Alfisti's OC concept sketchbook

Having one of those "quantity over quality" concept book days for uni... bashed out some stuff for my OC Monique (Monty) in a break.



So, left to right:

- She's a tracuse, so I wanted to draw her doing something tracuse-like. Kinda average... As much as I love Space Invaders I think the person that thought the 80s should be brought back ought to be shot. However the clothes serve the purpose of making her blend in with her age-group (or at least parts there-of) by making her stick out like a sore thumb in civilised society.

- Quickly thumbnailed fight segment. Haven't drawn a club scene in ages.

- Essentially a larger version of her pic here Personally I actually prefer the smaller version. Defs need to look at the cut of that jacket, started military, then went more equestrian then back to military again... need to make these decisions BEFORE I start drawing large ^^;

I love it.

Having mild difficultly deciding where to put these, either in the Apparel section as they do cover new clothes for Monty and JB or into here as it also classes as concept work.

Either way, just kinda wanted to draw Jethro with an umbrella sword... Monty's weapons also start to make an appearance. Larger version here

Monty... being a smartarse

Drawn for the "questions" part of my presentation yesterday... trying out a fast sketch-rendering style too.

There is always a "Plan B".

It's called "run for your life!"

Seriously, I really like your art style.

Kiskaloo wrote:There is always a "Plan B".

It's called "run for your life!"

Seriously, I really like your art style.

...I like "Plan B".

Oddly enough "run like buggery" is one of Monty and Jethro's standard responses to suddenly discovered heavier firepower

Cheers man.

LOLZ

"RUN AWAY!!"

LOL!
I love it!

So, when researching 60's looks (read: mooching through flickr) I realised that I'd been semi-channelling Twiggy with some of Monty's looks.

Well, why fight something like that?



Very much a parody of this image.

dA link here

Quick one of Monty and some environment... just to get it out of my head.



Don't ask me why the Padina feels the need to stockpile ballistic missiles, or even if it's the Padina doing it... I got nuthin'

Awesome. You’ve got a lot of talent my friend.

Alfisti wrote:Quick one of Monty and some environment... just to get it out of my head.



Don't ask me why the Padina feels the need to stockpile ballistic missiles, or even if it's the Padina doing it... I got nuthin'

"Remember Monty, some things in here don't react well to bullets..."

Kiskaloo wrote: "Remember Monty, some things in here don't react will to bullets..."

Haha! It's probably a good thing she tends to somewhat conservative with her ammo then... at least with her own ammo


@Danjo - cheers mate.

Alfisti wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote: "Remember Monty, some things in here don't react well to bullets..."

Haha! It's probably a good thing she tends to somewhat conservative with her ammo then... at least with her own ammo

Until I read the explanation below the pic, I was feeling a definite Moonraker vibe.

Kiskaloo wrote: Until I read the explanation below the pic, I was feeling a definite Moonraker vibe.

...then I won't go to mentioning what's normally on my "Monty-drawing" playlist ;P

Umbrella sword ftw! My grandfather used to have an old cane sword, but I've never seen an umbrella one before, hah

Anyways, I'm addin my voice to the glowing critical consensus
You've got a wonderful style to call your own. IMO, finding your own voice is the hardest challenge to overcome for any creator, be they writers, artists, or musicians. So, kudos!

Ever reckon trying your hand at a doujinshi?

Kuransu wrote:Umbrella sword ftw! My grandfather used to have an old cane sword, but I've never seen an umbrella one before, hah

Anyways, I'm addin my voice to the glowing critical consensus
You've got a wonderful style to call your own. IMO, finding your own voice is the hardest challenge to overcome for any creator, be they writers, artists, or musicians. So, kudos!

Ever reckon trying your hand at a doujinshi?

Cheers mate, I guess I was kind of lucky style wise in that I sort of fell into a "manga" style rather than trying to learn one. But I know what you mean about finding a voice, sometimes it really feels like everything's been done before, and finding that point of difference can be frustrating (like when, 10 weeks into semester a class mate goes "hey, I saw this in a magazine, kinda looks a bit like your project" )

Heh, I've actually got 6 pages for a short one-shot doujin featuring Monty and Jethro thumbnailed in my sketchbook. Actually drawing it though has been filed under "stuff that'll get done when semester's over". Unfortunately my track record for drawing comics is a bit like my track-record for writing... bad.

So, presentations are tomorrow... in the meantime here's a quick one of Monty done to fit into my powerpoint (fuck I hate powerpoint).



Outfit update for summer, there's another one coming that has a better view of her look, but I'll only be throwing that up closer to exhibition date.

Sweet

I have 4 square metres of black PVC faux leather...
...it's not what you think, honest.

And part 2 of the presentation drawings:



Larger (possibly, depending on your res, the original was 300dpi A2, which my computer hated) here

This was actually drawn slightly earlier than the first pic, so Monty's not got gloves and I forgot the "Co-pilot" unit for her watch as well. In other news I think this is the first colour pic of Jethro.

Epic as always.

Cheers Kisk... twice

Why I feel like Monty like Alice in Wonderland?

Monty and Jethro, arriving somewhere warm... I'm thinking Cuba, possibly Jamaica, haven't worked that one out yet. Suggestions are welcome.



Sketched variously a) at our exhibition space whilst waiting for Mon to show with more velcro dots and b) later while Camtasia turned ppt into video.

Dusting off this rendering style a bit in the thought that I might be able to use it for another drawing. I guess in a way this is also to help me finalise outfits for a short comic I'm hoping to do with the two (that follows on shortly after this pic).

The Bahamas. Cruising around on a nice sailboat.

Kiskaloo wrote:The Bahamas. Cruising around on a nice sailboat.

Hmm, now there's a thought... they have a friendly, relaxed a easially corrupted police-force right?

Hmm... the Bahamas are a Commonwealth Realm, so maybe Jethro's had to make a detour there after receiving contact from an old SIS colleague who's got in over his head with something shady - sneaking drugs past the Royal Navy's Caribbean interdiction patrol in exchange for a big fat kickback from the gangs. He needs a friend (Jethro) to bail him out when things start going south?

Jethro's conflicted between his natural disgust at the black trade his old collague is involved in, the potent obligations of earlier friendship and the dangers of public scandal (not just in political embarrassment, but when drug money's involved it could get very bloody!), and the interest of his new masters in Italy who want to force a messy and violent exposure because the drug gangs are Mafia-affiliated.

If Jethro drags his feet too long, Monty might get a 'phone call to her personal mobile with a few codewords in the message...

EDIT: Just elaborated things a little.

Robert Frazer wrote:Hmm... the Bahamas are a Commonwealth Realm, so maybe Jethro's had to make a detour there after receiving contact from an old SIS colleague who's got in over his head with something shady - sneaking drugs past the Royal Navy's Caribbean interdiction patrol in exchange for a big fat kickback from the gangs. He needs a friend (Jethro) to bail him out when things start going south?

Jethro's conflicted between his natural disgust at the black trade his old collague is involved in, the potent obligations of earlier friendship and the dangers of public scandal (not just in political embarrassment, but when drug money's involved it could get very bloody!), and the interest of his new masters in Italy who want to force a messy and violent exposure because the drug gangs are Mafia-affiliated.

If Jethro drags his feet too long, Monty might get a 'phone call to her personal mobile with a few codewords in the message...

EDIT: Just elaborated things a little.

So the Bahamas are still part of the Commonwealth (I couldn't remember)... well that'll at least make it easier for Jethro and Monty to aquire weapons I guess.

Hmm, interesting idea story wise. I guess the major thing to me is that it would probably come down more to a Jethro vs. SWA outcomes more than Jethro vs. Jethro. I only say that because I'd always imagined JB to keep a large number of underworld contacts, simply as a part of doing his job. So unless an organisation was a threat in terms of his given mission at the time he'd likely leave well alone, or in this case, help his mate.

I dunno, I guess Jeth has an odd moral compass at times, so though some criminal activities he'll let slide, other things he won't stand for.

As for Jethro vs. the SWA... it's always kind of intrigued me as to which side Monty would take in that situation. My own gut feeling is that she's been running with Jethro for awhile now (and conditioning he IS his responsibility after all, and Monty doesn't spend much time at the SWA) so would probably continue to follow his lead. The SWA's conditioned failsafes however are food for thought. The simple fact is that the SWA doesn't really trust Jethro that much (and to be honest they've probably got good reason not to, another point I'm still hazy on... it takes awhile for me to develop characters ). They hired the bloke because he's got skills, experience and above all, contacts they need, not because they like him.

Alfisti wrote:I dunno, I guess Jeth has an odd moral compass at times, so though some criminal activities he'll let slide, other things he won't stand for.

Nothing is black and white.

Sandro has contacts in organized crime in Italy (Chapter 39 - Lady Rosso) which I leveraged for the trafficking deal Michele and Sandro set up (to determine how Padania was receiving weapons and monies from Albania).

So it makes sense Jethro would see those folks as assets to help him fry the "bigger fish" and look the other way for the "small stuff".

Small concept art page:



Ugh, gun-perspective fail.

Since she's away a lot and hence doesn't much see her "siblings" Monty suffers from a mild case of single-child-syndrome, meaning she can be a tad self centred at times, doesn't like sharing her stuff... and has a slight superiority complex as well. That said her reaction probably wouldn't have been as extreme if the person handling her gear she trusted to get it right first time.

Which probably makes this as good an oppertunity as any to have a quick talk about Monty's views on some of the other cyborgs. Remember she only sees them a couple of times a year when she's in for repairs or, what Jethro terms her "6 months or thirty thousand miles" (regular maintinence cycle).

'Etta - As above, Monty doesn't really consider Henrietta to be that reliable. That doesn't mean she doesn't like her... essentially she's classed under "nice kid, wouldn't want to work with her". Angelica fell into this category for her as well.

Triela - Monty has a lot of time for Triela, which for someone who usually wishes that the SWA would fuck-off and let her get on with the job, is saying something. She's probably the one cyborg that Monty will make the effort to stick her nose in on during her brief returns to the Agency compound... it's also one of the fastest ways of getting "news from the home front" that isn't included in the reports.

Claes - Part of the furniture, someone Monty sees around and is civil to but isn't particularly involved with. Usually met in the company of Triela anyway. Claes' lack of sociability isn't helping matters either.

Rico - Also part of the furniture. Monty considers her to be dependable mission wise if not particularly flexible or imaginative. Sweet girl but not someone she'll go out of her way to talk to.

Petra - Monty's personal Jury is still out on Petra. The girl's obviously capable but could stand to be a bit more subtle/professional about her relationship with her handler. There may however be a hint of jelousy in that particular view though as her own relationship with her handler is close but will never be more than plutonic... because Moneypenny never gets James

Alfisti wrote:

Ugh, gun-perspective fail.

I kind of like it. It's a big exaggerated but that just plays into the 60's mod vibe you're generating with this character.
The character-relationship breakdowns are a fun read as well. How "old" is Monty supposed to be anyway? She's obviously quite a bit taller than Henrietta, is she as old as Petrushka?

Did Beatrice fall under the 'furniture' category as well?

It's kind of hard to have a cyborg that doesn't have a cyborg that doesn't have a pretty decent degree of respect for Triela, isn't there? (Well, okay, that's partly speaking from my experience with first gen OCs... I'll admit it doesn't factor in as much for the second gens.)

Professor Voodoo wrote: The character-relationship breakdowns are a fun read as well. How "old" is Monty supposed to be anyway? She's obviously quite a bit taller than Henrietta, is she as old as Petrushka?

Monty I imagine was about 14 when she was turned into a cyborg and about 5'4" tall. That makes her tall for her age (at least according to Henry Dreyfuss... I'm not a huge fan of anthropometrics but they're useful from time to time), but neatly drops her into somewhere around the 20-30th percentile for a fully grown western female... which can be useful on missions from time to time.

As for comparing to Henrietta's height... to be honest I was guessing there.

Piero wrote:Did Beatrice fall under the 'furniture' category as well?

It's
kind of hard to have a cyborg that doesn't have a cyborg that doesn't
have a pretty decent degree of respect for Triela, isn't there? (Well,
okay, that's partly speaking from my experience with first gen OCs...
I'll admit it doesn't factor in as much for the second gens.)

Bugger, I knew I forgot someone (was halfway out the door to work when I wrote this ). To be honest though, Bice probably did categorise as "furniture" for Monty as well. Not in a malicious way, but well: Monty doesn't generally go out of her way to start conversations, and since Bice wasn't exactly talkative either they probs didn't interact much.

Haha, it is indeed quite difficult to not class Triela under "respected" for the first gens considering her role as a sort of communal mum (or Cool Big Sis, if you want to use the TVtropes version). I guess for the 2nd gens is hard to have a "communal mum" who's distinctly younger than you are

Alfisti wrote:I guess for the 2nd gens is hard to have a "communal mum" who's distinctly younger than you are

Indeed. Kara thought of the other Gen 2's as comrades and they likewise felt the same towards her.

Kara liked Henrietta because Henrietta was the first cyborg to welcome her "to the club". She respected Triela, but didn't really look up to her. She also found her a bit nosy when they went to Paris and Berlin on vacation (that she had to "share" Michele didn't win Triela any points, either). She could relate best with Claes and once Claes joined their fratello, they started to form, not a friendship, but a mutual understanding.

Erm... self explinatory I guess:



Still one of my favorite movie lines.

Monty - "Permission to say 'Oh, cock'."

Finally caught The Italian Job last week. Quite good.

Heh, nice movie nod.

Eh, I dunno... it's been awhile since I drew the Alfetta, and it seemed like fun to hang Monty out the passenger's side with her Stirling.



Assumably Jethro's in the Lancer behind.

And Monty gets her first fanart:



Kindly done by dog-food on DeviantART. Do go check out his gallery as he's got one fo the coolest takes on the anime art-style that I know of.

Original version here

Oh that is totally epic.

Very nice. I love it already!

I likey.

Terrific Monty!!!

Basic cast designs for the next chapter...



Umm, a bit wide, so dA version is here

Obviously subject to change, definately think I need to have another go at Lorenzo in particular.

Great Work as always, Alfisti!

One (OK two!) minor issue(s) though: Isn't Ferro a wee bit too short, and she should be upright and proper, not slouching.

ElfenMagix wrote:Great Work as always, Alfisti!

One (OK two!) minor issue(s) though: Isn't Ferro a wee bit too short, and she should be upright and proper, not slouching.

Correct, on both counts. The height I shall do something about in the actual comic. The other... unfortunately I only cottoned onto the idea that maybe I should be giving people some personality here when I hit drawing Jethro (who was actually part of the third or fourth group I sketched)... Ferro however was one of the first and so got the "default" stance I use when I'm thinking about something else (in this case what she'd be wearing). Jean looking grumpy at Jethro was just a fluke

Cheers mate.

Jean is always Grumpy. He's not happy especially when others around him are.
Worst is when Fernando lives up to his "My day is not made until I ruin somebody else's day" and Jean is the target of that.

Again, its great.

Terrific as usual. It continues to amaze me what a massive chunk of work you're taking on here!