Expression studies and design headcanons for cezhou + My thought process if you gaf
For Shen Lanzhou, the main thing I wanted to get right were his eyes... They're always described as smiling (even when he himself isn't) ("can't help having a set of affectionate eyes"), so I tried to capture that in my style. Deep set eyes, long lashes for that extra alluring, huli-jing look LOL. Also I love the swoopy side part that some artists give him- it differentiates him a lot from the other danmei boys (also he wears bows in his hair which is very moe to me) so I tried to play with the shape language of that. Overall I just really wanted him to look pretty, this is the face that ancient chinese men would go to war for Okay? Okay
As for ce'an, I wanted him to look youthful and free spirited while also like a domineering war general... I kinda had a hard time capturing that buuuut I think this is my best attempt @_@. I love love his hair in the eng tl- the swept up hair just works so well, like it got messy from the wind after a day of horse riding. Sharp handsome features for a sharp handsome boy...I am partial to his eyebrows in particular- thick eyebrows just make every character design better man I don't make the rules
