The Legend of Hou Yi, 11x17″, Copics and ink on Bristol board

 

This project depicts two scenes from the Chinese legend of Hou Yi and Chang’e. I wanted to take a modern, superhero spin on the story and I chose two scenes from the story to illustrate.

 

In the legend, Hou Yi shot down nine of the ten sun birds that brought sunlight to the earth. One day, all ten sun birds decided they were going to start rising at the same time. Lakes and rivers began to dry up, crops withered, and people cried out to Heaven for help. The first scene shows Hou Yi about to engage with the sun birds, ready to shoot them down.

 

The second scene depicts Hou Yi sharing a quiet moment with his beloved Chang’e in a Chinese garden. Chang’e is the daughter of a river god and she eventually becomes a goddess of the moon just as Hou Yi eventually becomes a god of the sun.