Character Style Test

Still working toward a final style for the characters and over all look of the Martian Revolution concept. I want a look that's a good mix of realism and cartoonishness with clean, thin line work, and limited line mileage.

Hauler

Basically what it sounds like. The valuable materials are removed from the asteroids by miners and Asteroid Cutters, then placed in the modular containers of Haulers to be delivered to processors.

-A note about the spacecraft design that I'm going for. Often times in science fiction, spacecraft are designed to be sleek and aerodynamic, but space is a vacuum, and this is unnecessary. Ive decided to go with a clunky, modular look for the spacecraft in this concept, that's centered around the function of the ship. I'm trying to go for a look that resembles the International Space Station, but arrange that look into interesting shapes that still look futuristic. Unless the ship is designed to enter an atmosphere, it doesn't need to look sleek and pretty. Just functional..... and cool.

Asteroid Cutter

In order to quickly get to valuable minerals buried deep inside larger asteroids, ships called Asteroid Cutters use their powerful lasers to break up the asteroids into smaller, manageable pieces. Manipulator arms with more precise cutting tools harvest the iron and nickel, minimizing the need for miners to engage in dangerous extra-vehicular work.

Asteroid Miner Suit

After every inch of the Moon's surface is claimed by mining corporations, new prospects are staked out in the Asteroid Belt. There, hundreds of miners work in zero gravity.

Sky Crane

Before the colonies became self sufficient, cargo ships called Sky Cranes delivered supplies, equipment, and habitation to the surface of Mars. The Sky Cranes carry a chain of cargo cylinders to martian orbit. Once in orbit, an inflatable aero-shield is deployed to protect the cargo and the ship as it enters the atmosphere. Following this, the aero shield is detached, and the three main engines of the Sky Crane slow the ship to a hover above the planet's surface. This allows each cargo cylinder to be lowered to the ground one after the other.  Once each cylinder is on the ground, the Sky Crane lands so it can be refueled.

ABOVE- The first rendering shows the Sky Crane without any cargo cylinders. The second rendering shows the Sky Crane with cargo cylinders and the aero shield deployed for atmospheric entry. The third rendering shows the Sky Crane in its resting position on the ground.

Martian Revolution

Planetary colonization has always been an interest of mine. Lately I've been focusing on a story that revolves around a colonial revolt on the planet Mars. I know its a pretty played out idea (Colonies on Mars, Terraforming, etc.) in science fiction, but I think I've got something new to add to the theme. For the moment, I'm going to post some early random designs relating to the Martian Revolution concept. Over time, my posts will take on a narrative form, describing the formation of the colonies, and the origin of the conflict. The main focus of the story will take place after those points, and will focus around a set of characters that make a discovery that will become the catalyst for the revolt.

ABOVE- (This is an early design, I'm still working out the final look of the concept.)
Two of hundreds of free floating, self sustaining Atmosphere Photosynthesizers operate around the clock, converting the thin, mostly CO2 atmosphere to a safe breathable air. A colonist observes them, breathing with the aid of a backpack Breather Unit. At this point, colonists can go outside freely without a space suit to protect them from decompression.