The Energon Pub

I'm sure that name's already taken, but I also considered SWAYBAR and LiveAxle.



It's based loosely on this

I Loooooooooove the head! and LiveAxle sounds best to me!

LOVE!

Is that colored pencil?

HK, artistically curious.

Yes indeed it is coloured pencil, the ink is gel-pen. I love the thin but dark, clean black lines they make. I am strongly considering revisiting my old Fiero character Switchback.

I actually have seldom gotten around to doing multiples of characters because a large part of the fun for me is figuring out the design.

I think I will probably rename him LiveAxle;

As an update, I wanted to let you guys know I am working on a different perspective follow-up to this and I am also considering doing a transformation explanation schematic, though it seems fairly self explanatory...

Hood splits, front fenders separate with hood. Front bumper remains in place. Head springs up from Engine bay area. Grille slides down below the bumper's lower valance. The engine and radiator lower themselves (the driveshaft disappears or "shortens" as TF tech tends to do) and become flesh for the lower abdomen. The cab of the truck folds downard and becomes the back panel, with the door openings remaining full size to accomodate either humans or other cargo like a backpack.

The bed of the truck separates into four sections, along the centerline of the truck and again towards the cab end of the truck, forming legs and ankles, and the rollbars comprise the "feet"... The taillights turn 90* and shift inward and rotate up to make kneecaps.

As for the hands, I have no idea where they come from.

The gun is the exhaust system, though. I haven't drawn that in this sketch but did in the previous three designs.

Son of a... I think I drew the darned doors backwards relative to the transformation, in that the left door is on the right arm and vice versae... Anyways the tailgate splits into three segments to become the skirt, the live rear axle and drum brake assembly becomes the waist and hip joints.

That all makes sense to you tech-heads, right?!

...I'm not crazy, really!

Anyways here's what I have done thus far for the 2nd perspective... It's a crappy cellphone pic since it's a progress bit not the finished product.



This one will also be getting the coloring treatment but you can see quite clearly how I break out the design with all my clutterlines everywhere building the framework.... I think I migt make those openings near the headlights into cannons... Too Cliche?
Ops and tips please, I have a lot of trouble drawing perspective.

Hey there,
I think your doing pretty good. Now that you have your character design in a close to static pose, you can use that for a visual aid come time to draw in perspective. Someone else asked about this in another thread, and I'll tell you what I told them, simple shapes.

Break the largest areas of mass on your character and simplify it into circles and squares, and you should be good. It's easier to draw a circle and a square in perspective verses all the inner workings and gears of a transformer right off the bat. what these shapes do is form a surface for you to design on, and a guide to be sure everything is angled right.

I hope this help some, your doing good though. Just keep at it.
Laters,
Josh

You could probably kitbash Rollbar/LiveAxle from movie inronhide. anyway good job

Yup, I'd buy one if it was made!

Now post it here! Just post a link please, not the photo.

SoUnDwAvEr1998 wrote:You could probably kitbash Rollbar/LiveAxle from movie inronhide. anyway good job

Nah, couldn't pull that off because Ironhide not only rides too high but also my transformation sequence for the legs requires the taillights move. Yeah, I know it's a touch artsy-- but you guys are right, I could readily use an Ironhide, I just don't like what Ironhide's transformation sequence does with the cab.

I'm gonna try to redraw him.

-Switchback