Susanoo - God of The Sea and Storms

This character design is my interpretation of Susanoo, the god of the sea and storms from Japanese Mythology and is
part of my personal project "The Blood of the Kami." I completed this entirely on my own from concept sketching
through rendering, primarily in photoshop. Some early sketches were done with colored pencil. Head and body
sketches are attached to show early development (but they are not my official entry).
Susanoo is a god of wild anger and also benevolent calm, much like the sea. He is not necessarily a villain, but also not
a true hero, rather, a force of nature. I wanted to convey a sense of power, tempered rage, and age to the character
while playing with colors and themes from both nature and Japanese art. The design of the hat and armor pieces was
inspired by old Japanese basket weavings. Much of the costume design was inspired by ancient historical japanese
clothes, especially that of fisherman. The use of weaving and knots is prevalent in the old clothing and I wanted to
reflect that.
After exploring for a while I had the idea that sea water would flow in torrents from his head down his body. I imagine
that perhaps upon seeing him for the first time, the audience would first see flooding water rush past the protagonist's
feet foreshadowing Susanoo's arrival. It was difficult to show this without covering too much of the costume design but
ultimately I think I found a good balance.