This piece was one of four different yai (a type of Oni) I painted for Paizo Publishing's book Jade Regent: The Brinewall Legacy. Oni are creatures from Japanese mythology, often similar to ogres, trolls or demons in western mythology. Each of the four yai I painted is associated with something elemental (water, fire, wind, etc.). I tried to give each a unique visual flavor while also making them appear loosely related to one another. It's a challenge to adapt the often flat, graphic style of ancient Japanese art to a more contemporary, western style of illustration but it was a lot of fun. The features of Japanese mythological beings have a bold character that's blast to draw.
I'll be posting another Yai tomorrow so please come back for more!
Looking forward to the rest! Does the third eye come from their mythology or is that your addition?
ReplyDeleteThe third eye is part of the mythology, although it's not a feature all Oni possess.
ReplyDeleteCool, I was curious, because I didn't see it on any of the images I found. Is it mostly for the yai Oni?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, Jennifer. That seems to be the case in Pathfinder but in actual japanese myth? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThere are oni in Japanese mythology with 3 eyes though... I found reference of some but can't recall where.
I found a couple with 3 eyes in pics of ancient paintings when I searched again last night. Regardless, I love your representations!!
ReplyDeletereally like the pose on this one Jim - the subtle gesture and sense of movement - well done sir !
ReplyDeleteThank you, Larry. I was particularly happy with that one. It was one of those rare occasions where I felt I was able to capture the motion of my original gesture drawing in the final piece.
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