Corvus

A great winged carrion beast, known to appear only on the bloodiest battlefields, answers a call from its master.

When I think of an animal that is dark, agile, and cunning, the crow is the first that comes to mind. Being a scavenger, the crow is also a representation of nature’s brutality - it’s not deliberately cruel, but its actions in seeking survival are raw and unfiltered. In a way, I enjoy characters and situations like that in my artworks as well! It’s a space where narratives are allowed to be more layered and nuanced. For this piece, I wanted to create an illustration of a warrior character that fit that theme. Rather than a fantasy hero, the character is someone akin to a crow in her behavior and style. Thanks to the medium of visual art, I am able to directly represent these similarities in her design to a strong extent! The lighting for the scene also went through several changes. Initially, a more straightforward, natural light was my choice, but it felt like that lacked a certain edge. Given the close framing, it is difficult to visually explain the scene by fitting in physical elements alone. I wanted a certain unnatural darkness that could not be achieved by shadow alone. Finally, I decided on adding red lighting, which is visually striking, but blends well as a “dark” light, allowing it to accent the character.