"Apocalyptic rider II" by Helle Jorgensen

A little experiment. While this is intended to look like an old woodcut, it is in fact a sketch done in watersoluble sketching pencils, and then digitally manipulated by use of Photoshop.

This is my version of Pestilence, one of the four riders of the Apocalypse. In Danish, Pestilence literally goes by the name of Plague. Thus, since plague was historically spread by rats, I thought that it would be in theme for the character to ride a rat rather than the traditional horse. And while I was at it, I made Pestilence a female, just for the sake of diversity. That's artistic license for you. With her right hand she is spreading the seeds of plague in the shape of an ominous cloud.

In preparation for this piece I've looked up a number of photos of rats to get a better grip on the anatomy, but the pose is done all according to my own ideas, since it needed to fit with the rat having a rider.

If it should strike anybody's fancy, you can also find an older drawing of Pestilence/Plague in my gallery, in which she is depicted as a horsewoman.