Koh

Koh is a character dear to my heart for several reasons. For one thing, it was the first piece I did for a client with whom I’ve collaborated often since, and the first of several times I drew Koh.

I was also pretty crazy about the reference photo I used for the pose - I love using photos of dancers. Sadly, it’s lost in the depths of a Pinterest board somewhere, but it was an extremely elegant man in a costume like those of the Ballet Russe. Koh was the first commissioned character described to me as nonbinary, and the first Changeling character I worked on - lots of firsts!

The magic on their hands is one of my favorite bits - I used a Procreate brush for Kirby dots - a reference to Jack Kirby, a famous comic book artist - and then outlined them/futzed with them until I got this lovely crackling, bubbling energy shape.

Koh is a Changeling necromancer, never seen without their spellbook, bound in cordovan leather and etched with arcane symbols, by their side. Koh is a former captive of the Feyr Empire, forced to enact cruel tortures on prisoners of war. With the empire's recent collapse, they escaped to begin a new life- but years of training don't just vanish in a day, and Koh struggles to put aside everything they ever learned for the sake of their own redemption... especially the art of necromancy.