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Description
After a handful of months, I finally finished this one. Depicted is a Drone rebel firing a makeshift plasma rifle, which was probably made from scrap metal and scavenged weaponry. The armor is also makeshift, consisting of custom made parts as well as plates of any deceased Hierarch soldiers defeated in battle. Though the design is not necessarily canon, it gives you an idea of what a well prepared rebel will wear into battle. Beneath the armor is a layer of "smart" mesh that can stop shrapnel, knives, and even most small arms fire (the fabric is comprised of a carbon nanotubes that rebound the incoming force instead of distributing it like most traditional bullet proof vests). The arms and neck are not protected by this fabric since the armor was scavenged (thick, black cloth is used instead; was probably found amdist the rubble), and is not the complete Hierarch Army grade battle dress. This is actually a rather heavily armored soldier, regardless of affiliation, and there are many that would simply wear a chest plate or gauntlet and fight without hesitation.

As for the scene itself, the Drone is actually running on the remains of a city walkway, now buried beneath the rubble of what was once a city block guarded by spires upon spires that towered over the horizon. The battle I attempted to portray is an important battle in the war, and was the defense that laid what are now the borders of the resistance. Surrounded, the rebel forces dispersed into four key locations nearly entire districts from one another, and regrouped at the heart of this perimeter. From there, they commandeered transport ships from an abandoned distribution center before sending an air raid toward the Hierarchy's artillery division. When the ships landed, they were met by more artillery than the Allied forces faced on D-Day. Skyscrapers toppled onto the battlefield, explosions ripped through the advancing rebel squads, and visibility was reduced to mere inches after only a few minutes. Ironically, this gave the much nimbler Drone rebels (who also had a handful of Shrieks and defected Workers in their ranks) a great advantage, so they accelerated their advance on the Hierarch artillery. Before the Hierarch Army knew what was happening (they had assumed the barrage had obliterated any opposition) they faced a charging mob of rebels attempting to overrun their position. The two forces clashed head on, some opening fire while others resorted to more violent methods (close-quarters combat is a hallmark of Formic warfare). When the dust settled, the rebels had been annihilated, but the Hierarchy suffered almost equal casualties, as if a rebel force had flanked the Hierarch soldiers during the battle (no records of such orders or actions are known) and destroyed the flak while the majority of forces were preoccupied with the main assault.

The painting took around 4-5 months, and was mostly done without sketchwork (I did basic lineart that I deviated from on a few details), and A VARIETY of brushes were put into use including Abstract Plasma (used to texture the metal), Clouds (smoke), Urban (symbol on chest), Reptile brushes (soft tissue of Drone around exposed neck area), GIMP 2.8 brushes, etc. No brushes were actually made by myself. The "laser" (it isn't a laser, but you know what I mean) was done with the faded circle brush that comes with GIMP by layering a neon green color with a smaller faded circle of white, then smudging them accordingly. Zoom blur filters were also used, and as always, I used the blur tool to add some dimension and motion to it. A new detail I added to my style is reflections. The reflections in this one shows the buildings ahead on the Drone's armor, so you can almost get a feel for the setting beyond the actual image. This has by far been my best work so far.

Please fave, comment, and enjoy

Resist (c) -
Artwork (c) -

Done with GIMP 2.8
Tool: Only a mouse; no tablet
Full Resolution: 5,500 x 8,700 pixels (approx 20,000 MB)
Time: 4-5 months

Description
After a handful of months, I finally finished this one. Depicted is a Drone rebel firing a makeshift plasma rifle, which was probably made from scrap metal and scavenged weaponry. The armor is also makeshift, consisting of custom made parts as well as plates of any deceased Hierarch soldiers defeated in battle. Though the design is not necessarily canon, it gives you an idea of what a well prepared rebel will wear into battle. Beneath the armor is a layer of "smart" mesh that can stop shrapnel, knives, and even most small arms fire (the fabric is comprised of a carbon nanotubes that rebound the incoming force instead of distributing it like most traditional bullet proof vests). The arms and neck are not protected by this fabric since the armor was scavenged (thick, black cloth is used instead; was probably found amdist the rubble), and is not the complete Hierarch Army grade battle dress. This is actually a rather heavily armored soldier, regardless of affiliation, and there are many that would simply wear a chest plate or gauntlet and fight without hesitation.

As for the scene itself, the Drone is actually running on the remains of a city walkway, now buried beneath the rubble of what was once a city block guarded by spires upon spires that towered over the horizon. The battle I attempted to portray is an important battle in the war, and was the defense that laid what are now the borders of the resistance. Surrounded, the rebel forces dispersed into four key locations nearly entire districts from one another, and regrouped at the heart of this perimeter. From there, they commandeered transport ships from an abandoned distribution center before sending an air raid toward the Hierarchy's artillery division. When the ships landed, they were met by more artillery than the Allied forces faced on D-Day. Skyscrapers toppled onto the battlefield, explosions ripped through the advancing rebel squads, and visibility was reduced to mere inches after only a few minutes. Ironically, this gave the much nimbler Drone rebels (who also had a handful of Shrieks and defected Workers in their ranks) a great advantage, so they accelerated their advance on the Hierarch artillery. Before the Hierarch Army knew what was happening (they had assumed the barrage had obliterated any opposition) they faced a charging mob of rebels attempting to overrun their position. The two forces clashed head on, some opening fire while others resorted to more violent methods (close-quarters combat is a hallmark of Formic warfare). When the dust settled, the rebels had been annihilated, but the Hierarchy suffered almost equal casualties, as if a rebel force had flanked the Hierarch soldiers during the battle (no records of such orders or actions are known) and destroyed the flak while the majority of forces were preoccupied with the main assault.

The painting took around 4-5 months, and was mostly done without sketchwork (I did basic lineart that I deviated from on a few details), and A VARIETY of brushes were put into use including Abstract Plasma (used to texture the metal), Clouds (smoke), Urban (symbol on chest), Reptile brushes (soft tissue of Drone around exposed neck area), GIMP 2.8 brushes, etc. No brushes were actually made by myself. The "laser" (it isn't a laser, but you know what I mean) was done with the faded circle brush that comes with GIMP by layering a neon green color with a smaller faded circle of white, then smudging them accordingly. Zoom blur filters were also used, and as always, I used the blur tool to add some dimension and motion to it. A new detail I added to my style is reflections. The reflections in this one shows the buildings ahead on the Drone's armor, so you can almost get a feel for the setting beyond the actual image. This has by far been my best work so far.

Please fave, comment, and enjoy

Resist (c) -
Artwork (c) -

Done with GIMP 2.8
Tool: Only a mouse; no tablet
Full Resolution: 5,500 x 8,700 pixels (approx 20,000 MB)
Time: 4-5 months