Do you have any tips on drawing exos? Bc I’m having trouble lately drawing my exo titan.
I was asked something like this once before, and I didn’t have a very good answer then, so hopefully I can be a bit more helpful this time.
First off, even as robots, the exo are still very “human”, and except for some headgear (antenna, horns, etc…), they generally have human proportions and silhouettes. So, a lot of their design are very heavily influenced by normal human anatomy/function. That being said, the second thing to keep in mind is that they are distinctly not human, they’re robots. Which means they’re mechanical and generally have a mixture of metallic armor and other inorganic materials in place of skin.
To get started, I’d suggest treating the exo’s armor more or less like an exoskeleton rather than skin. Meaning, it won’t squish or stretch like normal skin and muscle, but it does need the same general shape and flexibility.
Each metal piece is inflexible in and of itself, so where flexibility and mobility are required we need joints and/or another material which can provide that necessity. So, there are some common areas on every Exo that will need joints/rubber skin/mesh/etc for movement- places like the shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, waist, hips, jaw, knee, etc… to allow for a full range of movement, but the shapes of the armor itself tends to mimic human musculature and/or skeletal structure.
Now, unless you like drawing your Exo in pajamas and workout clothes like I do, you don’t have to worry too much about the details of most of those joints. As long as you remember that all those individual metal plates won’t bend, squish, or stretch on their own (if they do get squished, it’s probably bad- since there are probably important wires and mechanisms underneath). If you are interested in all these little joints though, there are a hand full of references that can be found. The original Exo concept art which can be seen online or in the Destiny artbook is really nice for the overall feel of the Exo and there are a number of basic models that can be seen on artstation like those by Mike Jenson. For in-game references, your own character model can be seen in some of the cutscenes, which is always fantastic.
And, there’s a really nice (if a bit hard to see) references for the hand/arm in particular, which I just found recently, if you stop to chat with a couple of the Osiris cult members who hang around the lighthouse on Mercury. ( I take a ton of reference shots in-game, which probably drives my clan-mates nuts.)
Now, like any other individuals, Exo have a lot of variation in their appearances- this can be seen in the color of their lights and paint, the shape of their armor, and any extra headgear. So, while there is still a lot of similarity in the shapes overall there is also a lot of flexibility in the details. If there is a specific face/style you’re trying to mimic, then running through some cutscenes or taking some screen shots of your own are probably the most reliable references.
Since their faces aren’t as flexible, I’ve also found that Exo expressions are easiest to display through the eyes and through body language. If you’re doing something a little more cartoony like I do, then you can bend the rules of their flexibility a bit. I find this useful in the mouth and eye area of the face, but if you overdo it, you loose the rigidity that really sells the ROBOT feel, so I’d suggest keeping that to a minimum. Little tweaks to position and angle of the character from your own viewpoint can also do wonders for expression and attitude.
Anyways, I hope this helps a bit. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask, and I’ll do my best to answer. Best of luck!
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