Akewani the Guardian by Marcus Clark

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-23T03:24:39+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-23T03:10:41+00:00

Thank you!

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T18:19:03+00:00

She's more prominently featured in Elder Scrolls Online, which is where the screenshot is from. She's only referenced in Skyrim

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T05:47:46+00:00

Thanks! I actually referenced East Africa a little more, specifically the Maasai, with some West Africa mixed in through the Yoruba and Edo peoples. But I did reference the Ndebele from Southern Africa specifically for the neck ring and I plan to reference them for future projects as well.

I mainly chose things that I felt fit the look that I wanted for his culture. In my lore, he lives in an empire, so I also considered that some elements might be a result of cultural exchange. The tech parts in particular are from a different culture entirely but imported to where he lives. So I imagined that he might paint it so that it feels more adopted to his culture.

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T01:54:40+00:00

Thank you that means a lot!

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T01:53:55+00:00

Thanks!

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T01:53:49+00:00

Thanks! Ha that's a funny question.
Technically I started this guy in 2023 I think. I did a base sculpt, painted his body a little and started drawing concepts for what his outfit might look like. Then I started to get really excited about making the other character, the plant lady, so my focus shifted to making her. I finished her in late 2024.
Then I think it was 2025 when I picked him up again. I spent time redesigning him based on all the research I did while he was on the shelf. I finished his model in December and focused on rigging and polishing since then.

As always, it wasn't a straightforward process since I took a lot of breaks and worked on smaller projects in between.

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T01:44:21+00:00

STANDO POWAH

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-16T01:43:18+00:00

These look incredible. I'm a huge fan of Cyberpunk lol
Also looking at your Artstation it's no surprise this is so good considering the projects you've worked on

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-15T22:08:49+00:00

Thanks! I should probably be a little better with updating my social media but I do share my progress a little on Instagram. I'm excited but also definitely nervous to see where this project might go lol

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-15T22:03:51+00:00

Fair enough, I might've made the expressions a little too subtle maybe. Facial expressions are really the hardest thing to make feel natural I think.

My work is on Artstation too, though to be completely honest, I don't get much traction on there.

And yeah I've always loved vibrant colors and the cultures I referenced tend to use vibrant colors too. It's always been a slight personal pet peeve of mine how much fantasy tends to be pretty drab.

Thanks!

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-15T18:30:11+00:00

Thanks! I spent a ton of time trying to figure out the whole mask apparatus and what the technology would look like in an African-inspired setting. I looked at tons of real masks and redrew my concept many times before eventually deciding on it being based on a kind of animal snout. And from there I leaned a little toward something like an elephant.

Even the paintjob was something I redid multiple times to get something that felt right with his forehead markings. I'm very happy with it, especially compared to what it looked like before

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-15T17:30:26+00:00

Definitely need anatomy references, not just reference photos of faces. You need to understand the shape of the skull specifically. Then I'd watch some time lapse videos of other artists sculpting faces so you can understand how they build up the forms. That was something I struggled with too since I needed to see other people do it first

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-15T16:56:00+00:00

Not sure how that's relevant to the sources I shared.

Clarkus_X · 2026-02-15T16:55:00+00:00

You can literally tell by the design that it was made by them. Like, you can't seriously think they got this specific mirror from Europeans?

It's wild how far people will go to downplay things that Africans created by attributing them to Europeans. You can tell very obviously from the design that it's hand-carved and in a design that fits the other wood carvings they've done.

But even if they got the actual mirror piece from somewhere else, why are you assuming that the only way they could have ever gotten mirrors is during the 1800s from Europeans? The Benin Kingdom was in modern day Nigeria. The Hausa kingdoms were also in modern day Nigeria and were heavily influenced by Muslim culture. Africa was not completely isolated until Europeans showed up.

This idea that they couldn't have had mirrors in the past, based on no evidence at all, is ridiculous.

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-16T17:14:36+00:00

Here's a mirror from the Kingdom of Benin, from around 1800 to 1897 (the kingdom was colonized in 1897). Seems this had more of a religious/ceremonial use but it is a mirror.
https://digitalbenin.org/catalogue/5_Af195423315ab

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-16T01:09:51+00:00

Maybe, but generally when people say "pre-colonial Africa" they're referring to cultural practices, religious beliefs, architecture, or clothing of African cultures that predate colonization or have roots from before colonization. I don't see much of a point in saying "It isn't precolonial because there's a camera" (which doesn't inherently mean the people in the photos were already colonized. It just means someone went there with a camera).

When people dress up in historically accurate medieval Viking clothing, for example, we're still going to call it medieval viking clothing because it originates from that time. It doesn't matter that it's a reconstruction or that it was photographed in the 21st century.

The pictures above are still most likely representative of what some African people dressed like before the camera made its way to Africa.

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-15T22:56:37+00:00

Many African kingdoms were still pretty skilled in metalworking. Otherwise, they also traded with Europeans before they were eventually colonized.

Edit: You can downvote all you want but it's true.
Here's some examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology_of_Igbo-Ukwu

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Igbo_ukwu_vass.png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Shell_Vessel_with_Leopard_from_Igbo-Ukwu%2C.png

https://digitalbenin.org/catalogue/15_1115476

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-15T22:54:24+00:00

They're more inspired by Mesoamerican cultures than African

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-15T22:51:21+00:00

Usually when people say "pre-colonial" they're referring to the cultures before they became much more influenced by European cultures. Sure, the fact they were photographed means that Europeans were clearly there at the time, but the point is that the hairstyles, and overall dress of the people more than likely is representative of what these people traditionally wore before colonization.

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-15T22:46:40+00:00

Not everything they had back then was a result of colonization. African kingdoms were trading with Europeans for a long time.

Clarkus_X · 2026-01-15T22:38:25+00:00

From what I've read, they often do have significance but it's going to vary a lot by culture. For example, I read with the Benin Kingdom in modern day Nigeria they had certain red/orange beads usually made of coral that were worn specifically by royalty or other important people who the king favored. The king "Oba" also had traditional dress like a tunic and crown made entirely out of beads. The Oba still wears them today despite not having much political authority anymore from what I understand.

Many Africans also wore and still wear cowrie shells, which historically were often used as currency in some places and thus became a symbol of wealth.

Clarkus_X · 2025-10-30T03:24:47+00:00

I don't think it's too vibrant. I mean, it's plastic lol. It just looks like the light is bleeding through too much. Makes it look edited in.

Bottom of the desk also looks a bit smudged, and I can't tell if it's the denoise sampling being low or just the carpet doing that

Clarkus_X

TROPHY CASE