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Description

I just got Clip Studio Paint Pro and decided to play around with/learn its tools/workflow by doing an alien ship concept.

Elysians are a race that live on a planet with a unique, very bizarre ecology. They're in tune enough with this ecology that they subconsciously (and, for those with the right abilities, consciously) influence the evolution of the planet's biosphere.

This influence is used to make their 'living' ships. The crystalline structures are artificially grown and can vary in color. Depending on how their growth is directed, the crystals positioned around the ships have different properties and uses. Some of them have very specific functions: the shorter, more 'blunt' crystals at the lower rear of the ship serve almost solely as propulsion, and are mounted in rotating nacelles that allow for greater maneuverability. The really long, thin crystals on the forward ('pectoral') nacelles are capable of firing high energy beams - the nacelles they are mounted in are also capable of a great degree of rotation. The large front crystal is the main forward battery - it is fixed in place, but able to charge up a beam for a much more powerful shot than the 'pectoral' batteries. A fully charged beam is capable of opening a hole in the energy shielding of more conventional ships, and subsequently punching through the hull. In a pinch, the main forward battery can also be used as a ramming weapon. Energy fields inside and immediately around the crystals disrupt conventional energy shielding when at very close range, allowing the Corvette to slam and stab into enemy ships before backing away (in rare instances, depending on the materials the enemy ship is made of, and various other factors, this may fracture, splinter, or even outright shatter the forward battery crystal, rendering it weakened or even useless).

Most of the crystals (including those used as beam weapon batteries) share some duties in creating a disruptive, 'lensing' field around the craft that renders them very difficult to detect with long-range sensors (this has no effect on visual detection, if the distance between ships is small enough) and deflects incoming energy beams and projectiles.

Most of the crystals (especially the groups of three down the 'back', sticking off the 'wings', and on the 'pectoral' nacelles, along with the two large, upward-angled crystals at the back) are used for the Corvette's most devastating attack - generating temporary, targeted electromagnetic/ionic storms. These storms sap the shields of conventional ships and disrupt their electronic systems. This effect is greatly multiplied by the presence of additional Corvettes (or other Elysian ships, almost all of which can create these storms). A group of a dozen or more Corvettes in relatively close proximity to one another can sync up to generate a storm large and powerful enough to cripple even large cruisers, carriers, and flagships, leaving them open to attacks that will physically damage them (fortunately, the Elysians don't tend to engage others without reason, and once an enemy ship/fleet is crippled, the option is almost always given to surrender and be escorted out of Elysian space without further hostilities).

The storms generated by Elysian craft can also be used defensively - a large, sprawling storm may be created that the ships can fly into/through. The strong electromagnetic disruptions within the storm make them impenetrable by virtually all manner of sensory equipment, and, for an enemy ship, pursuing Elysian craft (which, due to their incredibly unconventional nature, are immune to the electromagnetic disruptions) into these storms is a death wish.

Any exposed organic parts of the ship are clad in special armoring to protect them. This armor is extremely resilient, but can be most effectively damaged by physical attacks such as ramming (which risks the hull of the enemy ship being punctured by the crystalline spires, and electronic disruption from close proximity to the same), or very high velocity solid projectiles - a weapon type that is very rare in spacefaring craft for a number of reasons.

Being almost entirely isolationist, and fearing the exploitation of their people and their planet's resources, the Elysians have made sure that the composition and inner workings of their ships remain completely unknown (with only speculation at best) to outsiders. To this end, when an Elysian ship is fatally damaged or 'killed', and has made every effort to safely evacuate as many passengers/crew as possible, it is programmed to rapidly decay. Extremely caustic compounds of unknown makeup are created by this process and subsequently dissolve the ship. Any of the minuscule possible remains left behind are rendered useless for study by this process.

Description

I just got Clip Studio Paint Pro and decided to play around with/learn its tools/workflow by doing an alien ship concept.

Elysians are a race that live on a planet with a unique, very bizarre ecology. They're in tune enough with this ecology that they subconsciously (and, for those with the right abilities, consciously) influence the evolution of the planet's biosphere.

This influence is used to make their 'living' ships. The crystalline structures are artificially grown and can vary in color. Depending on how their growth is directed, the crystals positioned around the ships have different properties and uses. Some of them have very specific functions: the shorter, more 'blunt' crystals at the lower rear of the ship serve almost solely as propulsion, and are mounted in rotating nacelles that allow for greater maneuverability. The really long, thin crystals on the forward ('pectoral') nacelles are capable of firing high energy beams - the nacelles they are mounted in are also capable of a great degree of rotation. The large front crystal is the main forward battery - it is fixed in place, but able to charge up a beam for a much more powerful shot than the 'pectoral' batteries. A fully charged beam is capable of opening a hole in the energy shielding of more conventional ships, and subsequently punching through the hull. In a pinch, the main forward battery can also be used as a ramming weapon. Energy fields inside and immediately around the crystals disrupt conventional energy shielding when at very close range, allowing the Corvette to slam and stab into enemy ships before backing away (in rare instances, depending on the materials the enemy ship is made of, and various other factors, this may fracture, splinter, or even outright shatter the forward battery crystal, rendering it weakened or even useless).

Most of the crystals (including those used as beam weapon batteries) share some duties in creating a disruptive, 'lensing' field around the craft that renders them very difficult to detect with long-range sensors (this has no effect on visual detection, if the distance between ships is small enough) and deflects incoming energy beams and projectiles.

Most of the crystals (especially the groups of three down the 'back', sticking off the 'wings', and on the 'pectoral' nacelles, along with the two large, upward-angled crystals at the back) are used for the Corvette's most devastating attack - generating temporary, targeted electromagnetic/ionic storms. These storms sap the shields of conventional ships and disrupt their electronic systems. This effect is greatly multiplied by the presence of additional Corvettes (or other Elysian ships, almost all of which can create these storms). A group of a dozen or more Corvettes in relatively close proximity to one another can sync up to generate a storm large and powerful enough to cripple even large cruisers, carriers, and flagships, leaving them open to attacks that will physically damage them (fortunately, the Elysians don't tend to engage others without reason, and once an enemy ship/fleet is crippled, the option is almost always given to surrender and be escorted out of Elysian space without further hostilities).

The storms generated by Elysian craft can also be used defensively - a large, sprawling storm may be created that the ships can fly into/through. The strong electromagnetic disruptions within the storm make them impenetrable by virtually all manner of sensory equipment, and, for an enemy ship, pursuing Elysian craft (which, due to their incredibly unconventional nature, are immune to the electromagnetic disruptions) into these storms is a death wish.

Any exposed organic parts of the ship are clad in special armoring to protect them. This armor is extremely resilient, but can be most effectively damaged by physical attacks such as ramming (which risks the hull of the enemy ship being punctured by the crystalline spires, and electronic disruption from close proximity to the same), or very high velocity solid projectiles - a weapon type that is very rare in spacefaring craft for a number of reasons.

Being almost entirely isolationist, and fearing the exploitation of their people and their planet's resources, the Elysians have made sure that the composition and inner workings of their ships remain completely unknown (with only speculation at best) to outsiders. To this end, when an Elysian ship is fatally damaged or 'killed', and has made every effort to safely evacuate as many passengers/crew as possible, it is programmed to rapidly decay. Extremely caustic compounds of unknown makeup are created by this process and subsequently dissolve the ship. Any of the minuscule possible remains left behind are rendered useless for study by this process.