37 Inspiring 'The Avengers' Concept Art Images By Phil Saunders

Check out some concept art of Iron Man, the Quinjet, Heli-Carrier and the Alien invaders for The Avengers (2012) by Phil Saunders.

Phil Saunders is a professional concept artist who worked on films like Iron Man (2008), Spider-Man 3 (2007), TRON: Legacy (2010).

I've included some comments from his blog on the different pieces. Make sure you visit his blog to read more of his fascinating comments.

Check out the rest after the jump and click on the images to enlarge.



"Below are the initial 3 sketches I did early on before we knew what the Mk 7 should be. The first was actually a revision of a design I had been thinking of initially for Iron Man 2 before ultimately choosing another project. It was a lighter, more streamlined version of what had come before, trying to integrate a flowing theme wrapping around the 'RT' on the chest and mirroring that fast line through the body. This was more of the evolutionary design, and ultimately was approved pretty much immediately as a starting point for the Mk 7."

"The next design was playing around with the stance  of the suit toward more of a brawler attitude, somewhat beefier and less aircraft-like."

"Lastly was a more extreme departure, trying to create a very different silhouette, sort of the Stark Industries answer to a more heavily militarized suit like War Machine, but drawing from Air Force form language instead of Army."

"Further discussion of the function of the suit in the script lead to the idea of having a more armored suit that over the course of battle would shed its ammo packs and additional armor. Styling elements from the first and third concepts were integrated and the design was revised as below..."


"The final design would incorporate a thruster backpack for the pivotal final battle, which wrapped around the 'lats' and 'serratus' areas under the arm to form flush mounted adjustable intake vanes. Much of the approach was based on the mantra of the 'wearable Ferrari' so a lot of attention was spent on creating flowing lines from chest though the torso, pelvis, arms and legs."

"Final design detailing was painted over turnarounds of the Mk 4 suit, to keep proportions consistent and realistic."

"Lastly elevations were painted at an extreme level of detail to make sure lines would resolve all the way around the surface, giving our modeler Josh Herman a solid foundation to build from. Even still a lot was resolved in the modeling process."

"The final model below, digitally sculpted by Josh Herman, reflects a very tight collaborative process to create the final form."

"The next thing I worked on was the Quinjet. The initial mandate was a craft that could carry the team plus pilots, travel at hypersonic speeds and take off and land vertically on a carrier deck or in the middle of Times Square. It needed to have windows in the roof (to see Thor land on it in flight) and a ramp opening in the back for loading. My first ideas never went past the rough sketch form as [Joss] Whedon considered them too sci-fi."

"I had a brief stint working on the Ch'tauri (though they weren't called that at the time) while in the Visual Development department. I took a couple of passes of refining Justin Sweet's original Ch'tauri designs and attempting to define the look of the armor & weapons and how they might integrate into the creature. Ultimately Ryan Meinerding developed the final look in Z-Brush."

"I imagined the helmet as being a little deceiving, so that ultimately when the mask was ripped off you would find that the creature had air holes in the place of eyes, which would actually be to either side of the mouth. I also liked the idea of some kind of 'light chainsaw' that would wrap around the forearm. Kind of the hedge trimmer of your nightmares."

"Before working on the Mk 7 suit with the Visual Development team, I was initially brought into the Art Department to work on the Helicarrier. While ultimately the Production Designer James Chinlund's direction was pursued by Nathan Schroeder to the version you see on screen, I was tasked with providing some alternative approaches. Below is a sampling of some initial sketches pursuing a combination of naval and stealth-inspired forms. In a more radical departure from the concept of 'Heli-' carrier I was exploring some form of vertical jet engine clusters to lift the massive hull rather than the traditional ducted fans."

Official Synopsis:
 Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

Official Site: http://avengers.marvel.com

Director: Joss Whedon

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson

Writers: Joss Whedon

See more of Phil Saunders' portfolio at http://philsaunders.blogspot.com

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@ Copyright 2012 Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures, All rights reserved