The Destral Sisters

[Toa Faybos]

Background:

Before the Makuta revolted, Saski and her sisters worked as messengers, relaying important and otherwise confidential messages to key members of the brotherhood. What they didn't realize was that these messages were in fact information crucial to the poisoning of Mata Nui. Teridax was not the only one who conspired against the great spirit. And it passed right under their noses. Once this information was found out and the Makuta began their riot, the Destral Sisters attempted to flee as toa left and right were dropping dead from incoming shadow blasts. Unfortunately they could not escape Gorast, who had been blocking the only exit out of the facility. They were soon captured and put under surveillance by Krika, who deemed that the sisters were too important to eliminate, and without giving an explanation. During their imprisonment, the sisters were put through various forms of torture and interrogation to get important information on the Order, the secret organization that was formed to stop the Brotherhood from taking full control. But the sisters resisted, knowing full well if the information was passed to the Makuta, then all hope would be lost. Thankfully, after Saski had been through a grueling punishment, Koku had managed to steal the keys to their cell from Krika, who had grown infatuated with water toa since their previous attempt at escaping. They dove into the ocean and swam to the nearest dock in order to steal a boat they previously planned to use in their old escape route. Makuta gave chase, and they sped away. Now venturing into foreign lands to keep the information safe, how long can they last before they are caught?

So here they are. I hope you like'em!

Also, if anyone is somehow offended by Koku, I apologize. But that's her design and it will stay that way.

[Taka Nuvia]

OhmigoshI'msooffendedbyKokuwaaaah... *ahem* no, sorry, that was my sarcasm. ^^'Anyways, it's good to see you're still around and posting art! =D Really really awesome.Now, onto the drawings themselves.First off, I want to tell you that I think your art style is awesome. It's just the right balance between set-like and organic style, which is something I have never been able to pull off right, but it turned out wonderful. The characters gain some stream-lined qualities, but still retain that "Bionicle"-feel. They are feminine, but not going over-board.Even though you used only a minimum of shading (IMO, I could be mistaken), the characters all seem very plastic and 3D, partly because of the lineart., and also because of such things as foreshortening. Nice.Saski. There's something about her pose that irks me a bit. I can't tell what exactly it is; probably the fact that her right (seen as left) leg goes straight down, while the rest is at an angle. It kind of breaks the symmetry a bit. Good use of foreshortening, BTW. ^^And those weapons really look like weapons, that's great. (and something I've always had trouble with, so I'm twice as impressed, I guess)Koku. While I do see what you meant when you were talking about people being offended by her (design), I actually don't think it's that bad. In fact, it's goos that you use different body types - not everyone is a tall, skinny, warrior-esque person by nature, and as said, IMO it's a good thing that you vary it a bit.Her expression is just so adorable. With those big eyes, she seems so innocent... until you see the weapon dangling from her hands. Which speaks for the cmposition, because that's just the way you see it "Oh so cute - OMG those weapons not so cute anymore "Riku. I think she's my favourite of them. Might be because of the mask, but also because of her pose. Out of the three, she seems to be the most... well, I don't want to say "aggressive", but she has more the aura of a warrior(ess?) to her. And that's great.the only thing I'm not so happy with is the water(? not sure) above her hands. It appears a bit hastily done when compared to the rest of the drawing......*gasp* that was longer than I though it would be.Backstory is a nice touch, and it kinda makes me hope that we'll see more art featuring the Destral sisters in the future. Which would be awesome. So yeah, keep it up!

[Toa Faybos]

OhmigoshI'msooffendedbyKokuwaaaah... *ahem* no, sorry, that was my sarcasm. ^^'Anyways, it's good to see you're still around and posting art! =D Really really awesome.Now, onto the drawings themselves.First off, I want to tell you that I think your art style is awesome. It's just the right balance between set-like and organic style, which is something I have never been able to pull off right, but it turned out wonderful. The characters gain some stream-lined qualities, but still retain that "Bionicle"-feel. They are feminine, but not going over-board.Even though you used only a minimum of shading (IMO, I could be mistaken), the characters all seem very plastic and 3D, partly because of the lineart., and also because of such things as foreshortening. Nice.Saski. There's something about her pose that irks me a bit. I can't tell what exactly it is; probably the fact that her right (seen as left) leg goes straight down, while the rest is at an angle. It kind of breaks the symmetry a bit. Good use of foreshortening, BTW. ^^And those weapons really look like weapons, that's great. (and something I've always had trouble with, so I'm twice as impressed, I guess)Koku. While I do see what you meant when you were talking about people being offended by her (design), I actually don't think it's that bad. In fact, it's goos that you use different body types - not everyone is a tall, skinny, warrior-esque person by nature, and as said, IMO it's a good thing that you vary it a bit.Her expression is just so adorable. With those big eyes, she seems so innocent... until you see the weapon dangling from her hands. Which speaks for the cmposition, because that's just the way you see it "Oh so cute - OMG those weapons not so cute anymore "Riku. I think she's my favourite of them. Might be because of the mask, but also because of her pose. Out of the three, she seems to be the most... well, I don't want to say "aggressive", but she has more the aura of a warrior(ess?) to her. And that's great.the only thing I'm not so happy with is the water(? not sure) above her hands. It appears a bit hastily done when compared to the rest of the drawing......*gasp* that was longer than I though it would be.Backstory is a nice touch, and it kinda makes me hope that we'll see more art featuring the Destral sisters in the future. Which would be awesome. So yeah, keep it up!

Cute. XDYeah, it's been awhile due to.... unfortunate implications with my old art. So posting this work on here still has me on nerve. But I'm glad you're still around to critique. Thank you Taka. Saski's legs, I agree, are a tad off. But that could always be fixed. Thanks for pointing that out. =DIndeed, I wasn't planning to have these toa looking like cookie-cutter characters. Adorable is what Koku is, she's cute, and a tad naive, but when it comes to fighting, she's deceivingly clever.That's right. Riku is the more serious of the three. And you were right about her having a warrior-esque essence. She is the aggressor in the group.You will definitely see more of them in the future. If you want to read more about them, you can find their profiles on my deviantart page. =D

[Astris Janus]

Very nice. Very nice indeed. :)You've pulled off the whole biomechanical look very well. You can tell that they're alive but also mechanical in nature very clearly which is something I sometimes struggle with so I applaud you for that.Their weapons actually look like weapons which is awesome. The water in Riku's pic does seem a little rushed, but water can be annoying at times.*looks at Koku* ... Ah, I see so much hate in your future. :PI really love how they all have different body types. It's something that I find rare with Bionicle art, especially in the chest area, so good on you. ^_^Your use of Bionicle pieces is superb (especially the Toa Nuva legs/bell-bottoms ).Overall, truly awesome. I evny your ability. Astris Janus

[Toa Faybos]

Very nice. Very nice indeed. :)You've pulled off the whole biomechanical look very well. You can tell that they're alive but also mechanical in nature very clearly which is something I sometimes struggle with so I applaud you for that.Their weapons actually look like weapons which is awesome. The water in Riku's pic does seem a little rushed, but water can be annoying at times.*looks at Koku* ... Ah, I see so much hate in your future. :PI really love how they all have different body types. It's something that I find rare with Bionicle art, especially in the chest area, so good on you. ^_^Your use of Bionicle pieces is superb (especially the Toa Nuva legs/bell-bottoms ).Overall, truly awesome. I evny your ability. Astris Janus

Thank you very much! I've been drawing bionicle for 10 years. Though most of my artwork is on another site. I'm happy that someone else appreciates different body types, even in the chest area. A year or so back, Koku would have been a major issue, thank goodness that's not the case. I wanted the Destral Sisters to look unique in their own way while still retaining their water-type designs. :)I apologize for the shoddy water work, I haven't exactly gotten used to drawing the actual elements yet, not to mention my sketchbook is difficult to work with.

[~garnira returns~]

I like the style, very biomechanicle. Are these based of mocs? They seem very buildable (besides the artistic additions).

[Toa Faybos]

I like the style, very biomechanicle. Are these based of mocs? They seem very buildable (besides the artistic additions).

Thank you. Nope, Destral Sisters were drawn first. No MOCs currently of them. But if someone wants to try, they are more than welcome.

[ShadowBionics]

Hmm... MOCs of them... no, I probably wouldn't be able to do that.I like how each sister as their own design, mask, expression, and personality. I like how you give them life and expression while keeping true to the who "lego set" and biomechanical aspect to the characters. They all seem so detailed and well done. Very much in contrast to something I made for one of my female characters in drawing her chibi style.Great job here.

[Toa Faybos]

Hmm... MOCs of them... no, I probably wouldn't be able to do that.I like how each sister as their own design, mask, expression, and personality. I like how you give them life and expression while keeping true to the who "lego set" and biomechanical aspect to the characters. They all seem so detailed and well done. Very much in contrast to something I made for one of my female characters in drawing her chibi style.Great job here.

Variety is a very important aspect when creating versatile characters.I'd like to take a look at that chibi. It sounds interesting.

[Jerris]

I love the biomechanical look, It is simply what I would imagine Bionicles to look like in a movie or tv series.

[Toa Faybos]

I love the biomechanical look, It is simply what I would imagine Bionicles to look like in a movie or tv series.

Thank you. That;s what I was going for. =D

[ShadowBionics]

Hmm... MOCs of them... no, I probably wouldn't be able to do that.I like how each sister as their own design, mask, expression, and personality. I like how you give them life and expression while keeping true to the who "lego set" and biomechanical aspect to the characters. They all seem so detailed and well done. Very much in contrast to something I made for one of my female characters in drawing her chibi style.Great job here.

Variety is a very important aspect when creating versatile characters.I'd like to take a look at that chibi. It sounds interesting.

Indeed it is, it gives each character their own unique style and sense of identity. Otherwise if I say drew a bunch of characters that looked like Lesovikk, then... yeah, now that's silly.Well, I guess I could post her up in the forum sometime in the future. She's more of a "human" chibi however, but with the armor of the MOC I made of her, so she has a mix of Bionicle and Hero Factory elements to her. I'll let you decide if you'd like to see her.

[Toa Faybos]

Hmm... MOCs of them... no, I probably wouldn't be able to do that.I like how each sister as their own design, mask, expression, and personality. I like how you give them life and expression while keeping true to the who "lego set" and biomechanical aspect to the characters. They all seem so detailed and well done. Very much in contrast to something I made for one of my female characters in drawing her chibi style.Great job here.

Variety is a very important aspect when creating versatile characters.I'd like to take a look at that chibi. It sounds interesting.

Indeed it is, it gives each character their own unique style and sense of identity. Otherwise if I say drew a bunch of characters that looked like Lesovikk, then... yeah, now that's silly.Well, I guess I could post her up in the forum sometime in the future. She's more of a "human" chibi however, but with the armor of the MOC I made of her, so she has a mix of Bionicle and Hero Factory elements to her. I'll let you decide if you'd like to see her.

I definitely would like to see it. =D

[ShadowBionics]

Hmm... MOCs of them... no, I probably wouldn't be able to do that.I like how each sister as their own design, mask, expression, and personality. I like how you give them life and expression while keeping true to the who "lego set" and biomechanical aspect to the characters. They all seem so detailed and well done. Very much in contrast to something I made for one of my female characters in drawing her chibi style.Great job here.

Variety is a very important aspect when creating versatile characters.I'd like to take a look at that chibi. It sounds interesting.

Indeed it is, it gives each character their own unique style and sense of identity. Otherwise if I say drew a bunch of characters that looked like Lesovikk, then... yeah, now that's silly.Well, I guess I could post her up in the forum sometime in the future. She's more of a "human" chibi however, but with the armor of the MOC I made of her, so she has a mix of Bionicle and Hero Factory elements to her. I'll let you decide if you'd like to see her.

I definitely would like to see it. =D

All right, well here you are. I just made the topic a short while ago."Toon" Elitha

[InnerRayg]

So I think it's pretty clear you've been studying female anatomy for a while - it's obvious the proportions of these female torsos has been pretty meticulously poured over. That said, it looks like you still have some way to go with your limbs - Saski is the best example of some really strange anatomical oddities - her legs seem to be attached to ball joints at the waist, which is realistic for a toy but with these basically humanoid figures it is just disturbing. Likewise the knees are not connecting in a natural way. Her upper thigh is bending at a different angle than the lower leg - pretty painful to do! The others are better, but still demonstrate some very poor stances - if anyone were to hold their knees like Koku they would be in some pain! I'd suggest looking into the idea of Contrapposto - it's an ancient concept of natural balance and is much more realistic for how a person holds their weight as they stand. The only other thing that really stands out to me is the strange perspective of the tool in Saski's upper hand - her hand is clearly at an angle, but the weapon is held flat. Small fix there, not a big deal.

[Toa Faybos]

So I think it's pretty clear you've been studying female anatomy for a while - it's obvious the proportions of these female torsos has been pretty meticulously poured over. That said, it looks like you still have some way to go with your limbs - Saski is the best example of some really strange anatomical oddities - her legs seem to be attached to ball joints at the waist, which is realistic for a toy but with these basically humanoid figures it is just disturbing. Likewise the knees are not connecting in a natural way. Her upper thigh is bending at a different angle than the lower leg - pretty painful to do! The others are better, but still demonstrate some very poor stances - if anyone were to hold their knees like Koku they would be in some pain! I'd suggest looking into the idea of Contrapposto - it's an ancient concept of natural balance and is much more realistic for how a person holds their weight as they stand.The only other thing that really stands out to me is the strange perspective of the tool in Saski's upper hand - her hand is clearly at an angle, but the weapon is held flat. Small fix there, not a big deal.

I agree with Saski's legs. I may fix them later along with her weapon. But due to it being drawn in a sketch book, the paper will leave some very terrible marks that could otherwise ruin the sketch. The ball-joint anatomy is reminiscent of the movie-style bionicle as well as the toy form. She's made to be pretty flexible. But I agree that her knees have no excuse. Keep in mind that she's not human. Koku's knees are actually fine. They're not bent so much inward that she would fall over. Deceptive innocence is her character. Thank you for the criticism my friend. I may just look up this balance concept.