Samurai helmets can have some fascinating design elements, simultaneously suggesting primal ferocity and a refined aesthetic. This illustration emerged from a fractal which immediately said to me, “I am the upper swoosh of a Samurai helmet.” It formed the starting point that I expanded upon within Photoshop. Once I knew what I was going to do, it was a matter of driving the new fractals toward shapes that I needed for the composition and, of course, shaping the whole with custom elements. There were so many layers in this (plus the huge resolution) that moving simple things from one side of the canvas to the other could take minutes. It was as much an exercise in patience as in being an artist, a true battle to the end.
From Wikipedia:
Kabuto (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors, and in later periods, they became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.
