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Legend of Shango Artwork
James Takudzwa Magwenzi
Created on 15 Apr 2022
In my creation of Shango, I read the description and the backstory of the character and created what I think he would look like as a real person. Some of the images you are seeing are images that show the stages of creating this character/figure in the best way possible. In stage zero, I drew sketches of what kind of look he would have, his main weapon (the double sided axe) and his signature red robe. In designing the red robe I researched the regalia of the people from Yoruba and this also gave me an idea of how the beads that go on his neck and wrist look like. An observation I made is the robes or regalia worn by royal people from Yoruba are usually longer thus in order to make Shango's version a bit more practical considering that he is a warrior I made it shorter. Shango's regalia was stylishly merged with a gold and bronze design to show us that he is also a king. To add to the mythology of the character we could say his red robe is woven with an unknown/unnamed indestructible metal which is something that would give him another advantage in battle. I think this would give more reasons as to why his battles were swift during the time of war. In the following stages from 1 to the final one you'll see how I did the sketches where I came up with the idea of what his body will look like (which I will explain). I did a detailed sketch, the solid/clean outlines, adding values, how I applied color and then finally did the color corrections. Other things included applying highlights and glowing effects to his eyes. In doing the solid outlines I made some corrections in order to make sure that some body proportions were equal using Krita. Thirdly the reason why I chose this body type for Shango is because I wanted the character to feel more intimidating or imposing. This is on top of having a really a very dangerous primary weapon and eyes that glow like fire. I felt this is one of the things that would make Shango a person who very few to none would want to battle with. The reason for the glowing eyes is also due to the fact that he has the ability to spit fire from his mouth; this is why when you look at his belt and axe there is a fire symbol or mark. This mark would be something that is there as a reminder to the people of the Oyo empire about the power he has. Shango is a being that changes the mood or atmosphere wherever he goes due to his mere presence and appearance. As a demo, I did four illustrations that show what Shango would look like when he attacks both with his ax and his fire attack in a close-up portrait. You will also see how the character looks when he raises his ax in victory without his signature red robe this time and another one while he is at ease being the warrior that he is. In that art piece you will also see his palace on a hill. Overall, this my take on Shango the emperor and I enjoyed the process of bringing this character to life.
Legend of Shango Artwork
James Takudzwa Magwenzi
Created on 15 Apr 2022
In my creation of Shango, I read the description and the backstory of the character and created what I think he would look like as a real person. Some of the images you are seeing are images that show the stages of creating this character/figure in the best way possible. In stage zero, I drew sketches of what kind of look he would have, his main weapon (the double sided axe) and his signature red robe. In designing the red robe I researched the regalia of the people from Yoruba and this also gave me an idea of how the beads that go on his neck and wrist look like. An observation I made is the robes or regalia worn by royal people from Yoruba are usually longer thus in order to make Shango's version a bit more practical considering that he is a warrior I made it shorter. Shango's regalia was stylishly merged with a gold and bronze design to show us that he is also a king. To add to the mythology of the character we could say his red robe is woven with an unknown/unnamed indestructible metal which is something that would give him another advantage in battle. I think this would give more reasons as to why his battles were swift during the time of war. In the following stages from 1 to the final one you'll see how I did the sketches where I came up with the idea of what his body will look like (which I will explain). I did a detailed sketch, the solid/clean outlines, adding values, how I applied color and then finally did the color corrections. Other things included applying highlights and glowing effects to his eyes. In doing the solid outlines I made some corrections in order to make sure that some body proportions were equal using Krita. Thirdly the reason why I chose this body type for Shango is because I wanted the character to feel more intimidating or imposing. This is on top of having a really a very dangerous primary weapon and eyes that glow like fire. I felt this is one of the things that would make Shango a person who very few to none would want to battle with. The reason for the glowing eyes is also due to the fact that he has the ability to spit fire from his mouth; this is why when you look at his belt and axe there is a fire symbol or mark. This mark would be something that is there as a reminder to the people of the Oyo empire about the power he has. Shango is a being that changes the mood or atmosphere wherever he goes due to his mere presence and appearance. As a demo, I did four illustrations that show what Shango would look like when he attacks both with his ax and his fire attack in a close-up portrait. You will also see how the character looks when he raises his ax in victory without his signature red robe this time and another one while he is at ease being the warrior that he is. In that art piece you will also see his palace on a hill. Overall, this my take on Shango the emperor and I enjoyed the process of bringing this character to life.