Just a Dance - Lines

Cai Wenji and Cao Ren totally need to bond over their contemplative, calm demeanor about the sorrows of war. KOEI might not give me jack to go on, but I'm well used to that by now. At least her gameverse archetype meshes awesomely with my historical headcanon.

I took my time with this, building up lines and layering on details. Hair is surprisingly fun when you relax into its flow. Cao Ren's armor was a pain in my ass. I went through several failed attempts at foreshortening and positioning his far side and collar.

Mostly drawn freehand in Manga Studio. The decorations on Ren's armor and Wenji's outer skirt were adapted from vectors of classical Chinese motifs.

I do plan to color this eventually. In the meantime, anyone else is welcome to give it a go.

Pose reference and inspiration: [link]

Time: 3 weeks after the rough sketch.