Alright, let me walk you through this little project I did recently. It started pretty simply, really. I was messing around in Siege, looking at Iana, specifically her elite skin. It’s cool, sure, but then I got this random thought – what if it looked more like something straight out of an anime? You know, less realistic astronaut, more stylized.
Getting Started – The Spark
So, this idea kind of lodged itself in my brain. I’ve been watching a fair bit of sci-fi anime lately, stuff with mechs and cool pilot suits. Think like, older Gundam series, maybe some Evangelion vibes, but mixed with something sleeker. The thought just wouldn’t leave me alone. I kept picturing Iana’s gadget, the Gemini, looking like some kind of energy projection or a drone from one of those shows.
First thing I did was just grab my tablet. Didn’t even really plan much, just started sketching. Threw down some rough shapes, trying to get the feel right. I wasn’t aiming for a perfect copy of any specific anime, more like capturing that general aesthetic. You know, sharper lines, maybe some bolder colors, perhaps tweaking the proportions a tiny bit to feel more dynamic.
Digging for References
After the initial scribbles, I realized I needed more concrete inspiration. So, I spent a good hour or two just browsing. Looked at:
- Character designs from various mecha and sci-fi anime.
- Color palettes often used in those shows.
- Different ways artists stylized tech and suits.
It wasn’t about copying, but more like soaking in the vibe. How do they handle lighting? What kind of details do they add to make something look futuristic but still anime?
Nailing Down the Design
Okay, armed with references, I went back to sketching. This time, a bit more focused. I tried keeping the core elements of Iana’s elite – the helmet shape, the general silhouette – but started changing things up. Maybe exaggerated shoulder pads? Definitely needed different colors. The original elite is mostly white and orange; I played around with blues, purples, maybe some bright glowing accents. That felt more like it.
The helmet was tricky. How do you make it look anime without losing the fact that it’s Iana? I tried a few versions, some with more visor, some with different lines. Settled on one that felt a bit sleeker, maybe with some subtle antenna-like things. For the suit itself, I went for segmented armor panels, sort of like what you see on those pilot suits, but kept it relatively form-fitting.
The Gemini hologram was fun to think about. Instead of the standard blue outline, maybe it could be more particle-effect heavy? Like it’s made of pure energy, crackling a bit. That felt suitably dramatic.
Hitting Some Snags
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, obviously. At one point, the colors just weren’t working. Everything looked either too dull or way too flashy, almost cartoony, which wasn’t quite the goal. Took a lot of tweaking the saturation and values to find a balance that felt right – stylized but could almost fit into Siege’s world. Well, maybe not really, but closer.
Another headache was making it distinct from her default look while still being recognizable as Iana’s elite. Didn’t want it to just look like a completely new operator. Had to keep referencing the original elite design to make sure the key elements were still there, just re-interpreted.
Wrapping It Up
Eventually, I got to a point where I was pretty happy with the concept. Cleaned up the lines, finalized the color scheme – went with a base of deep indigo, some white accents, and bright cyan for the glowing bits and the Gemini. Added some wear and tear, scratches here and there, because things in anime always look cooler when they’re a bit beat up from action, right?
Didn’t go as far as modeling it or anything, this was purely a 2D concept art exercise for fun. Just wanted to get the idea out of my head and onto the screen. It was a good way to spend an afternoon, messing with styles and translating ideas. Turned out pretty neat, I think. Just a little personal project, exploring a ‘what if’.
