Portrait of a Spirit - Honoka Warashi

Please say hello to Honoka Warashi.

As promised this is the reveal of my original character, Honoka Warashi. As usual, you can find this image in full quality on my DeviantArt portal, and at this link. 

So, a little about this artwork. As I noted in yesterday's post, she is the first character I have created from scratch. But there are themes that I have tried to convey through this particular image. 

First off, I gave her very long, but also very "fluffy" hair. It is supposed to evoke allegories to clouds and represent nature, particularly rain. This is a direct reference to her being nicknamed Ane Warashi, which is itself a play on Ame Warashi (rain sprite). 

Second, if you look closely enough you will notice that the structure of her eyes are different from one another. Namely, there is one too many rings in her right eye compared to her left eye. The left eyes is meant to be normal, the difference in her right eye being a manifestation of her heritage as a half-spirit. It is a transformation further alluded to by the mask she's holding. The act of wearing a mask is about changing oneself to be someone or something else. The type of mask she's holding tells you what her spirit half is. 

Finally, the choice of a kimono is in keeping with the overall semblance of a festival atmosphere brought on by the presence of the mask. Very cliche, I know, but I didn't have a better outfit in mind yet.

The plan is for her to have violet hair and brown eyes, although I've been thinking of changing that. I've also been thinking that I might want to add some sort of print to her kimono, but I couldn't decide on what kind (I'm leaning towards clouds to keep up that theme). 

That's the summation of this project. Hopefully I will have others to share soon. On that note, here is this week's Halloween track. It's a little long, and a little different, but still makes for a decent Halloween track I think. So, have a great weekend.