Aanker's Art

[Lifthrasir]

I like the 2 last one. The pencil style is very good

[Aanker]

Not bad Aanker but would you mind to elaborate on the literary background of the images, that is beyond the stub captions?

Thanks Paleo, do you mean the techniques used to make them or the basis for the art in terms of the universe?

If it's the latter it takes place in a universe I've been creating episodically from when I was around 10-11 years old. Of course, it has changed much since then, but its roots can be traced back to a few ink scribbles I jotted down in elementary school.

The present iteration is a sort of anti-fantasy fantasy world; it was developed as a reply to the perpetual medieval stasis, knights, dragons and absence of political ideology, industry and technological progress. The 'main' faction of the world is the so-called Republic of Man, a massive superstate that can be described as a mid to late-1800s French 'Roman' Empire on 'roids. The Republic of Man rules over an area roughly analogous to Europe and Asia Minor combined in size and population, ecompassing the religiously orthodox and magic-embracing northwestern dark forests of Noven, to the economically blooming sun-bathed Altarlands in the south, and finally the political and industrial epicentre near the capital, Servain.

While some traditional universes place humans in peril, mankind is the peril in this near-modern world. The once powerful Argell - a warlike race of half-giants whose martial prowess make them a fearsome adversary in melee - are driven back by a combination of rampant disease, inner conflict and the drumlike pounding artillery salvos of the Mountain Legions. In the west and elsewhere, magicians are hunted down to suppress their supposedly corrupting influence on society.

But of course, the future of the Republic of Man is uncertain, threatened as it is from ascendant foes around its fringes (including Vessia, the Teldan Kingdom and others), and the birth of distinct and destructive ideological forces. The provinces were once held together by the divine mandate of the Emperor. But the last Emperor abdicated in disgrace, and the legitimate provisional government that was installed in his stead was overthrown by disenfranchised generals. And it's from that point and onward that I'd like to write a story someday, but with studies and everything I haven't really had the time to get into the meaty gritty bits of writing the plotlines down just yet

I hope to one day. But until then, the universe is only manifest through drawings and maps. Here's a slice of one such map:

[paleologos]

That pretty much answers my question.
I can't help remarking that if you dilute your time between everything non imaginative (that is AFK) and the literature of it and the illustration of it, it may take you forever to produce something wholesome enough to publish.

[Aanker]

That pretty much answers my question.
I can't help remarking that if you dilute your time between everything non imaginative (that is AFK) and the literature of it and the illustration of it, it may take you forever to produce something wholesome enough to publish.

That's true, but I don't necessarily see the slowness of the procedure as something bad. Writing is partly about drawing from one's own experiences and understanding of humans to create novel characters and their personalities. And the more such experience and understanding one gathers, the more successful, I think, will be the portrayal of the ensuing characters. Furthermore, I'd rather prioritise my professional source of income before an all-or-nothing gambit. And until I'm finished with my studies and have settled down for a bit, I can do other productive things related to the universe

[Lifthrasir]

Gather some good modders and make a mod based on that universe
I'm sure it can get his fans.

[Aanker]

Watcher of the Deep

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"The southern oceans are perilous indeed. Near the landmass known as Lurien, the South Pole Anomaly bulges out and ensnares ships in its confusing grasp. In these waters, compasses are of no use, and even the stars may prove unreliable tools of navigation as the night sky is distorted and flogged by ribbons of eerie green light. Nevertheless, the promise of diamonds, opal and ivory are enticing enough to bring captains through these waters anyway. And sometimes, the great nations of Man see fit to send their ships of war through the Straits of Stormfall. One such expedition, led by the ironclad CRS Legionnaire, met a gruesome fate at the hands of a mysterious creature. Only one member of its crew survived to tell the tale. Supposedly, the beast rose up from the ocean as though it had been at vigil on its bottom, and immediately unleashed its massive claws on the vessel, tearing through steel, wood, and men. Once its work was done, the creature returned to the waves, leaving nothing but wreckage and severed corpses in its wake."

[paleologos]

This is some dark fantasy, mate.
The nearest part of the creature does not show it's shape in this image and the bioluminescence of it is too intense.
The furthest part can easily be made out to be a claw (like that in a lobster) and the lights are closer to what a living creature could give off.
I like the ironclad, though the man figure makes it look smallish in comparison.
Otherwise another good piece of work.

[Admiral Van Tromp]

This is great work, as usual!

If I have one critique, it's that the upper masts and the claw could be better differentiated as foreground/background elements. I think this could be solved by adding some fog or having the claw contrast less with the sky (no expert here ).

As for the light, paleologos, perhaps it's not meant to be a living creature exactly...

[Aanker]

Oh hey I'm back! Naturally thanks for the previous feedback guys! Here are two new Dwarven dieselpunk-esque pictures for you to look at:

Shieldbreaker Tank Hunter

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"Twin-engined, covered in protective runes and carrying a heavy calibre cannon into battle, the Dwarven Shieldbreaker inspires dread in any commander on the ground. Those invading the mountainous homeland of the Dwarven Empire will have to be vigilant, for the tank hunter wings of the Dwarven aerial forces prowl the valleys looking for easy prey."

Shieldbearer Tank Destroyer

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"The Dwarven Empire, beset as it is on all sides by intruders who seek forbidden passage into the mountain realms, often finds itself fighting on the defensive. Its forces entrench themselves in the mountainsides and guard the many fortified entrances into the subterranean domain. For combat under such circumstances, in narrow corridors and pillared hallways, turrets are superfluous. Based on the ubiquitous Vault Sentry tracked chassis, the Shieldbearer is the most common type of Dwarven tank destroyer. The Shieldbearer, despite its name, does more than absorb damage with its heavy frontal armour. The long 120 mm Dragonlance anti-tank cannon delivers a menacing firepower, whilst a small compartment at the rear of the vehicle allows it to carry a compliment of ten mechanised infantrymen. The infantry in the picture are Mountain Shock Troops, the most elite formation in the ranks of the Imperial Dwarven Army."

[Katsumoto]

Awesome as always.

[Lifthrasir]

Seconded here

Should the back/rear parts of the plane be slightly 'blurry' to increase the feeling of speed?

[Cookiegod]

I like your drawings. Your plane is based on either a Me410 or a HS129, right? Just with stubbed wings and changed tails. Your tank destroyer looks almost like a Jagdpanzer IV with a paintjob, snowplow and a dome.

Did you draw it all digitally or also on hand? and what was your process?

[paleologos]

+1 from me too!

[Aanker]

Awesome as always.

Thanks man!

Seconded here

Should the back/rear parts of the plane be slightly 'blurry' to increase the feeling of speed?

That’s probably just me being sloppy towards a less interesting area of the airframe, granted it was difficult to figure out how light would reflect onto the tail, what with the tapering and the sharp angle produced along the ’spine’ of the structure.

I like your drawings. Your plane is based on either a Me410 or a HS129, right? Just with stubbed wings and changed tails. Your tank destroyer looks almost like a Jagdpanzer IV with a paintjob, snowplow and a dome.

Did you draw it all digitally or also on hand? and what was your process?

That’s correct! Throw in a bit of Beaufighter there too (mostly nose and front fuselage) and you have all the designs that influenced the Shieldbreaker. The tank destroyer draws more on the Jagdpanther (see suspension & wheel arrangement) but the angles of the casemate turned out less shallow than intended so now it looks more like a Kanonenjagdpanzer to me.

They’re digital productions, with a tablet, no filters or weird imported textures though. I do concept exploration by hand in sketchbooks, then draw a rough digital sketch & work from there. I’ve made a few watercolours as well however.

+1 from me too!

Thanks!

[Cookiegod]

I suspected the tail to have been from the Beauclair.

Noob question: How do you get the proportions/angles right?

[Aanker]

I suspected the tail to have been from the Beauclair.

Noob question: How do you get the proportions/angles right?

I would say it comes down to two things, each being of about equal importance. First off, familiarity with drawing airplanes/mechanical constructions. Just having drawn and observed a lot of aircraft rends a natural sense of scale and proportion whilst drawing the same objects, perhaps due to subconsciously directly referencing pictures that I have seen previously or due to the more abstract appreciation of the shapes and lines blending together in a way that makes sense for the subject matter. Secondly, vanishing points. Especially for objects with a lot of right angles and straight lines (most machinery). Don't forget that vanishing points can be off picture.

[Cookiegod]

I know about vanishing points in principle. I don't really know how to do that in reality though.
I have a graphic tablet, just not talent to use it with. Not anywhere near your skill level.

Do you do this professionally or have you learned this somewhere? Or are you self-taught?

[Aanker]

I know about vanishing points in principle. I don't really know how to do that in reality though.
I have a graphic tablet, just not talent to use it with. Not anywhere near your skill level.

Do you do this professionally or have you learned this somewhere? Or are you self-taught?

I'd definitely check the technique out because it helps a lot with scaling objects, especially ones that consist of parallell lines (such as buildings, aircraft etc)! I'm entirely self-taught, so the process of learning is slower and mostly down to trial by error, but it's also sweet to see the gradual progress being made from one piece to the other. The simplest recommendation I can make is to draw loads and then the skill will come naturally hand in hand with that. I particularly recommend trying out challenging compositions and scenes, like ones with loads of things going on and tiny details, that's how I learned most of my stuff anyway.

[cedric37]

Superb, I especially like the feeling of it, this mix of warhammer and modern warfare, well done mate !