Even Death Weeps

I wanted to do an emotive portrait of Hela. The thing I like most about the Norse gods is that they are very vulnerable and human. Hela's title of 'Death Goddess' is more like a job description; she is also a giantess, a sister, a daughter and a carer. She has many reasons to cry but I don't think her sadness is limited to her own circumstances. She would feel empathy for the souls she has to take. Beneath her scary exterior I think she is something of an angel.

It is difficult to draw people crying, especially when they are on the verge of tears but holding them back. They always tend to look as though they are wearing contorted smiles. I used many references to aid me but I won't list them all here as the pose is all my own.

I didn't make the one side of Hela's face especially wasted or hideous as it detracts from her facial expression, I just darkened it and made it look rougher/ more textured. I'm probably going to fix it up further, as I do with all my pieces but the edits will be minor.