Krorän: The Lost Desert Kingdom

Final work:

Some earlier explorations for how the city will be like:

Heya~ a quick update as I explore the lighting I wish to move forward with, I am open to advice! ^^

Hello, time for an update~ 

The past week I had fun developing the guardian figure as the focus of my composition. 

Here are some references with my initial sketch -

I also watched some videos of Dun Huang dances (like above) to get a feel of their movement and poses.

I thought it would be interesting to incorporate some Steampunk influences into the Eastern aesthetic i envision for the city, which is why I added some mechanical elements to the guardian figure. It is probably a product of ancient technology or a "magical gift from the gods".

I begin with sketches of the human form before adding the mechanical/ ball joint doll elements. 

And then for a bit colour explorations - I didn't go too much into it both because I was pretty sure of the red/green colour combi, as well as how I want to be flexible with it to adapt to my overall composition. 

Finally, refining the form in my overall composition - 

Moving forward I hope to develop the city and the traveller in the foreground a bit, and of course begin exploring the colour of the painting itself. 

That's all for now, take care! ^^

Heya! I'm an artist from Singapore looking to go into concept art!

I want to do a more Eastern take on the concept, and I was inspired by the lost Kingdom of Loulan (楼兰), also known as Krorän. It was an ancient kingdom along the silk road that disappeared mysteriously in 630 AD.

It’s unique position along the Silk Road will also mean there will be a culturally interesting blend of the East and West in their aesthetics, although I intend to reflect more of the eastern aesthetic, influenced by the Chinese city of Dunhuang. 

I will be doing my work with Krita, on a Wacom Cintiq 16.

Here is a screenshot of the early thumbnails I have, along with some references surrounding it. I will update with a clearer picture of the thumbnails once I figure out the composition.

The current idea is that the city will feature a giant feminine figure as a divine protector / destroyer (I haven’t decided yet) as I am inspired by the “Beauty of Loulan”, a remarkably intact mummy discovered in the nearby Xiaohe cemetery complex.

I am also reminded of the mythical kingdom of only women featured in “Journey to the West”.

Let’s see where this idea takes me ^^