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Description
The annual Novus Imperium sketchdump, 2016 edition! This year I'm going to try making the full-resolution version of the image available without having to click "Download." If people have issues loading it, though, I may set it to work the same way as in previous years.

Last year, I got a lot of questions about what specific sketches were meant to represent, and one viewer recommended that I add some designations to the sketches which correspond to the image description:

R1: An attempt at rendering a fairly mundane scene aboard the Cirrus, and a first-pass at the internal structure of Reina's cybernetic limbs. The image actually got a bit closer to completion than the version presented here, but this was (in my opinion) the cleanest version of the image I already had saved off.

R2: I'm sure there's a real name for this kind of weapon, but I've simply designated it "Punch Knife". It's visible in its sheath in the center image of , at the small of Reina's back.

R3: A sketch of Reina in the field. I wanted to show the way that the retractable data-plugs housed in her fingers could be used to peek around corners.

R4: Design work for revisions to Reina's armor, many of which made into the current iteration.

R5: An illustration for faceplate-artwork that will eventually be appearing on my newly-acquired Qanba Q2 Pro arcade stick. It also shows recent refinements to Reina's civilian clothes.

R6: The rough sketch which eventually became the centerpiece of the 2016 version of Reina's armor. The sketch was inspired by a painting that Eddie Smith did while working on Halo 2 (which can be seen here: i.imgur.com/FPJDik0.jpg )

T1: A colored version of one of my Inktober sketches, depicting Doc Haplace, the Cirrus crew's medic.

T2: Designs for Tyr, the crew's sharpshooter.

T3: A physique sketch of Trent Valimund, the crew's captain.

C1: Cirrus interior sketch; personal cabin.

C2: Cirrus interior sketch; maintenance compartment.

C3: Cirrus interior sketch; maintenance access corridor.

C4: Sketches for the current iteration of the Cirrus. The ship's shape has been altered to have a less aggressive profile, owing to its origins as a small science vessel. A clean and detailed orthographic of the Cirrus should be showing up sometime this year.

C5: Cirrus interior sketch; bridge.

M1: A design for a ration-cube dispenser. Ration cubes are rarely the first choice of meal, even in the field, but most soldiers/operators carry at least one dispenser in case of emergencies.

M2: Instant ramen, IN SPAAAAAACE

M3: A small civilian transport ship.

M4: An extremely basic reference mesh of a Karic frigate, built in Sketchup.

K1: A colored version of an Inktober sketch, depicting Reina and her squadmates, Phoebe and Gray, prior to Reina's defection.

K2: A sketch showing Gray geared up in his armor's bodysuit, with and without the plating kit.

K3: More colored versions of Inktober sketches, depicting a Karic infantryman on the left and Karic Special Forces' Captain Bannon on the right.

K4: Design exploration for Karic military firearms. Karic's standard military aesthetic emphasizes boxy, chunky shapes, with clean color blocking.

K5: Another colored Inktober sketch, of Karic's Yeti exo-suit chassis.

K6: A colored Inktober sketch, of a Karic automated support mech.

As to the Corrupted sketches in the upper right corner:

The large maroon-and-lavender mech is just another iteration of the same Corrupted mech that's showed up in the last couple years' sketchdumps.

The sketch down and left of the mech is a design for a Corrupted scout.

And of course, if you have further questions feel free to leave those in the comments below.

Novus Imperium, characters, artwork ©

EDIT Jan. 7, 2017 corrected a couple of typos.

Description
The annual Novus Imperium sketchdump, 2016 edition! This year I'm going to try making the full-resolution version of the image available without having to click "Download." If people have issues loading it, though, I may set it to work the same way as in previous years.

Last year, I got a lot of questions about what specific sketches were meant to represent, and one viewer recommended that I add some designations to the sketches which correspond to the image description:

R1: An attempt at rendering a fairly mundane scene aboard the Cirrus, and a first-pass at the internal structure of Reina's cybernetic limbs. The image actually got a bit closer to completion than the version presented here, but this was (in my opinion) the cleanest version of the image I already had saved off.

R2: I'm sure there's a real name for this kind of weapon, but I've simply designated it "Punch Knife". It's visible in its sheath in the center image of , at the small of Reina's back.

R3: A sketch of Reina in the field. I wanted to show the way that the retractable data-plugs housed in her fingers could be used to peek around corners.

R4: Design work for revisions to Reina's armor, many of which made into the current iteration.

R5: An illustration for faceplate-artwork that will eventually be appearing on my newly-acquired Qanba Q2 Pro arcade stick. It also shows recent refinements to Reina's civilian clothes.

R6: The rough sketch which eventually became the centerpiece of the 2016 version of Reina's armor. The sketch was inspired by a painting that Eddie Smith did while working on Halo 2 (which can be seen here: i.imgur.com/FPJDik0.jpg )

T1: A colored version of one of my Inktober sketches, depicting Doc Haplace, the Cirrus crew's medic.

T2: Designs for Tyr, the crew's sharpshooter.

T3: A physique sketch of Trent Valimund, the crew's captain.

C1: Cirrus interior sketch; personal cabin.

C2: Cirrus interior sketch; maintenance compartment.

C3: Cirrus interior sketch; maintenance access corridor.

C4: Sketches for the current iteration of the Cirrus. The ship's shape has been altered to have a less aggressive profile, owing to its origins as a small science vessel. A clean and detailed orthographic of the Cirrus should be showing up sometime this year.

C5: Cirrus interior sketch; bridge.

M1: A design for a ration-cube dispenser. Ration cubes are rarely the first choice of meal, even in the field, but most soldiers/operators carry at least one dispenser in case of emergencies.

M2: Instant ramen, IN SPAAAAAACE

M3: A small civilian transport ship.

M4: An extremely basic reference mesh of a Karic frigate, built in Sketchup.

K1: A colored version of an Inktober sketch, depicting Reina and her squadmates, Phoebe and Gray, prior to Reina's defection.

K2: A sketch showing Gray geared up in his armor's bodysuit, with and without the plating kit.

K3: More colored versions of Inktober sketches, depicting a Karic infantryman on the left and Karic Special Forces' Captain Bannon on the right.

K4: Design exploration for Karic military firearms. Karic's standard military aesthetic emphasizes boxy, chunky shapes, with clean color blocking.

K5: Another colored Inktober sketch, of Karic's Yeti exo-suit chassis.

K6: A colored Inktober sketch, of a Karic automated support mech.

As to the Corrupted sketches in the upper right corner:

The large maroon-and-lavender mech is just another iteration of the same Corrupted mech that's showed up in the last couple years' sketchdumps.

The sketch down and left of the mech is a design for a Corrupted scout.

And of course, if you have further questions feel free to leave those in the comments below.

Novus Imperium, characters, artwork ©

EDIT Jan. 7, 2017 corrected a couple of typos.