Battletech Art

I've always wanted to learn how to draw. I've dabbled in it for years, and despite my wife's repeated attempts to get me to see that I'm probably better than I think I am, I never believed I was even decent at it.

So, over the years, I went back, over and over again, to the one form of art I know best, the written word.

Only something changed this year. On the cusp of forty, I decided to turn all of the energy I've been putting toward writing toward learning how to draw instead. 

The last three weeks have been an insane ride of hours upon hours dedicated to just learning how to draw. My primary subject has been Battletech, but I've drawn a few other things along the way as well. I'm committed to the process, committed to the results, and it's been exhausting, pushing myself to learn and practice everything every day. 

I have to admit that the exploding prevalence of AI art is partly responsible for motivating me to practice and learn. I see it everywhere, all the time, and it makes me appreciate the hand-drawn stuff all the more. As a biproduct of that appreciation, I'm motivated to create my own contributions to the human-made art space. 

Well, and AI currently sucks at making mecha, so there's that too.

The Battletech portraits here are all of pictures of mechs and their pilots from my collection. Each one represents a painted miniature of a machine and the mechwarrior who pilots it. It's been a wonderful way to learn, creating these images that would otherwise only exist in my head.

I think the best part about this whole process has been looking back and being able to see my improvement over such a short period of time. Each big piece helps me refine my style and grow as an artist. When I look back at Helena Vandenberg and the Charger C (that I did at the end of March of this year) and compare her to the commissions I've been working on, I feel happy. I like the visual representation of my growth as an artist.

New Art (updated after May 2024:)

Hollander II Commission (completed 5-6-24)

Simeon Smiloj Mechwarrior Portrait Commission (Completed 5/23/24)

Natessa Ferox (Completed 6/4/24)

Tigrina Solomon (Completed 7/23/24)