Altreverse

Project blog. A place to collect scraps, concepts, wips, finished pieces and musings about Bionicle. Altreverse is a pet project of restructuring the Bionicle world and adding onto it. the goal is a to create a more cohesive story with emphasis on story elements that the Lego Group understandably couldn't approve for a toy line. Feel free to message me about whatever. Main account is ErrynArrow, previously SharkwolfDarkwolf

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I Really, really like the Kanohi Suletu on a design level. The organic version really gives the idea that an inorganic version is under there, with a more sharp edge design.

The right is a grumpy Kongu just because. The left is a slightly abstract concept of an inorganic Suletu. Mostly just figuring out the core shape rather than any solid details. I've always thought the mask had a slight knight's helm quality, so that was the goal.

But the organic scale pattern of the official piece is equally satisfying and a little mysterious. Do organic scales occur in the Matoran Universe? Or do the Red Star masks draw from otherworldly origins? Fun stuff to think about.

I'll wrap up with a full effort drawing of Kongu. Because why not? That's where the mask starts from right? At least on the visual side. I have ideas about Krakua anyway...

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Follow up scrap, trying to get a feel for the Nui-Rama not only in 3 dimensional space, but within the context of the setting. Featuring a take on Lewa as well.

I hadn't worked much with the actual environments up until this point. Even this is only the vague idea of Le-Wahi's upper branches.

While true that I am a character and portrait artist first and foremost, and backgrounds can prove to be much more challenging for me, I also hesitated to find the look of the land before I was satisfied with the design of it's inhabitants. Striking the balance of organic and technic[al] aesthetics for living beings would inform how distinct the all organic Mata-Nui Isle would appear. At least that was my reasoning.

In regards to the Toa Mata as featured above, I was striving for a lanky, scrappy version that still was visibly the same design as other toa bucks, so to say. That while the core "bones" of my toa body were in place, but stripped down of the bulk seen in later years sets, being rebuilt from their living tombs of wayward canisters.

Thin points, particularly in the limbs, which present more fantastical and cartoonish proportions, whilst also alluding to their reduced form, to further exacerbate the rejuvenation of their Nuva Transformations.

There are several cues from other fantastic artists present in my designs, which I will do my best to present up front. Some things will surely slip through, so please point out if I'm missing crediting for anything. Presently, Pohatu having elbow pistons is directly from another artist I can't recall at current. However, I will be sure to include such when I dedicate a post to focusing on Pohatu.

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When I approached the Nui-Rama, it was the first time I really felt as though I had found a solid style to work with. It strays a little farther away from strict set design than what I was trying up until then, and more towards the idea the set designers were trying to convey.

My general reasoning is to treat the actual set as the structure of the character, or it's 'bones' essentially, and to consider any distinct changes as the biological components adding mass and form to the set. It's not an absolute rule, but I have tried to stick to it largely.

I wanted to retain the dimorphism on display in the actual set, and I believe it was mentioned in the original twitter post the idea that rival Makuta may have had Rahi arms races to build a superior version of a creature. While that is still an intriguing idea that will likely be used several times, it's also quite possible that the different forms are simply meant for different roles within a colony. Insect hives do seem to have a proclivity for specialized components.

I had begun rendering these references on photoshop, however those files, along with the whole laptop are long gone

Feel free to leave some input, as I make stuff for the community as much as I make it for myself.

Thanks for sitting through a ramble.

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I'm going to go ahead and start accumulating all the old stuff here, for posterity if nothing else.

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A long time ago, i received my first graphic tablet. The first thing I made with it was this

Seems fitting that it's that time of the year again, and I find myself setting up shop once more. Here's to a much needed good holiday season and a new year that hopefully brings some good change with it.