STUDY

This was a study for a Red Sonya piece that I was trying to get made with writer Roy Thomas for the now defunct Cross Plains Comics publishing company. We wanted to adapt an actual Robert E. Howard story depicting the original character, not the one created for Marvel. I drew up several images for that adaptation and did a significant amount of research on the costuming, structures and weapons of that era. That was probably what I got most out it in the long run. A true appreciation of the extraordinary work of painters like Jean Leon Gerome and other Orientalist artists. The objects owned by Suleyman the Great were also quite exquisite.

I sold the study at the recent HEROES CON in Charlotte, NC this summer, and decided to tweak it a bit in P-Shop, adding nuances of color. The focus of the study was the costuming, she is wearing thigh high boots of that era and the burgonet helm which covered much of her face. With the added loose apparel and weapons Sonya had on, it was easier to understand that she could pass as a male. The pose on the larger figure was to see if a feminine look could be pulled off just by her stance. I ended up scrapping the design of this helm and went with a much larger morion style head piece. I liked the morion's way of casting shadow on the face.