Isometric Nostromo WIP

 

As part of my Fallout: Australis nonesense, I started drawing isometric map assets for online play. And then I decided that an iso version of The Nostromo would be fun. Still not finished, but pretty close. Have individual map elements for all of the ship except cargo bay and cockpit.

R2-R9: Part The First

Being the nerd that I am, I've always wanted to have an R2 of some variety.  Seeing as I now have a shop, and it needed a suitably ridiculous trashcan, the plan was set.

Started things with wood scraps left over from building my workbenches.  I had been collecting reference for r2 unit dimensions for a while; mine is pretty close to actual size.  Ended up being the correct diameter, but an inch'n a half too tall (or will be, once the dome is complete).  As always, I'm much more interested in something having the right vibe than being super-accurate.  Split the body into 2 sections just to make sure I had a lot of material built up to attach the legs to.

 Loosely skinned the base with fairly thick plastic sheet to give the foam something to adhere to over the entire surface, then skinned the cylinder with foam. Drew out my reference marks & started super-glueing cut styrene sheet in the appropriate spots.  Used a couple different thicknesses; all from plastic signage bought at Lowe's(cheaper than buying sheet styrene).  Used a double-layer of foam on the leg connectors, wrapped around short sections of super-sturdy cardboard tube, which was then all glued in.  Cut the holes for leg connections, each is a short piece of plumbing pipe with a flange at either end.  Flanges to be screwed into the interior of the cylinder and into the inside of each leg.

Glued more scraps together for the legs, cut the top curve on the bandsaw, and proceeded to skin 'em in foam  Left 'em long, wasn't sure of the final length needed since I didn't know what angle the legs would be placed at.  More foam, more bits added.

   Above pic on the right: can see the yellow plastic I used to cover up the ridiculous gouges I put in the foam while attempting a different type of cylinder attachment.  Looked super-dodgy before paint, but evened out really well overall.  Also, in the bottom right of that shot you can see the base woodblock+pvc pipe structure that goes on the inside of each foot.  I chose to forgo the cables linking that part of the feet to the legs.  Coated all the foam in multiple layers of watered-down pva glue, with lots of fine sanding in-between coats, followed by a thorough layer of plasti-dip.  Also set the angle of the legs & permanently attached feet.

 On to paint!  Covered the whole thing with 2 cans of a darkish red plastic-friendly spray paint.  Followed that with detail painting...other colors are silver and white, which created their own set of problems.

  The other colors were all hand-painted...and they all needed multiple coats.  I think it was 5 coats for the white, followed by 2 layers of black undercoat for the metal bits, then FINALLY the metals.  Which also took several coats.  I was anxious to get the base colors done, because then I got to make a huge mess distressing it all.  Discovered that given the color scheme, my distressing options were a bit limited, had to stick to much darker hues overall.  But I did manage to get some battery-acid-style leaks in a couple spots, and the panel lines popped out better than I was expecting.

So there we go.  My 1st attempt at the dome was a complete failure, attempt #2 was much better but still a little wonky.  I may just go ahead and finish the dome as it is.  We'll see.  I don't think I'll really be able to do better and still make it out of foam (which was part of the point of this exercise; to push what I know how to do with this material).  Dome/lid mechanism will be part of the second installment.

4 pages done...

1st 4 interior pages done.  8 to go, 2 of which are currently in-progress.  All of 'em planned out already.  Front/back covers already done.  I am getting there.

propwork

...making stuff for MWMag Digest today.  6 hours to go!

4 days to go!

two more WIP bits:

Also, have snookered Miss Rubi Kayobi to be a model for MWMag Digest.  Been waiting for something where our projects overlapped, thrilled it finally happened.

Check out Update #9 here.

MWMag Added Content!

added a MWMag DIGEST to the backer rewards, will be a sampling of features from the magazine, available by way of redeeming proofs-of-purchase from the trading cards.

...and now for something completely different...

This spring I've been working on our workshop - drywall, paint, and building workbenches.  I am not a handy fellow, so it's been a comedy of errors the whole way.  Any time not spent on drawing/MWMag has been spent in the workshop for the last couple months.

So as soon as MWMag went live on kickstarter, I started a new thing in the workshop.  I've always wanted a 1950's-working-man's version of Mjolnir (yes, really).  I've seen so many amazing builds made from EVA foam, and i had never worked with it myself.  There we go: new project!

I decided to make the entire thing outta foam...this is basically one huge block of it.  Used some styrene tube I had leftover for interior support.  Photo above is the pieces before assembly.  The striking surfaces, the main block (2 pieces), and the handle are all separate.  Handle has styrene rod running the length of it, and the foam of the handle continues into the main block.

Cut channels into the two halves of the main block with a dremel, then packed in some apoxysculpt (air-cure putty/sculpting material.  Cures solid, great stuff) before final glue.  Added cross-supports to the styrene rod...this combined with the apoxysculpt means the handle will not be moving inside that foam block, either side-to-side or to fall out.  What I didn't plan well was the handle support rod....the styrene is too flexible, and there's space inside for it to move.  Makes the whole thing wobbly.

Basic assembly - handle secured, striking surfaces and main block permanently attached.  As with so many of my projects, this is all an experiment, and there isn't a single angle on this that is correct.  But it has the right sort of look, so I'm still pleased.  As a bonus, I now understand how to correctly level and square my hand-me-down bandsaw.  Viva la progress,

I added a collar ring at the handle/main block juncture, added a handle extension on the top of the block, and heat-pressed a manufacturing logo on the side.  Had a custom rubber stamp made of my design, worked out...okay.  I'll be changing some things if'n I do this again, but it's great for a first attempt.

"Brokkr & Sindri MFG" being the foundry of the two dwarves who made mjolnir, naturally.  Please excuse the scorchmarks...heating this large an area was a bit of a challenge.

Two light coats of watered-down pva glue followed by two heavier/thicker coats, followed by 320-grit sanding, followed by specific planes getting multiple heavier coats to fill gaps (where the 1/2 inch-thick layers of foam began to separate from heat), and here we are.  Have some more planes to recoat, then will follow with another fine sanding, cleaning, then a few layers of plasti-dip and paint.

...more fake advertising

...and the absurd image-dump continues...

unfinished stuff

I really have been working.  Life has been trying to get me so as always, I'm drawing/painting my way out of the hole.  Lost a few weeks along the way, but that's to be expected.  So.

All of these are in-progress, btw.  Top is a a straight copy of a pulp cover for practice (and to decipher that style of painting), then a bit for some fake advertising, then yet another Monster Women piece.

practice

Cacodaemon

Sleepy Oni Presents "A Personal Demon:  Cacodaemon".  A 13-piece (in)action figure, 'bout 7" high.  Ball joints at head, neck, shoulders & wings;  pin joints at elbows, wrists & hips.  Mold-making begins tomorrow(!).

Another crazy experiment...

in-progress

...and here's something in-progress. Jut a few hours in, lots of refining to go.

more practice

Unknown japanese science-hero team member.  Probably from a TV show.  More practice, but this time reflections.  I've got a painting of Robot Maria (Metropolis) I'm trying to figure out...that's a lot of shiny metal to paint.  Spent about one working day on this total.

Waiting for test print...

And that's one more layout done.  Test of the ME cover is being manufactured right now, have to see how the colors print before I can move ahead.  If it goes well, will have a bona fide project completed in the next couple of weeks...and can start to pick up speed on an etsy storefront.  Perhaps.  I've also designed some fine endpapers for the inside covers.  PROGRESS!

Airports and practice

Worked on this whilst waiting on planes.  Or on planes.

  From a Katie West self-portrait.  That girl seems incapable of taking a bad photo.  Anyways, good practice.

old & unfinished

Donny Vomit

Pretty pleased with this one, thus far at least.  2 & 1/2 hours or so.  Working from a spectacular photo, as always. 
For anyone who hasn't heard me raving 'bout 'em, Donny Vomit is the emcee for the Pretty Things Peepshow.  Burlesque and sideshow, absurdly entertaining.

spent a little more time on it.  But just a little.  Did switch to the tablet & ArtRage, though.

unfinished...stuff.

In light of some GREAT FUCKING NEWS, may I present some unfinished artworks:

1st of a series of half-assed stuff, trying to get a better feel for Sketchbook - some custom brushes, etc.

..and more of a similar nature.  Although this is pretty much a straightahead rip from the press photo.  'Cuz the Red Skull is awesome.

1st pass

First pass at another Shadowrun character.  Looks way too lopsided & vampire-like.  But hey, that's what the first pass is for, right?  Also trying to keep things rougher, looser.  I'm hoping I can end up with a bona fide action shot, something that has some energy.