Samsara the Arbiter of Souls
Based on sanskrit word of the same spelling, I conceptualized a spirit guide for living things. The word "Samsara" refers to the theory of rebirth and the life cycle in the world. Basing on these ideas, I visualized an ancient being that has been overseeing living creatures in Earth for as long as imaginable. The bird skull represents Samsara's ability to see everything from a bird's eye view; seeing everything that has and will. The golden circle at his back is the wheel that determines the soul's path in the afterlife; to either enter Paradise, descent unto Hell, or be reincarnated into the world.
Took a photo of my pencil sketch and cleaned it up for easier processing.
Initial Cleanup of Character and added tattoos and layered animal fur onto clothing.
Finalized Color Palette and started experimenting on other golden ring designs.
I changed the egg accessory into a human skull. With the help of stock photos and anatomy books, I was able to make a semi-detailed human skull with ease. I also removed the tattoos temporarily because I was looking for a much more believable design.
Using my Filipino Heritage as an inspiration for the tattoos, I finalized the design and continued on with the final ring design.
With the ellipse tool in photoshop, I made a simple gold ring pattern. I was referencing from memory the character Zen in Grand Chase for the design.
Final Output. The coloring style was inspired from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. I wanted it to feel very ancient so I went for a gritty feel for the character.