Rayquaza is most likely based on the Hebrew legends of Ziz, the unconquerable primal master of the sky. Its counterparts were Behemoth and Leviathan. Rayquaza's appearance also draws inspiration from other creatures of myth such as the Asian dragon and lindworm.
I can see how he could be based on Ziz. If you think about it, Kyogre is Leviathan and Groudon is Behemoth. And since Rayquazaa finishes up the set, there ya go. Excellent work on the gradients. Do you use the vector pen tool to create these?
I used to use the pen tool in Illustrator for everything. Now I freehand everything with the brush and pencil tool in Illustrator, or import my PSD doodles to Illustrator to ink.
BLACK RAYQUAZA WAS CAUGHT!
I've also some works made in illustrator..
Im a fan of pentool