STRIVE: The Commander
Featured from “SYNDICATE XVI” 2025 Illustration MFA Visual Thesis Exhibition, FIT
When creating the factions and their leaders, I knew I wanted them to embody various representations of strength but also different aspects of greed that is associated with the pursuit of power. As I always knew The Empress would be one of the divine royal representations, The Commander was right by her side as the representation of militaries. Though her “power” might be mistaken as her sword, it is the golden decorations that reveal her veteran history that truly is where her strength lies. A strategic mind for staying ten steps ahead of her enemies…
She was featured in the “SYNDICATE XVI” 2025 Illustration MFA Visual Thesis Exhibition.
Medium: Digital, Photoshop.
Process: The final digital piece came together from a digital sketch into a loose render in grayscale which gets multiple layers of gradient maps and overlays to get a sense of mood and color. Everything gets merged into one layer before focusing on the final render pass.
Sketch
Card