Oh Shi...Shi

I HAVE NO CRITTERS IN MY PORTFOLIO!!!

ShiShi, or Imperial guardian lion, and often incorrectly called "Foo Dogs" in the west.

Though they are supposed to be early representations of fabled Asiatic Lions, after looking at some ShiShi statues, I fully understand why some call them Fu Dogs. I felt bad ignoring the concept of a canine version, so I decided to go with both a Fu Dog AND a Fu Lion. In my imagination they both have the same purpose and are held in equal regard, but they dislike each other.

The statues are very stylised, and intensely detailed, I wanted to take a simpler approach, making them appear less like dragons and more like their namesakes. Their manes are nearly always represented as spiral shapes, which I immediately interpreted as fire or smoke, which compliments their mythological background. I wanted them to appear noble/wise as opposed to fearsome, yet I wanted to use a rich colour scheme.

Sorry about the explosion of text. I'm not entirely sure this image is portfolio ready. Thoughts?