DEVI
The word "Devi" is Sanskrit for Divine Feminine. It is a tradition of iconography and power fantasy that Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism, as the west calls it) has been celebrating since time immemorial. In the same vein as my spiritual ancestors, here are some experiments with the concept of an armored muse who can slay demons and look stunning on the job!
MARNI
Marni is a Space Witch looking for a mentor in strange galaxies. She uses sentient quicksilver as a shapeshifting weapon, along with deadly magic hair. The prompt for this concept was "Heavy-Metal Rapunzel".
STORYBOARD : MARNI'S FIRST LESSON
NANAYA
Concept for a Mesopotamian priestess named Nanaya who has been granted a divine weapon by her alien deities, The Annunaki.
SYMBOLISM IN THE DESIGN
Nanaya's costume is rife with animal motifs as allusions to Mesopotamian myths and their interpretations of the roles of animals in a realm of gods and men. Her costume's primary motif is feather-like and sharp, representative of the owl, the holy bird associated with "Ereshkigal," the goddess of the underworld whom Nanaya must serve in her quest to close the gates between the overworld and underworld. Included in the costume are symbols of her alliegance to her original deity of favor, "Inanna-Ishtar," the goddess of love, war, conquest, beauty and fertility, one of ancient Uruk's most revered deities. The 8 pointed star on her chest symbolizes Innana-Ishtar's aspect of benevolence and justice while the lions on her knees represent power and a duty to guard against evil. Her shoes are shaped like scorpions since scorpions were associated with guarding the gates to the underworld. The use of red and blue were derived from research into dyes found by archaeologist and speculated to be the most popular ones in use in high society Uruk. Her hair ornament is designed to look like an inverted crown, an allusion to her desire to defeat the King, the person who opens the gates to the underworld in the premise of this concept.