The Criosphinx

The Sphinx is a traditional monster with the body of a lion, and the head of either a human, falcon or ram invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, before being imported in Greek mythology. The name sphinx comes from the Greek sphiggein Σφινξ — Sphinx, apparently from the verb σφινγω — sphingo, meaning ‘to draw tight’ or more loosly translated: ‘to strangle’.

There are three types of sphinx in Egyptian statuary.

- Androsphinx
The typical lion with a human face/head. Rarely was the Egyptian sphinx portrayed as a female. When it was, it symbolized Isis and/or the reigning queen. Most usually it had the head of the reigning Pharaoh.
- Criosphinx
Criosphinx is Greek for "ram-headed sphinx", referring to a figure with the body of a lion and the head of a ram. It’s unknown what Egyptians called these figures. The Criosphinx is said to have represented Amun, the God of Creation.
- Hieracosphinx
A sphinx with the head of a falcon or hawk.

The Greek Sphinx whose name became applied to the Egyptian figures was a singular demon with a lion's body and a woman's head, plus the wings of an eagle and a serpent tail.

So yeah, this took some time. More than it should have, but I'll save you some ranting. Grrrr, wings... background... Oh, but please DO TELL if this thing looks either too dark or too bright on your monitor. I can adjust it

EDIT: Thanks so much for all the helpful critiques! I fixed the shadows here and there, adjusted the lighting on the body in comparison to the tail and I worked some subtle warm/cold contrast into it. I really tried to impliment all of the points mentioned, but I did have the image retain a similar look, so sorry if you don't notice anything.

~Vyrilien

Medium: Corel Painter Essentials 2, Photoshop CS2 and a Wacom Intuos 2
Time Taken: Several weeks. I estimate about 45 hours of work.