I have a personal interest in becoming a concept artist, this illustration project was as attempt to try create a universe in which characters of a similar theme would share. What i came up wit was HAARP. HAARP is a real government project in Alaska, many people believe it is used to control the weather. HAARP stands for HIGH FREQUENCY ACTIVE AURORAL RESEARCH PROGRAM. I wanted to create a post apocalyptic universe, somewhat along the lines of Mad Max, Dredd or Fallout but set in Ireland. I initially thought if the world did plunge into nuclear war, Ireland may potentially be unaffected as it is a neutral county, wishful thinking and the fact that post nuclear stories are have already been done, i thought of a situation in which a world ending event brought by the HAARP would make for an interesting idea. I also combined the idea that it would be set a few thousand years in the future where humanity basically had to restart again and many secrets of technology would have been lost and thus human would enter a second medieval period. So many of the characters are based on old style warriors with weapons and armor mad out of scavenged materials. 

The Infantry Character came about first by trying to think of what postapocaltptic/medeval armour would look like. 

I though this caracter would act as an infantry or guard of a town, so he would need to be somewhat agile while very well protected. 

His Armor is made up of sports gear, Tyres riveted together for shoulder protection Pots and pans as kneepads well as phone books as shin guards, I added a rainjacket tied around the waist in place of an irish kilt as i though it would be more practical given how Ireland it already rains a lot and messing around with the weather would not make it any better. His weapon is a fire poker with some scrap metal bolted on and would act as a sword with som weight behind it and a belt with sharpened buckles to act as a whip. He also has a tarp behind his head which was inspired by flags japanese samurai would sometimes wear. I also gave him sunglasses and a balaclava and hoodie this was somewhat inspired by people who partake in riots trying to hide their identity. 
There are elements of japanese samurai in a few of the characters as alot of people in Ireland seem to like the idea of samurais from what I've seen and you tend to see more fake katana replicas rather than traditional irish ones. 

The Second Character i though would be somewhat similar to the first but this character would be more of an explorer/schvenger, so i though as she would be exploring the wastes she would need to be protected but agile as to be able to maneuver through ruins etc. outfit is mainly inspired by goth and metal clothing with some shovels acting as shoulder protection, Her shield is a car hubcap with a strap to hold it and her weapon is a Hurley with a sawblade and metal bolts on the back this weapon would act as a devistating axe.

The Samurai's idea came about when i recalled how many japanese weapons ive seen in Ireland over irish ones, I wanted to make a character who looked like he had seen alot of battles or fights and knew how to survive and could improvise. His armor is made out of car parts scrap metal and a skull and a toilet seat. I also added a gasmask and top half of a hazmat suit to make him look bigger and more intimidating than he may have been. His weapons are two swords made out of metal rulers with gears acting as the guards. 

The Bezerker idea came about when i though how someone would survive in this kind of a world with a disability, he was somewhat inspired by Hector Salamanca From Breaking bad. The Idea of an old man with breathing problems and a missing leg came about. I then thought the only way you could survive would to be smart. I came up with the idea of putting gas tanks and strapping yourself with explosives to prevent anyone about thinking of coming near you.

This guy was inspired by videos of Irish travelers fighting on youtube as well as the movie snatch, I wanted a guy who looked like he could literally box the head off you. I ended up with a boxer who only had a pair of boxing gloves with nails and stuff sticking out, He also uses dogs as a weapon. He also wears a kettle on his head for protection, cause what irish person dosent like a cup of tea? 

The Assassin's character was inspired by a wetsuit that had been hanging in my bathroom for months and i thought it would look cool as a sneaking suit. I then just added a some toolbetls filled with shivs some nun-chucks made out of pipes and well as some broken glass daggers. I also Gave him a snorkel as i thought his character would need to sneak into areas via water access. I covered his face im bandages as i though this would give him a more demented look. He also wears a lampshade for a hat as i thought lampshades would be repourpsed to make for a more long lasting head wear. 

The Crusader is based off a knight templar His armour is made out of scrap materials reshaped into the look the knights templar had, His Helmet is made from street signs and everything is tied together with various belts and covered in a dirty robe. His Claymore is made out of a green fence spike with sharp pieces of metal welded on. He Also carries two machetes which are actually paper machete blades.

The Hunters outfit is made out of builder kneepads and a book as a shoulder pad with a art portfolio for carrying arrows.Her weapon is a compound bow. I thought this character didnt need much armour as he would be shooting from a distance or would need to be agile. 

The Barbarian wears very minimal clothes, his armour is made out of scrap and spikes and his weapon is a plank with many razor blades attached, this character was inspired by both hipsters and vikings so i added very celtic looking scarification and tattoos as well as giving him a curled moustache, He also used a hawk for hunting ands has serious burn wounds. 

The Witch, idea came about as i was wondering if in 1000 or so years would people see technology as magic, or even guns for that matter as they are not that common in Ireland, so her weapon is a shotgun staff with an iphone attached at the end that could be used as a light source The idea for her dress was combining a dress with pipes and having her stand on stilt legs to make her appear taller and more intimidating, She also carries a ritual knife made out of saw blade. I though this character became the most interesting, i thought if i developed this idea more she would be the leader of a group she is covered in scars and tattoos including a c section to give the sense that she could be both brutal and caring at the same time.