ROB'S BLOG

#Shikigami : Yokai that serve the will of the individual who has summoned them, known as an Onmyouji.

Just wanted to create some post to round everything up and show all the work together. I hope you guys enjoyed the series and thanks for all of your support.

If you’d like to learn more about Shikigami or my other series you can jump over to my Gumroad page and grab a copy of the digital artbook!

Shikigami: Yokai that serve the will of the individual who has summoned them, known as an Onmyouji.

Just wanted to create some post to round everything up and show all the work together. I hope you guys enjoyed the series and thanks for all of your support.

If you’d like to learn more about Shikigami or my other series you can jump over to my Gumroad page and grab a copy of the digital artbook! 

#Shikigami Hakutaku - Shogun. Hakutaku are unique amongst the known types of Yokai. Highly regarded for their wisdom and insight, they are also knowledgeable in the ways of other Yokai, making them valuable assets to major shrines. As a Shikigami they serve as advisors and strategists, helping to coordinate internal affairs and organize defenses should the need arise. —— Hakutaku was a tough one to wrap my head around, but I’m pretty satisfied with the result I settled on. I wanted to get that “channeling the spirit bomb” look with this image lol You can help support my work by purchasing the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad. You can also contribute by sharing my work with your friends. The goal is to make more projects like Shikigami in the future on a more consistent basis so anything helps. Thanks!!\

#Shikigami Hakutaku - Shogun. Shogun is the title given to the head of security at a shrine. Charged with organizing and coordinating operations, they work with shrine personnel to keep visitors safe and prevent any subversive activity. Considered as key personnel, a Shogun is trusted to lead with integrity and set a good example for all. —— I wanted to find ways to keep traditional samurai garb and accoutrements in the costuming, but update them to get a more modern/sci-fi look. It’s kinda tough with traditional shapes since if you go too far it loses the identity of what it was, but if it’s too subtle it doesn’t look different at all. In the future I’d like to get more proficient in materials/textures to help with reinforcing those distinctions and help keep shapes while modernizing the aesthetic. You can help support my work by purchasing the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad, or by sharing my work with your friends! The goal is to create more artwork like Shikigami on a more frequent and regular basis so anything helps. Thank you!

#Shikigami Kappa - Rikishi. Kappa delight in hunting other Yokai and harassing humans that enter their realm. Living in rivers and lakes, it is generally discouraged for lone individuals to approach a body of water for fear of being ambushed by a Kappa. Larger Kappa can be quite fearsome and should generally be avoided. —— Apparently Kappa enjoy sumo style wrestling, so it made sense to pair one with a Rikishi. Depictions of Kappa look pretty goofy so I wanted to take a more menacing approach to them. Alligator snapping turtles were heavily referenced. We used to catch turtles while fishing when I was a kid and they scared the shit out of me cuz of their giant beaks. The floating water thing is a Kappa’s weak spot. Called a sara (sa-ra) it holds the Kappas power. If it gets damaged or drained it greatly weakens the Kappa. You can help support my work by purchasing the Shikigami art book on my gumroad. You can also share my work with your friends, if that works better for you! The goal is to make more artwork like Shikigami for your enjoyment so anything helps! Thanks!

#Shikigami Kappa - Rikishi. Rikishi, wrestlers, dedicate their lives to better themselves at their sport with an almost religious fervor. It their quest to become a Yokozuna, some choose to shortcut their path to the top and attempt to gain favor with a Yokai. Though they may gain much in the short term, the long term benefits of this type of relationship are dubious at best. —— The Sumo characters in this series are among my favorites. Like the Yokozuna piece, it was super fun researching sumo and what it takes to become the very best sumo wrestler. I remember referencing Konishiki for this piece. You can help support my work by purchasing the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad, or by sharing my work with your friends! The goal is to create more artwork like Shikigami for you guys to enjoy so any bit helps. Thank you! 

#Shikigami Komainu - Yojimbo. Komainu are large Yokai, similar to dogs, that are drawn to shrines. The alpha pair of male and female Komainu claim the shrine as their territory and protect it fiercely. By paying them proper respect, visitors and shrine personnel may freely enter and exit at their leisure under the Komainu pairs protection. —— Moving forward I’d like to attempt more illustrations like this incorporating more figures. I did it more in my school work but I seemed to have drifted towards more singular compositions as I focused more on singular characters. Something to aim for in the future. You can support my work by purchasing the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad or, by sharing my work with your friends. The goal is to do more work like Shikigami on a regular basis so any thing helps.

#Shikigami Komainu - Yojimbo. Yojimbo, bodyguards, guard the temple they are assigned to and the numerous visitors they receive each year. Typically they are seen outside the main gate with the Komainu that have taken up residence at the shrine. Standing as a bulwark against disruptive forces, a Yojimbo is a welcome site at any shrine. —— This one explored the more traditional samurai look with the layered plates and ropes tying everything together. The Komainu hair took forever! You can help support my work by picking up the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad! You can also help by sharing my work with your friends! The goal is to do more work like Shikigami on a more frequent and regular basis so anything helps.

#Shikigami Hone Onna - Shinobi. Hone Onna charm their victims in their grasp, draining the life force from them to sustain itself. Using their lantern, they can disorient more resilient targets and close in for the kill. Appealing from afar, closer inspection reveals their true nature, often at the cost of ones life. —— The environmental details and the color for this one were quite fun to paint. This one took awhile but I’m pretty happy overall with it. You can help support my work by purchasing one of my digital art books on my gumroad, Shikigami and/or the occult series. Both delve in to the ideas and the world I envisioned for each of the projects, with full descriptions for each. You can also helping by sharing my work with your friends. The goal is to do work like Shikigami on a more frequent and regular basis so any bit helps. Thanks for your time! 

#Shikigami Hone Onna - Shinobi. Focusing more on covert activity and assassination, this version of Shinobi operates behind the lines. Lightly armed and armored they value mobility over raw power. Seen only when they want to be, a Shinobi’s presence usually spells doom for their target. —— I really enjoyed that super styled scarf that the main character had in the Shinobi games. Had a really cool look. This was the first character I did in the 2nd half of the series using the green, orange, purple palette. While the other characters looked more pit together and clean, I wanted this half to look chaotic, disheveled, and sinister. Was a fun kick off point for the rest of the characters. You can support my work by liking and sharing with your friends or by purchasing the Shikigami digital art book on my gum road. The goal is to do more work like this series for your enjoyment so any bit helps and is greatly appreciated! 

#Shikigami Tengu - Ninja. Tengu live high in mountainous regions using their wings to fly. They don’t serve willingly as a Shikigami but, if an individual can sneak up to one in its roost, exceptions have occurred. Wielding massive bows, they can been seen atop the enormous pagoda style roofs at shrines. —— This one was pretty fun to paint. I wanted the Yokai realm to be a night time setting with a brilliant moon in the sky and aurora type occurrences a regular feature. Inspiration was taken from the Ashina Castle in Sekiro. You can support my work by purchasing the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad! You can also help support me by sharing my work with your friends! The goal is to create more work like Shikigami so any thing helps. Thanks!! 

#Shikigami Tengu - Ninja. Operating from high vantage points, a ninja uses their mobility to provide overwatch capabilities to their shrine. Employed as a more discreet form of security, they observe shrine visitors and Yokai from on high. Typically paired with Tengu, a skilled ninjas presence should be imperceptible. —— This one is another one of my favs. This one was done early on in the series where I was trying to get the look and feel together for the characters and their costume. It really helped set the groundwork for the rest of the characters after this one.

Support my work by buying the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad or sharing my work with your friends. The goal is to create more content like Shikigami to share with you guys so anything helps. 

#Shikigami Wanyudo - Ronin. Wanyudo are known for their furious temperament and their striking appearance. Though awkward looking, a Wanyudo is able to quickly and swiftly manipulate the bladed wheel that surrounds it; striking from obtuse angles with surprising speed. Wreathed in flames, a Wanyudo leaves a trail of fiery destruction in its wake. —— This one is one of my favorites from the series. The painting came together well and struck the mood I wanted to capture with it. Quite enjoyable to create. Support my work by buying the Shikigami digital art book on my gumroad or sharing my work with your friends. The goal is to create more content like Shikigami to share with you guys so anything helps.

#Shikigami Wanyudo - Ronin. Whether by choice, circumstance, or disgrace, a Samurai can lose their master and turn Ronin. Though masterless, they sell their superb swordsmanship skills to the highest bidder. More often than not this puts them at odds with society and law/order. —— I enjoyed painting this piece but getting the ellipses right wasn’t easy. Still seems kinda wonky but I’m okay with it. Pretty happy with the pose too. Shikigami digital art book is available on my gumroad link in my profile. It contains full descriptions of each character and full-size image files to enjoy the detail. You can support my work by buying the art book, giving me a follow, or by sharing my work with your friends. The goal is to create content like Shikigami on a more frequent and sustainable basis so, anything helps. Thanks for your support!