Hongwu Emperor of Ming 洪武帝- Commissioned by Vincent Ho

Recently I was extremely fortunate to be commissioned by my Patron Mr. Vincent Ho, (aka FerrumFlos1st) on Deviantart to do the portrait of the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty- the tough as nails Hongwu Emperor. Mr. Ho has been a long time patron of mine and when he recently found a temporary job he commissioned this piece with one of his first paychecks. :') I am proud to announce that after two weeks of work I was able to finish this portrait for him. With love and the deepest gratitude, thank you for your support and most of all your belief in me. Thank you FerrumFlos1st- thank you for commissioning the past to live again. I hope I made you proud :')

Gruff, authoritarian, but also diligent, Zhu Yuanzhang (the future Hongwu Emperor) rose from a penniless beggar who lost both of his parents to starvation to become one of the greatest warriors of the 14th century. From illiterate beggar to rebel to warlord to emperor, his life was a kaleidoscope of strife and harsh measures.