Looking for inspiration for some character design, I spent some time working from photos of guardian statues from Indonesia and Sri Lanka. I think this one is smiling a little more than some of the statues he is based upon. The more I have sketched them, the more they are endeared to me. Their expressions often seem caught halfway between a daunting glare and a big smile. I can see them breaking face and saying, “I’m just messing with you, don’t be so uptight!”