A much older piece that I still love, it explores my favorite topic (woman, even fictional ones, in Ancient Rome) and an interesting one (the use of foreign legionaries to subdue local revolts and fight in faraway wars). Those who know of Centurii-chan and Vanishlily might immediately draw comparisons, and for good reason; they're equal parts inspirational and controversial on a personal level. My more beloved inspirations come from artists like Flaroh, tylermLockett, davidluongart, and of course SuperGiant and their game Hades who successfully capture the ancient world as I imagine it and more honestly than the previously mentioned artists who generally follow the aesthetic practice of Japanese Moe, which incidentally matches the infantalization and pale feitishization the west has of its own women.

Regardless, these inspirations meld and create a Libyan legionaria touring Hadrian's Wall (a dream archaeological site visit), based off of contemporary reports of Africans in Britannia as well as the slightly more famous, and infamous to the white supremacist narrative of Ancient Rome, speculatively black Quintus Lollius Urbicus.
The latter, a Celtic woman donning the arms and armor of an archer with a fleeing camel mount (Dromedarii were historic but are rarely represented, and I wasn't about to draw a camel) in a more action orientated pose. Not really based on anything but a love of freckles and a very possible situation a soldier would find themselves in in Africa (specifically places like Libya and Syria) during Roman invasion and occupation.

I kinda want to re-do these, I don't think my style is massively different but I think I could do the two much more justice than I did initially. In general I want to do more work like this and focus on things like daily life, the variety of ethnicity, spirituality, colors, patterns; generally draw a more colorful and interesting ancient world than what is depicted because, by all contemporary accounts, the world was far more diverse, in many ways, than we imagine in the west. Even things as simple as dyed hair, accessories, and dirty, non red, purple, or white togae would make a lot of the artists I critique infinitely more interesting if, for no other reason, than the admittance that the Romans were just as interesting as we are. All at once stupid and ingenious, kind and oppressive, dirty and clean, vulgar and professional, homogeneous and contradictory. Altogether human.

Well, turned into a bit of a rant, but not having a character limit tends to do that lol, plus I have a lot more to say about these pieces than when I initially drew them.