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This was a piece of concept art made to test constraints I had put on myself for the sake of an animated project’s workflow, limitations and style.

Cel shade only, high contrast, black/white with pops of colour, what pen sizes looked good or were faster to draw with.

Bit of photobash with the background, seeing how 2d assets could be made and reused to pleasing effects.

This piece was also a turning point within aesthetic and conceptual directions within my artwork. The mechanical humanoid design with seams and plating, as well as uncanny insides, similar to, yet only in passing like that of human biology, were quite interesting for me to draw.

I felt there was a lot I could convey with them. With design influences from Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and the works of Tsutomu Nihei. I was becoming intrigued with the idea of using uncanny valley designs to capture very human emotions. So much so that I might find them relatable.

As for the situation within the piece. I conceptualized it as a mechanical being poking some switch within their brain that triggers an emotional response with some sort of weird sci-fi device that’s designed for their robo-brain. Triggering a chemical process which should come on more naturally, rather than these invasive and unnatural means.

A weird dissonance between what’s actually felt, why it’s felt and whatever should be felt.

Inspired quite heavily by how fake every interaction with other people I was having at the time was.

Insincerity permeated every conversation. Eyes looked through, rather than at me.

Within the highly social environments I was subjected to, I constantly saw people performing heavily rehearsed methods of interaction.

This included deep-set emotional expressions, expressions assumed and taught to be taken as sincere.

Conversations rarely felt like anyone was talking back to me more so than talking at me.

At times I’d lean back and listen to those around me speak to each other, hoping I had just missed something.

Their conversations often felt like a game of pong. Responses didn’t have much engagement with what they were responding to, though would often start with an agreement of sorts. Nonsense affirming nonsense.

I felt so far away.

I was disgusted, though quickly made introspective.

There’s no way I wasn’t part of this.