Hand drawn line work then digitally colored. Part of a weekly prompt challenge from my local art shop. The character is loosley based on a well know japanese octopus character.
Konishi Mansho (1600 - 1644), the last ordained priest to serve in Japan during the prohibition era of the Tokugawa Shogunate (think of the Shusaku Endo novel, "Silence", which was adapted to film by Martin Scorsese in 2016). Exiled from his homeland in 1614, he eventually made his way to Rome and enter a convent to be ordained as a priest. He would later to his home country to minister to the persecuted Christians there, only to be arrested and martyred in 1644. I tried to mimic a traditional ink painting style to invoke the melancholic feel of this homecoming journey.
Julia Ota, a Korean girl who was brought back to Japan during the Imjin Wars (1592-1598). She was adopted by one of the Japanese commanders, Konishi Yukinaga, and was baptized as a Christian in 1596. She eventually became a lady-in-waiting to Tokugawa Ieyasu, but was later exiled to Izu Islands for refusing to recant her faith. Wherever she went, she became admired for her charity and evangelism, and she was revered as divinity on the islands up after her death up to the 20th century.
It's a Raccoon Dog! Did you know these exist? In Japan they call them Tanuki. I've always liked raccoons so I really enjoyed finding out about the Raccoon Dogs years ago (Even though they actually aren't related to Raccoons). It would be so cool to have one. ^_^ Thank you Lord for all the Raccoon Dogs! :P
Moomins my moomins! 120 layers of Finnish and Japanese cuties (It's funny, but I took some versions of the characters from the books, and others from the cartoon adaptations. And the Mymble's palette was invented by me hehe). It's been a long time, but I don't regret anything: D
