The Iron Colossus

After a whole month of perhaps not submitting nothing, I began my gap year by preparing my sketchbook to draw as much concepts and ideas that I probably want to animate in the near future. One particularly intigueing idea happened a few days back while drawing renaissance soldiers and their uniforms. While drawing a knight, I all of the sudden wanted to draw a giant and powerful knight that was able to plow soldiers and resist the shots of cannons.

Then I wanted to expand it even more, 'till I had an idea. I wanted to create a Renaissance Fantasy encompassing the entire medditeranean sea, from Spain to the Ottoman Empire, but of course I have to start with something small. Set in a Renaissance where mythical creatures exists, but the last sighting of one ended in 1399, so all who remember them have already passed away. Major changes in history have occured, for one DaVinci's WarMachines are very much real! Trade, travel and sea are under the guard of "Company men", essentially

To introduce the concept in mind, I just wanted to portray the figure itself overshadowing everything under it. I had to look up on how real armor in the renaissance looked like (I have drawn more of them in my sketchbook), and so it was very difficult considering that every nation looked very different to one another. These are supposed to be Italian soldiers, but their helmets are more in the line of general soldiers of the time.

I'll expand even more later one in future artworks, but here's one concept for it. This was also largely a practice session for me, trying to apply all the tools I know in photoshop, and trying to "paint" without outlines in the case of the background, castle and stepping stones. To me, so far the trees are great, but the stepping stones feel too flat and the ruined castle looks too much like "clay" in my opinion.

The plot is very thin and predictable so far, about a Sicilian merchant company, after finishing a mission, having to return home, a series of unusual storms forced them to anchor onto an unusual island. The deeper the crew delve into the island, the stranger it gets. Buried under the ground, are the bones of several soldiers, both Christian and Muslims, as if they were standing guard, as if preparing against an attack by a foreign army. It turns out it was true, the bodies of several men of different uniforms were found in a single pit, though some wounds don't like they came from bullets or swords. This leads to a strange stone path leading to a destroyed castle. Looking for treasure, instead they see the husk of a titanic, black Knight. Next to the husk, the bones of a monk, apparently English by his writings. There was a warning "Whomever discovers this place, then so has the return of the beasts...". When they turn outside, the island became dead silent. Something was wrong. At last, revealing itself, was a cyclops lunging at them. Knowing they cannot defeat the creature, they try to shelter behind the ruined castle, as it probably

So there you go, comment about anything if you wish, including what can be improved.