Realistic Sun Wukong

This is my version of a realistic Sun Wukong from the great Chinese classic Journey to the West (西游记, 1592). It differs greatly from many of his portrayals in popular culture. A quick Google image search pulls up hulking monsters with clubs and Caucasian figures with blond hair and shaved chests. The novel describes him as a monkey three to four feet tall. His great strength, martial arts skill, and magical abilities make him a formidable warrior, not his size. That's what I really love about the character; Wukong is small in stature, yet one of the most powerful supernatural beings in the Buddho-Daoist pantheon. 

This is, I hope, the first of many such pieces. I would absolutely love to do a picture of him fighting a demon with his staff, but I am limited by the number of high quality photos of monkeys in particular postures. Plus, I still need to design a realistic staff that matches the one from the novel. I also need to decide which demon he fights first. I may start off with a bout between him and the lecherous anthropomorphic pig spirit Zhu Bajie, who eventually becomes his ally. Future pieces that show Monkey's full body will include his trademark tiger skin kilt. 

This was completed with pixlr, the free online photo editor. The pictures I used are:

1) The monkey and background

www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo…

2) The golden fillet

www.etsy.com/listing/102891781…

3) Buddhist robe

layersofthailand.com/photo-of-…