Polynesian warrior. This personal project was done to study anatomy and various cultural aspects of the Marquesan.
All the tattoos have different meanings important to the warrior, which are shown with different shapres and animals. The model was created in zbrush, creating all the muscles and facial features from scratch.
Weapon: mace from the Marquesas Islands
Tattoo meanings from Marquesan books:
shoulders: big circle on shoulder with lines inside signify the sun and an alliance to go to war.
the big triangle on the front shoulder, signifies going upward and motivation.
neck: lines and circles going around the neck are like a necklace and are protection against enemies.
neck: turtles, signify passage to another world and communication between the two worlds( between humans and gods)
chest: tiki, symbolizes family and clan

leg tattoo: the two dark thick lines going down towards the knee represent soldier. (manche de sabre, meaning saber handle) the patterns inbetween represent authority and rank.
-thin lines creating triangles in the inner thigh represents a fishing net and the soul of fishermen.

Book: Dictonnary of polynesian tattoos, Marquesas Islands