#this designs just for fun but i might be slipping more sanxingdui-inspired designs into Erlang's non-Upholder of Heavenly Will outfits now

[antidotefortheawkward-art]

Not satisfied with this but :/ Sanxingdui-inspired Erlang Shen design brainstorm because I have a pet theory that the numerous blue-green skinned designs of him might be due in part to his Shu heritage (modern Sichuan area, where the sanxingdui artifacts were unearthed). Also his Heavenly Eye being interpreted as a third eye too but that's less so relevant to this design.

[ID: A bust portrait of Erlang Shen, with screenshots of sanxingdui artifacts and three green-blue-skinned adaptations of him beside him. He has light green-blue skin with black eyes and a golden third eye. His eyebrows extend up into a curlicue design and his two normal eyes have golden eye shadow. Atop his head is a helmet, the front of which echoes the design of several of the sanxingdui artifacts next to him. His head and helmet are colored and shaded, but his chest piece is only a sketch. Like his helmet, the chest piece has curlicue designs echoing sanxingdui artifacts. End ID]

EDIT: Link to more of my thoughts on this because I think it's an interesting connection even if I'm unsure how historically supported it is in reality :>

#my art #erlang shen #yang jian #chinese mythology #journey to the west #jttw #xiyouji #lotus lantern #pet theory as in id like for it to be true but im not too sure if im reaching/without basis #read an article that did link his heavenly eye being a vertical third eye to shu beliefs but it didnt CITE SOURCES ):< #blue in the Heavenly Kings kind of way and not blue in the yaoguai way btw #also unlike in 2004 LL sansheng mu and chenxiang would also be blue skinned #[points to my analysis post about blue erlangs] i think thats an important distinction to make thematically-wise #you might recognize sanxingdui artifacts because the two little guard dudes in 2019 nezha were based off them btw #this designs just for fun but i might be slipping more sanxingdui-inspired designs into Erlang's non-Upholder of Heavenly Will outfits now