Iemanjá / Yemoja
Iemanjá/Yemoja, one of the main orishas of the afro-brazilian and yoruba religions. I wanted to show a different version of her, inspired by the shapes and powers of the sea. I did this image for the wonderful "Contos de Orun Àiyé", a comic book project by Hugo Canuto. More details about it here (portuguese only): https://www.catarse.me/contos_de_orun_aiye_edd8
I did a good research, learning some important aspects of her: she is a mother, queen of the sea, sometimes called and depicted as a mermaid. Symbols: the waning moon, starfish, waves, pearls.
I ended up with the mermaid version, since in my opinion it was more primal and symbolic and had a good balance between power and beauty with a unique shape and silhouette.
The final design is made to enhance the mother characteristics: big belly and breasts, the body paint of the womb (she gave birth to almost all deities). You can see my exploration and final design of the fan/mirror