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2001 Nostalgia - Bionicle Artwork Collection


JustPears

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                                                                        * Credit to josephkarins on Deviantart for the map of Mata Nui

Hello BZPower people!!!

I thought the best way to introduce myself and connect with the community here is to share some artwork I have made over the last couple of months. Just like many of you, Bionicle was one of those staples growing up that inspired me to be creative with my hands. This artwork is a fusion of those memories and my love for arttoys/urban art. I always liked the idea of variations off of one template so I've assembled the Toa Mata here in a similar style. Not too long ago I managed to reassmble my collection as  kid after digging through old boxes and bins thorughout the house haha. Growing up I was fortunate enough to have all 6 members and I'm shocked that they survived all this time despite my destructive tendencies as a child. I came back to Bionicle in gapped phases but now I'm back in full force collecting more and more of something I enjoy. The hunt for that nostalgia is an amazing feeling, I'm excited to engage with everyone! * I'll be slowly updating this with new work!

 

Tahu.thumb.jpg.20267e0590fe109415570a3f0a6d1645.jpg     LEWA.thumb.jpg.978f9969e5baa2d77e0a388b420ee495.jpg

Gali.thumb.jpg.668d4f3e70d40f2c92bb270c9c4068a0.jpg     ONUA.thumb.jpg.023b58357ecfd84eeffd8dc2694d3a76.jpg

Pohatu.thumb.jpg.8bcc8fa39c74420507c9074c41717cad.jpg     KOPAKA.thumb.jpg.b6596cf734e66b173e78de2f9722a96e.jpg

Edited by JustPears
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pretty cool! Love to see how Bionicle has inspired so many of us in so many different ways :biorules:

What software did you use for this?

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:exclamation:currently searching for ANY Gray Plastic Krana Kal (GPKK):exclamation: If you were a member of Proto-squad, or know someone who was, please feel free to get in contact with me

 

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Part 2 -  Toa Kaita

 

The Kaita were a unique challenge in figuring out how to work with their triad color schemes. In my mind, Akamai seemed liked a tank build so I went for a winter jacket to bulk him up. Wairuha on the other hand seems like a swift, agile type so the tracksuit was an immediate solution. Just like the 6 mata from before, they each have their corresponding nuva symbols on their clothing. I incorporated their unique chest crests as zipper pulls but my favorite elements by far are their weaponry in the form of keychains attached to their shorts.

*Sorry if the image quality for these isn't that great, the images appear to be at the original resolution when you open them on a separate link

AKAMAI.thumb.jpg.b757415a2d86b3173ee3bf6aadbc20f2.jpg     WAIRUHA.thumb.jpg.312b77a831add0cb83d513affb26aace.jpg

 

@Humble_Matoran I drew these in Autodesk Sketchbook! It works just like Photoshop with layers, just without the finer editing tools

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ah okay I was wondering, I have used photoshop in the past but only Sketchbook for about 1 semester - but it seems to be really gaining a lot of popularity lately and people are doing some really cool stuff with it! 

Speaking of which, nice work on the Kaita! :ooolala-sign: I especially appreciate the little keychain details :) (and all 8 of these jackets look like something I NEED)

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:exclamation:currently searching for ANY Gray Plastic Krana Kal (GPKK):exclamation: If you were a member of Proto-squad, or know someone who was, please feel free to get in contact with me

 

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Oh my goodness, words cannot describe how much I adore these! You did an amazing job of making their masks look sweet and friendly, and their intricate outfits are perfectly splendid. Especially like the blue on Kopaka’s mask. :)

Edited by Mushy the Mushroom
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goldy.jpg.2a929e25bde483fa0a84efa39cb7af8d.jpgIMG_7223(2).jpg.62624129031c1e2fd7df50d70b18f765.jpggoldy.jpg.2a929e25bde483fa0a84efa39cb7af8d.jpg

IMG_0692.GIF.3309bb29bcc7460f3b8786a87af44771.png.da7133cb92dbb2189370ddfa6f4d46de.png Member-Made Emote Topic h.jpg.3e4ad884a1ceef85d03b81b5df0c09ef.jpg

Original Mush art thanks to @Bambi

 

 

 

 

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Part 3 - The Heralds

With the major characters established, it's time to move onto the residents. We've got Takua and Jaller  (Jala) in their respective MNOG representations. These 2 established the general style template for future matoran. Nothing special on their shirts this time, just markings to represent their torsos. The stripes on the arms are meant to represent the cut-outs on the actual arms of the figures. From this point, I'll be slowly delving into more colorways/swaps off this basic design, (Tohunga are clone sets after all haha) I hope you don't mind. The end goal is not to make a complete roster but I am aiming for the characters that left an impression on me. Maybe your favorite one may appear in the roster we shall see. It'll be neat to see a collection amass depending on how far I bring this. Posts made after this  will  have brand spanking new and freshly edited variants. Thanks for the positive feedback so far it makes me glad I took the effort to reach out to the Bionicle community!

 

TAKUA.thumb.jpg.c949a66be012f95a008bf0006e411d00.jpg     Jaller.thumb.jpg.3cb09206573b8dd367a49e118fb8fc51.jpg

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Part 4 - Attack of the Clones Pakari-clad Matorans :pakari:

Some more variants straight out of the oven. The Pakari is probably my favorite of the first 6 kanohi sculpts, with Onepu being my favorite of the original Tohunga for his Classic Purple components. This time we have villagers from 3 regions: Ta-Koro,  Po-koro and Onu-Koro. I chose to stick with the MNOG style kanohi as it fit the matoran image more than the Pakari I originally drew for Onua. It just felt too aggressive for the image of a villager, something softer seemed right in my opinion. Little elements here and there help make each character a little unique from one another. Imagine having these as part of a blindbox series figurines, that would be a dream to see these in physical form :drooling: (Gotta get back into 3d modeling)

KAPURA.thumb.jpg.1a9e558f0601f1e03784c7a0b08e1e6c.jpg     Hafu.thumb.jpg.2b889b6c4934f58d99d1ade2f94dc881.jpg

Onepu.thumb.jpg.eaf9b2f9d1269e0f3567ceb42b163bdd.jpg     Nuparu.thumb.jpg.da84ac8836d97426abe933eccf858c94.jpg

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These are amazing and adorable and I love them! I agree about the hoodies, I'd totally buy one. There was some topic a few months ago (unfortunately probably dead now) about designing a Bionicle theme park, and I'd definitely put you in charge of designing a clothing line for the gift shops based on these. 

I quite enjoy Takua's and Onepu's tiny Ussals, Hafu's mini-me sculpture. It took me a minute, but Kapura takes the cake. Although I've never played MNOG, it's a reference to his... um, quirks in there, right? Got a hearty chuckle out of me. 

Great work all around! 

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(disclaimer: none of this banner art is original, I just smooshed it together in gimp. Torchic, Matau)
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Those pesky firespitters... 
Library | The Sculptors and the Smelters | The Ternion Review Topic 

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Part 5 - One Brave Ko-Matoran :akaku:

I've been dawdling around in various projects as of late but don't worry as this series is still in the works. Just the one sketch this time around, but let's take a post to honor a true hero. Here's Matoro equipped with the gear he uses when venturing around snowblind terrain of  Mt. Ihu.  I always found that sand blue of his to be a striking color in the mctoran set.

 

Matoro.thumb.jpg.525bc015bac6fe914603a775f77c415d.jpg

 

On 5/4/2021 at 6:46 AM, Aderia said:

These are amazing and adorable and I love them! I agree about the hoodies, I'd totally buy one. There was some topic a few months ago (unfortunately probably dead now) about designing a Bionicle theme park, and I'd definitely put you in charge of designing a clothing line for the gift shops based on these. 

I quite enjoy Takua's and Onepu's tiny Ussals, Hafu's mini-me sculpture. It took me a minute, but Kapura takes the cake. Although I've never played MNOG, it's a reference to his... um, quirks in there, right? Got a hearty chuckle out of me. 

Great work all around! 

It makes me happy to hear all of you really enjoy the clothing for these designs! I didn't expect these designs to be so popular, maybe I'm doing something right after all. Looking at what's out there in there in terms of fashion inspires most of the choices I made for their wears. Part of it is also me thinking what would I like to wear for bionicle themed goods? There is a right way and wrong way to go about licensed clothing; personally  I prefer the more subtle/abstract ways rather than straight up plastering a logo (sometimes it works, just not always)  Perhaps fashion/softgoods are a thing for me to look into designing in the future haha. It's all the little touches with each of these characters that makes me want to draw more and more.

 

 

Edited by JustPears

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  • 2 weeks later...

These are so awesome! I've always wanted to be friends with so many of these characters, but these designs make me wish I knew them more than ever (if that makes any sense). I love the little details like Kapura's cloud, Takua and Onepu's Ussals, Hafu's creation, etc! These are so cool and such a fresh take. I kind of want to wear some Mata weapons on a carabiner like Wairuha now! :smiletakua:

Edited by Toa Hovoki Zehvor
Grammar
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These pictures are fantastic! Awesome finely, fellow member! I love how they look a mix of themselves and normal human clothes. The chibi looks are a cute touch, and the Mata Nui Onlien Game is a nice touch! You going to make more of this stuff? :D

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I like Lego, Bionicle, and Hero Factory!:)

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Part 6 - ~WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!!!~ :smeag: Matorans of the Forest

The series continues, this time we move into the jungle forests of Le-Koro. Here we have the two windsprinters, Kongo and Tamaru. MNOG has some good reference shots for the Kahu Bird so I decided to slap him into the illustration as a rahi partner. Tamaru's Rau  is a new addition to the Kanohi variations. It was a little challenge as I wanted to change the proportions a bit to fit the styling I've already established with previous illustrations, I didn't want the big chin to cover the shirt details too much. Overall  It's nice to see some more green and teal enter the collection. Pretty amazing difference that a change of color makes huh?

 

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Tamaru.thumb.jpg.9edca40cc1e6c92cbe5c403c5f78da7e.jpg

On 5/20/2021 at 12:16 PM, Toa Hovoki Zehvor said:

These are so awesome! I've always wanted to be friends with so many of these characters, but these designs make me wish I knew them more than ever (if that makes any sense). I love the little details like Kapura's cloud, Takua and Onepu's Ussals, Hafu's creation, etc! These are so cool and such a fresh take. I kind of want to wear some Mata weapons on a carabiner like Wairuha now! :smiletakua:

I kind of share the same sentiment too,  all these gems with their unique personalities.  I'm very big on variations and seeing this collection grow is an amazing feat for sure.  For me it's all in the details

On 5/20/2021 at 8:43 PM, Lenny7092 said:

These pictures are fantastic! Awesome finely, fellow member! I love how they look a mix of themselves and normal human clothes. The chibi looks are a cute touch, and the Mata Nui Onlien Game is a nice touch! You going to make more of this stuff? :D

Like they say, "the clothes makes the man" ;) As far as the MNOG goes, my intent is to cover most of the major cast and a few honorary residents of Mata Nui here and there. I have thought about exploring the Toa Ignika and Piraka  down the line perhaps but let's keep that for when we cross that bridge. Hope you all don't get sick of this by then

 

      P.S. Question, does anyone know why I cannot have 2 images on the same line like my previous posts? This always occurs when I have to edit the post and the          images just go underneath one another. It's fine when ever I make the post for the first time.....


 

Edited by JustPears
artwork fixes
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Part 7 - Staring at the Same Red Star 

A very productive couple of days! You're all in for a special one tonight. Today's guests are the Romeo and Juliet of Mata Nui folks. Hewkii is a recolor clone of Pohatu but with his stellar Dark Orange colorscheme. One's a Kolhii player and one kicks rocks -  pretty much the same right? Then we have Macku introducing the new kanohi Huna. This mask was particularly hard to match the body proportions, but a few trials and errors and we're here.  I specifically paired these two in a post for a reason if you couldn't tell (hint hint, read the thirdmost message in Matoran ;))

 

HUKI.thumb.jpg.f73edecaf94bcce5e53c719fcd179cac.jpg     Maku.thumb.jpg.6ba2d429837203ac95c5941c5aff11f8.jpg

HKMK.thumb.jpg.50a84dfb6b9c88eb426b7ed516170cba.jpg

 

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These are fantastic! They're so cute... what you said further up the thread about them as blind-box figures, I'd love to get some of them if that ever became real! I've always loved the classic little Matoran designs, and these capture so perfectly everything that made them so appealing to me :D Having a little display of these as figures, particularly the ones who never got physical sets... like you say, would be a dream come true!

I'm with those who love Wairuha and Akamai's jackets and keychains especially; and it's a really minor thing, but I really like the inclusion of the pins in Pohatu's legs too, it's the kind of tiny detail that adds so much character. Same with Hafu's tiny statue! And as a shameless shipper, I also really love the Hewkii x Macku one :3

Great work with all of these! I look forward to seeing who gets added next ^^

Edited by That Matoran with a Vahi

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"New legends awake, but old lessons must be remembered.
For that is the way
of the BIONICLE."

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