Sugi Spirit

This creature is a spirit that embodies the ancient forest of Yakushima and was inspired by the endemic trees, macaques and deer found on the island.

Started as a Zbrush sculpt, taken into photoshop and painted and photobashed on top. All photos used were shot by me on Yakushima.

Yakushima is home to the Sugi, or Cryptomeria, a type of conifer endemic to Japan. The forest that covers most of the island is ancient and has been left largely undisturbed over the centuries so that the Sugi there are often very old and massive in size. The Jomon Sugi is the oldest individual tree and has been estimated to be between 2,170 and 7,200 years old.