Sup /m/, I'm sitting here sketching a few ideas for a mecha

>>14440352
are you going for a grotesque design or are you going for a sleek and sexy design?

Cause right now it's just a bit of both and it looks mildly ugly and tame.

>>14440379

Grotesque and mechanical - if that makes sense

>>14440408
yeah well you're doing it wrong by taking inspiration from Eva, there's much freakier shit out there

>>14440438

Care to elaborate on that?

>>14440352
How old are you? Not trolling, serious question.

Your art's pretty good btw. Looks like something from Narutaru.

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>>14440455

>>14440464

20. Not familiar with animes, only mainstream ones.
And thanks.

>>14440352
Oh man, that's good. I would try drawing it from different angles just to fully flesh out the design, but I seriously love this. Might be a biiit too close to the MP Evas, so I'd try to differentiate it a bit from them to avoid copyright stuff.

I myself enjoy drawing biomechanics mecha and reptilian monsters, but most of my drawings are pretty sloppy

For what is worth, the first thing that came to mind when I saw the picture before reading the post was Unit 2.

>>14440474
I'm saying this as a fan of Nihei, but I think Eva and the inspiration OP has taken from it is creepier. It's also dependent on context; one fits where the other doesn't.

>>14440485
I have a feeling you would enjoy the art in Getter Robo Go and Shin Getter robo. Not as sleek, but definitely has that creepy biomechanical feel to it

>>14440474
Cool, where's this taken from? Looking for inspirational material.

there's a drawthread, dude.

>>14440498
It's right in the filename

>>14440498
Filename.

>>14440498
it's from BLAME!
it's pretty much required reading for anyone even remotely interested in manga.

>>14440501
People have started threads for less.

>>14440502

nm, maybe there isn't. but there usually is.

>>14440492
Yeah, I do see that aswell. Will definetly change the head, that was just scribled on in a hurry. A mech with a fucking snake-tounge doens't make much sense...

>>14440485
Anybody have the usual rec chart for this guy? Not on my usual computer and there are some things he'd probably like. Another mecha drawfriend would be nice to have around.

>>14440504
I think Blame! is a good influence on any aspiring comic or manga artist in general, especially since it tends to inspire people to make interesting architecture in their stuff.

For me it made me pay much more attention to the various styles of architecture in both fictional works and real life.

>>14440511
The is.

>>14440514
I agree about the head, but the snake tongue- that could work.

>>14440519
There is*

>>14440514
T.B.H I think the tongue looks great, maybe it'd be better if it wasn't forked though.

>>14440494
there's still a big problem with OP's design: it has a weird inelegant morphology, but it's drawn with smooth, sleek and aerodynamic shapes, which really weakens it as far as monstrosity is concerned.

Monstrous designs are at their best when they look very inelegant, tortuous and knotty. And this is largely incompatible with the "sports car design" of Evas.

>>14440528
I actually disagree completely, but it's not really a point that can be argued, it just comes down to preference.

OP here, will definetly check out Blame!, looks interesting.

I'm also thinking about a plot/story as well. It's really vague and out there but so far I'm thinking something along the path of soliders controlling these things in a command-center somewhere inside the mechs body (eva much, I know) but as the AI of the mechs evolve, some of them become aware of their existence, discovers that there are people literally inside their head, controlling their body and ultimately starts to rip themselves to shreds to get the soliders/pilots/whatever out of their head. Ultimately the story ends with a war between the "enslaved" mechs and the sentient mechs wich just destroys everything, mankind fucks up as usual, yada yada yada...
Any thoughts on this?

>>14440529
Yes it's a point that can be argued and no it doesn't come down to preference.

Sleek and aerodynamic is elegant, it suggests ease, fluidity and health.
In order to make something look actually monstrous you need to make it look like it was built or grown wrong. I can see that sort of being the case with the arms on OP's design, since they look like they don't fit in with the rest, but if you remove the arms you end up with a somewhat outlandish but perfectly sensible alien predator. Not with a creepy monster.

>>14440528
The thing about that sleek design of the evas and my drawing was that they looked more organic than you average Gundam. They give of the feeling that there's more than metal and lights hiding beneath the surface and I wanted to project that onto my design.

>>14440531
honestly that's a pretty good plot.

>>14440548
It can work as a base, but if that's the whole thing, it'll be rubbish and done within 100 pages.

>>14440546
yeah I get that, but if you check out the stuff mentioned in this thread (Blame! and Shin Getter Robo) you'll see that there are much much creepier ways to design organic-looking mechs than by taking inspo from Eva.

>>14440550
Meaning, the idea I presented should be built upon with other minor plots throughout the story, regarding the characters interests and development and whatnot.

>>14440550
it'd still make a nice one-shot, but I agree that it's the kind of stomach-churning existential horror that requires a lot of development to come to fruition.

>>14440544
Why can't something be sleek and creepy? Vampires are creepy. Devilman is creepy.

>>14440554
Yeah, got the sense of that. Will definetly implement something from those series as well in my future concepts.

>>14440554
There's nothing wrong with taking inspiration from Eva.

>>14440531
oh yeah that reminds me; there's that untranslated manga where some mech pilots with PTSD end up believing that they are their mechs.
if you can sort of include that notion into your story (where the mech would also believe that the pilot is his brain) it could make for some really gruesome shit if the pilot ends up snapping out of it.

>>14440561
they aren't creepy. They're predatory, they're cool, they're things you would want to look like.
They evoke a sense of danger but not a sense of unease and disgust.

>>14440566
depending on your intents, there is.

>>14440531
>and ultimately starts to rip themselves to shreds to get the soliders/pilots/whatever out of their head.
That seems like a one-time thing that could only happen in the heat of the moment of the mecha discovering its pilots. So maybe the first sentient mecha does that to show that they don't particularly enjoy being controlled, while other awakened mecha start making unauthorized actions and disobeying/delaying orders, slowly reaching a point where they can coordinate with each other to rebel. Not like Berserk Mode in EVA, I mean like what you would do if you found out little aliens sometimes hopped inside your chest cavity and you wanted to escape. So at first, it seems no different than a mechanical malfunction, but they're really learning how to bypass the control system, etc. You could use that to maximize drama with the humans, who have to deal with the external threat AND internal danger of losing their one and only defense.

>>14440577
>>14440566
Inversely, the pilot imprinting on the mech and it eerily aping his human actions could be something.

>>14440577
Hmmm yeah, if I can find a way, that would be awesome to put in there.

>>14440582
Are you sure about that man? I for one would not wish to look like devilman.

>>14440582
>>14440584
This comes solely down to opinion.

>>14440593
he's got kind of an ugly face when Nagai is drawing him, but that's about it. He's got a perfectly toned, muscular body, cool wings and fins, and when he's drawn by Whatshisface who made that Monkey King manga, he looks magnificent.

>>14440595
No it doesn't, I explained you why in great detail.

>>14440604
Yes, you explained your opinion very well.

>>14440613
Here's something that might come as a shock to you: sometimes, opinions are accurate.

>>14440587
Fuch yeah dude, I was thinking about the idea of their AI evolving, almost like a human grows up. The OS used in each mech is constantly hooked up to the solider, which more or less lives inside the mech (like a parasite). If the pilot isn't inside the mech, it's obviously shut off.
But yeah, the thought of some of them slowly becoming "alive" through purpously haywiring is really cool and could possibly have a really creepy vibe to it if executed properly.
And of course, if the situation is the fact that these mechs are more powerful than any tank, fighter jet or battleship, the thought of losing them would be terrifying!

Was also thinking that different nations would have these mechs, at least the most powerful nations. So not only would it be a battle between humans and their enslaved mechs but on top of that, the attack from other nations mechs at the same time. It would be mayhem!

>>14440588
You mean the mech imitating it's pilots movements without any command?

I think it's time for OP to watch Genocyber, there's some great designs in there.

>>14440639
Yeah.

>>14440639
>>14440644
Even when the not in it, too.

>>14440642
Its not great narrative or story wise, but its designs are quite good. Worth a look I think.

>>14440613
There's a reason people take design classes and why we don't call the S Gundam "sleek". Certain aspects of design actually evoke specific thoughts in 99% of humans. It's why we have different styles and why brutalism is different than modernist or Victorian or Gothic styles. If you really want to ignore it you can, but he's not wrong.

Now, there is always a point where you can overdo some aspect to the point of looking alien, but sleekness generally does not coincide with monsters. Look at Lord of the Rings. The Elves wear sleek, cool armor because elves are the best race ever and shitty orcs wear square spikey garbage because they're monsters.

>>14440657
It has the story it needs to have.

>>14440642
Will do.

>>14440662
Yes, that's all completely true. MP Evas are still creepy. The Boreal Dancer is still creepy, for the first example I can think of.

>>14440675
they're only creepy during the scenes where you get a glimpse of what's underneath the super-cool shark / ferrari / track runner -looking surface.

Or maybe if you compare them to a traditional blocky mecha without having ever seen something like it before I guess.

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Just shooting the shit with head designs at the moment. Thinking of the idea of exposed teeth but I can't come up with a legit reason as to why that would exist on a machine. Also, this thing has hollow eyes and a hollow area behind it teeths, giving it an almost skull-like appearance, which I kinda liked.
What do you guys consider a scary head/face?

>>14440675
the boreal dancer is creepy IN SPITE of being graceful, because it's usually forced into an inelegant crouching hunched posture, has grimy textures all over, and is lit in a spooky way.

it looks like something that might have been beautiful but is now ruined. I'm not getting that from the Evas or from OP's design.

>>14440691
that's a pretty nice design. Maybe replace the teeth with vents that happen to look like teeth and you're good to go.

>>14440688
Not to mention the Dancer is mostly creepy in the way it moves. The actual creepy parts of the design (for both the Dancer and MP EVA) are grotesque rather than sleek, and the contrast against the sleekness shifts it into an uncanny, uncomfortable area.

>>14440691
General Grievous, is that you?

It's alright, and I mean this in a constructive way, but it doesn't really say "creepy spooky humanoid mecha" to me. It just doesn't have that pop. I wish I could describe it better but I'll just piggyback onto another anon who is able to describe the faults I see better than I can. Not bad, but not quite fitting for what I'm imagining, at least.

>>14440699
Great idea! Duly noted!

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you can make something sleek look creepy but it has to be REALLY misshapen.

>>14440717
That's the opposite of sleek though. Once you go into tendrils and pointy bits and pipes (?) everywhere, the overall design isn't sleek.

>>14440723
it still looks like it's made of chitin and it's not that busy compared to mechanical designs.

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oh and let's not forget about the Therians

>>14440727
But look at the silhouette. There's a ton of shit on top of it. And >>14440730, too. We're not saying it has to be a brick but I would barely consider these sleek.

>>14440738
yeah the therians have a lot of gribblage (which is good since it evokes pustles and rot) I was just bringing them up as general inspo

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>>14440744
My mistake. Good choice though.

Here's a pic of Genocyber, by the way. Other anons were 100% right when suggesting it, I think it's what you're looking for in design philosophy.

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From Grievous to dead-snake-skull-thingie with a carbon fibre hat. Progress!

>>14440758
Yeah, this looks really good. Adding it to my list of series worth checking out for design inspiration!

>>14440352
For some reason, I feel that the thing needs a set of smokestacks sticking out of the back instead of vents.

>>14440784
Yeah, that could work as well. Can try that out as well.

There's also one other thing I'm wondering about. Size. How big should these things be? If they're supposed to almost destroy the earth through combat, theyd have to be pretty big and pack a lot of firepower, no?

>>14440803
>Firepower

Based off what's shown so far, these things seem to run hot, with smoke venting from the back and mouth. Maybe have a Breast Fire-like attack where it collects and fires the heat in a concentrated burst?

Also, along the same idea, have liquid coolant be dripping from the mouth, not oil.

>>14440759
As the one who made the grievous comment, I think both are actually good. Looking back at the other one, I think it could work. Keep going anon, these are good.

>>14440831

He could pull a betterman and have them fuck around with ultrasonic waves and shit, maybe generate tornadoes and shit or brown note the enemy army and have them collectively lose their lunch all over the place.

>>14440455
Makoto Kobayashi,the man does some creepy looking shit

Specifically designing something to be unsettling because of its grotesqueness isn't actually scary. On the subject of Nihei, there's a reason the black guana look different from the white guana, and the black guana are more threatening.

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>>14440352
>>14440515
Here it is, I'm still working my way through it

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>>14441184
OP, give some of Makoto Kobayashi's designs a try.

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>>14440352
Maybe have more of a Attack on Titan kind of feel, with a dark or black body color with dark red highlights for a more creepy look, and some back projections like Jet Alone, but more like shards or blades like Godzillas back spikes, and two fingers on each hand the split into 2 smaller fingers each.

>>14441409
okay that looks better

>>14440759
OP, you kinda suck at drawwing. If you're 20 you're gonna need to work harder on this shit cause you seem to have very little control over your pen.

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good inspo:
http://www.keiththompsonart.com/robots.html

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>>14443263
It's just a sketch, idiot.

Guyvers are technically powered armor.

>>14443294
it's still an extremely clumsy sketch that has no sense of balance or depth and an awkward penmanship.

If you want to do something creepy, think about things that creep you out for inspiration.

It doesn't feel like you want to actually design a mech of any kind. Creepy or not. I'd get familiar with automatons in life and fiction alike. Learn the form, see the recurring themes and pieces in these designs and stories, then warp the preconceptions. That, on its own, will definitely help set a "creepy" precedent for the familiar and unfamiliar alike.

tl;dr, get familiar with mech/robot designs and start small.

>>14443263
I don't think he's terrible, but there is some flaws with the robot(?)s balance and the arm length on each arm