still a Roman soldier, what counts for me it's that he's still fighting.
My main interest here it was the helmet, it's built on the Late Roman exemplar known as Intercisa, but it's the local interpretation of the subject,
Roman History is turning into Medieval History, as Gaul is ready to become France.

DARK AGES GERMANS:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This is a study from the famous 'Silver Dish' belonging to the end of the VI, found at 'Isola Rizza' near Verona, on the dish is sculpted a combat scene between two foot warriors and a mounted heavy knight covered by a segmented armor.
The kind armor shown on the dish has been never found, but probably existed, nobody knows who is the mounted warrior probably a Byzantine or a Langobard. I adapted slightly the equipment to the mid of the VII century, with stirrups, and boots typical of the Carolingian age, I also added a bow a sword and a long seax to the panoplia of the mounted warrior, the prototype of the later medieval knight. Of course I prefer the idea that the cavalryman is a Langobard.....


Pannonia, spring of the year 568 AD, this man is a Langobard 'Arimannus' a free man and a warrior, he is armed with a long spear, a shield and an axe, he and his people are ready to enter in Italy, starting the last invasion of the Peninsula, from the Venetian border; his life will change forever, a new fatherland at the end of the longest migration of all the Germanic tribes, from the first till the sixth century, the langobards marched across Europe, from Scandinavia to the Italian border, always fighting and always leaving the lands in which they were previously settled. The new land will mean a new life, but also new moral values, and probably it will be necessary adopting a new religion, the Christian religion of the Romans.
So, I tried to represent this moment of transition and change: our warrior is still Pagan, and he has painted his shield with an old pagan symbol the 'triquetra' and he is watching the result of his painting work, meanwhile he is thinking to the new religion that his King and many of the Langobard dukes have now adopted.....he is very perplexed: 'How can this Christ save us from the Rangrok at the end of the times, when he wasn't even able to save himself from the Romans?', the old ways were better..... so even if the King is now christian our warrior has painted his shield using the old symbols: '....having to start a so dangerous deed, it's more safe remaining with the old Gods, then we will see...'
The Roman column isn't the only broken thing here, also the cultural and moral identity of the winners is now almost broken, we always see the fall of the Roman Empire as a tragic event representing the end of the Ancient World but we don't think that also the so called 'winners' were losing great part of their world....the meeting between two worlds, the Greek-Roman Civilization and the Germanic Culture was not easy for anyone.



Liguria year 645 AD.: they are four years since the last stronghold belonging to the Byzantine Exarchate in North Western Italy has fallen, now the Langobard Kingdom of Italy, under the rule of King Rotari, controls all the Tyrrhenian lands of the North of the Peninsula, the Archibishop of Milan, who escaped in Genoa at the moment of the invasion in the year 568, returns to Milan, the first Italian Kingdom is now normalized and relatively safe.
The Langobards have now settled in the Ligurian mounatins their 'Fare' (clans or family groups), controlling closely all the lands from Tuscany up to the border of the Kingdom of Franks.
This Gasindius, a noble follower of a Lombard Duke, displays a sword, a long spear, a 'scramasax' (long seax) hanging from the typical belt of the time of the Migrations, he is protected by a short Burnia of scales and he wears a lamellar helmet of Eastern origin, like those found at Niederstotzingen. In the background you can see a fortified house, called 'Sala', probably built over what remained of a Roman or Byzantine Watch-tower, possibly this structure will develop into one of the hundreds of castles that are characteristic of medieval Italian landscape.


North-Eastern Border of the Langobard Kingdom of Italy, that is, Venetia; the war with the Byzantines never pauses, in this environment the heads are a not just a precious trophy .. but also an important part of a sacred ritual to appease the souls of the fallen enemies.


Friuli, 568 AD., King Alwin leads the Langobard people in Italy. This is a Gasindius of the King, wonderful (and very complex to draw) lamellar armor of Avar influence, long Scramasax, laced to the second belt of Hunnic and Avar influence, the sword has two rings on the pommel (loyalty rings?)...this was my first sketch about the Italian Langobards.


Year 754 AD, the army of Pepin the Short, is campaigning in Italy fighting against the Langobards, the Franks defeat the troops of the Langobard King Astolfo, at the Chiuse di Susa, it's not the end that shall come in 774, but it may be considered the beginning of end.......
Side note: I deeply love the Carolingian version of late Roman 'Ridge Helmets'.


The Langobard Kingdom of Italy has fallen, Charlemagne conquered Italy and in the Christmas Night of the year 800 AD, he was crown in Rome Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Now fourty years are passed, the grandsons of Charlemagne are fighting between themselves for the Empire, Lotharius is Emperor and Rex Langobardorum, but he is losing the war.
Today in Argentoratum, the other two brothers, who are allied against Lotharius, shall take a solemn oath called 'Oath of Strasbourg' in wich they swear alliance and mutual help against Lotharius, the document is considered the first text in a Romance Language: The French.
This 'Miles' or 'Caballarius' is a Langobard Gasindius, he is now armed like any Carolingian Knight, but something of the old Langobard tradition still remains: The Long Sax called 'Scramasax' very useful when used by a mounted warrior, and the spear of Langobard origin.
For painters (Amelianus I talking with you my dear friend!): Helmet painted in quarters yellow and red.
Strips on the tunic (maybe subarmalis??? Probably they are!): Red and white.
Schield (here not visible) painted red and withe, with a red and white flower in the centre.
From the astonishing (and wonderful and incredible and almost like the Baieux Tapestry) IX century mosaic in the monastery of Bobbio.

Feel free to do whatever you want with these pics, if you think using them for your Mod, do it! if you want to download and upload them elsewhere, do it! If you want make sex watching them, do it!
Feel free to leave your comments (OK, it's useless repeating this concept for I know that when you say "Please leave your comments" usually people do the exact opposite, but it's a must in this kind of threads, so ..), I would like very much discussing the matter with you guys.
Consider that I haven't yet added full comments to the pics, there is just one line of text that says nothing, but in the next days I'll try to add more informations to each pic, especially the sources I used and the original exemplars of equipment which inspired my work.


In the next update I'll add the Germanic warriors to finish the job.

[Araval]

Nice screens!

[Diocle]

Thanks for your words and for having discovered this place, Araval!

I'm still adding screens and maybe one day I'll be able to put here even some Allies' goodies, I just need to play more games with them, but the Panzers are so cool and they make life easy ...

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Those are amazing screenshots, Diocle - and I see what you mean about the old photograph quality they all have. They are very immersive. I may have to join you online for a game or two!!

[Skyn0s]

Hi Diocle,

Really good work on these screenshots, really great quality of immersion really.
I must admit the first time i saw your gallery, i didn't read it was screenshots and i thought that it was old photographes, the way how to say to you that it is an interesting work !

See you around ! +rep

Skyn0s / Seb

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

You've always done fantastic screenshots, especially of RTW and M2TW and their mods, and I must say I look forward to more.

I really like how many of these images appear as if they could have come straight out of WWII itself. Really a fantastic job.

[naxzul666]

Superb pictures and very nice effects B&W !

[Diocle]

Thank you very, very, very much, my dear friends!
I'm glad you like my pics, you know, when I was a child I still remember my dad printing photos in a dark room, for me as child it was like an alchemic miracle, a form of magic, I remember the light, touching the paper just for few istants, and then, my dad, immersed the paper into the chemical liquid and, as a miracle, slowly the image was borning under my eyes, I didn't understand why this was happening, but, I understood it was a an artistic and a magic moment. So here I'm trying to replicate that phenomenon turning an electronic image into that old pics, borning on the surface of a chemical emulsion! Thanks really thanks for your comments.


@naxzul666: every single word by a man and an Artist like you is for me a priceless treasure! Merci beaucoup mon Seigneur!
You are right: the effects are absolutely fun, I think that the main point is the focus, we need to create the feeling of the natural defocusing of the peripheral subjects of the image due to natural movement and to the limits of the optic of the photo camera, so this is what I'm trying to do using effects. Also we need some texture simulating the chemical process of birth of the old (wonderful) photos on the paper. Then I work on light, as if the pics were taken on the battlefield, without taking too much care about the exposition's times.


Side note: Added a pic in the Russian deadly frozen snow.

[Arkay]

Awesome work, they do look real. Complimenti, una meglio dell'altra!

[Diocle]

Good Saturnalia to you all, my beloved TWC's comrades! I've started to add some of my Avatars to the second post of this thread, I decided to start with Romans, AttilaTW is coming, so, Rome is very fashionable today!

They are not masterpieces I've made them just for fun, they are not animated and they are simply images I loved very much. When I've begun to make avatars they were intended only for personal use, but then the fun was too great and I continued to add new ones, so why not sharing them? Maybe some of you guys will like them, at least this is the hope.

Again, Good Saturnalia to you guys!

[Diocle]

Today I've added four new screens from Company of Heroes 2, you'll find them under the last spoiler named "CoH2, Eastern Front, new pics" on the opening post of this thread; as you have seen, my main interest it's making the screens so that they look like old pics taken on the battlefield, and I find the CoH2's engine absolutely perfect for this kind of work.
I hope you'll like them, in the next weeks I'll try to add more pics, I want to remember the work of the community of CoH2 and in particular the mappers, they are doing an astonishing work!

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Great additions - and I never saw the avatar pics before - wonderful!

[Diocle]

Thanks praeclarus, they are old but I like them all.

I noticed that the imperial purple is well suited to the colour of your nick and this is awesome! Great choice!

[The Roman Republic]

Some very impressive shots, I especially like the last one!

[Lifthrasir]

Some very impressive shots, I especially like the last one!

Fully agree

[RNV]

Great work Diocle! +rep

If you don't mind I'll use one of your avatars!

[Diocle]

Thanks guys! Thanks RNV, I'm honoured by your choice.

You've chosen one of my preferred avatars! Catilina, from the painting by Cesare Maccari ( 9 May 1840 – 7 August 1919) for Palazzo Madama, the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy (and then of the republic) in Rome.
I love this painting, it gives a deep feeling about the political concept of "isolation", there is something tragic, disturbing and even great, in the tragic political-psychological and physical isolation of Catilina, great painting!
Good choice!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[RNV]

It's one of my favourite paintings too

By the way: I'm a huge fan of your posts here! Long live the Emperah!