Reaper Academy: the brainstorm of an identity

 I forgot to properly post last weekend the small 2 or so hour task I worked on using Photoshop and some google image search findings.  I cannot place an exacting tone to the design as it is at the moment, but it was a brainstorm and idea of what the Reaper Academy identification could look like. 

Enlarged within this post for the best possible view of what we are working with here. Below I will explain the thoughts of the design and symbols ( most likely under a page cut ); but I first wish to note that doing this rough idea has quickly given me ideas and details I hadn't thought of prior.  One being that I hadn't quite figured out the way different ranks would be noted visually.  I always figured a form of military-like badge, but after designing this and feeling it was a bit too tall and cumbersome - I feel the design can easily become 3 separate uniform designs to which each it's own meaning.  So shall we jump into the meanings? 

Lets!

The floodgates have broken to the crushing of a soul...

I feel the need to express my complete breakdown from a 1 season, 1 episode anime suggested to me on Tubi after watching the first season of "Devil is a Part Timer".  I won't give a huge review of the anime that was suggested to me after the prior mentioned - it would take me forever to try ans explain it. 

I still wanna at least bring notice to this anime called " Hells "; which I warn is kinda PG13 with blood, some topless nudity, and very real conversations and feelings that can trigger a lot of past feelings or events.  This anime (which is in English on Tubi TV) bares a very unique art style that is deceptively different and almost amateur in it's appearance - yet what even starts as a fairly blah anime will suddenly decide to reach out to your soul and start ripping at it. 

Like I said - It has some VERY heavy topics and graphics that you gotta be old enough and ready enough to see this about 1-2 hour show in it's entirety. For me... it had such a hard hitting and quite destructive affect on me internally. I have quite a few characters that revolve around the idea of female grim reapers and a realm of reapers and their world/academy; all that I just dunno half the time where to start of feel have time to work on. 

This anime basically broke the floodgates and quite quickly my main character of reaper ties easily flooded out.. appears to me and wanting answers of just why I couldn't do things with my project.  My excuses, per say, always kinda justified it.. and the main ones being that no one would wanna watch; my art style was crap; or that the idea was already over-saturated. Yet I couldn't find these reasons to use as the art style of this anime is in no way polished... the concept was so very new and took things so deeply into areas that would and will make people cry or remember past life experiences and even make you feel energized and foolish for doubting things.  

Baby steps are still in order I feel, but Kawaii has taken to her inquisition of me now and she never was one to give up easily or be gentle of her thoughts and beliefs.  The below is the tweet I made earlier tonight of the anime.  You can see the art style and if you wanna read bout it - I also added it to my MyAnimeList listing I've recently been adding too... slightly.

 

The art style is deceptively amateur.and vibes off either a meh anime or something lacking real flow and leaning almost to Adult Swim or Late Nite programming; yet delivery in fact the most real and hard hitting genius Ive seen in a while. It's like 2020 was an anime. pic.twitter.com/JTo2HvWseZ

— Celix Productions (@celixdog) December 20, 2020

Kawaiichi #10 yawns in color

 

 

Mixed Media. Re-Printed onto Sketchbook stock, printer ink, Ohuhu alcohol markers, Photoshop cleanup.

©2020 Dave Minton. Kawaiichi #10,character, and imagery.

 

Some budging from my BFF, @arukoyankobiku on tumblr, got me to print out on separate sketchbook paper the design and tackle the coloring with the markers after being apprehensive on the coloring task. 

Not bad in all honesty. Scanning presented a bit of a blown out result due to the ink being printer type and more reflective. Feet are not my strong point and shading is potentially iffy. None the less Kawaiichi #10 is in her element now. Well at least she’s yawning and probably tired, which for a shy little chi like her.. is fairly standard fare. 

Sketchy Buisness

 Are you following me on Instagram? 

If so... you may have seem some sketches posted; two in fact!

If not; no worries!  You can see the sketches and updated progress below as well. Follow me here on Blogspot and you can get updates when I post here as well - just look to the right. :>

Productive moment this week both with personal things and I braved a long late night sketch session on a whim which created 2 sketches. 

The first was based on a experiment of character development -or- simply a challenge to draw more for Jag as "photos" for her new Character Instagram account, @jag_yomirecords, as inspired by some character accounts for VivziePop's HelluvaBoss animated series; which I warn is not for kids 🔞. 

I am not 100% pleased with the final as I botched the eyes a bit in marker and got past the point of no return.  Her eyes are a light purple normally. 😥

India Ink inked sketch prior to coloring. © 2020 Dave Minton

Ohuhu marker colored final with some Photoshop cleanup.  ©2020 Dave Minton

 The second sketch has just finished inking and... yeah... I am glad my desk isn't high enough to bang my head against.  Feet are not my strong point and a few inking errors are maybe not super noticeable, but for me are blatant. 

Kawaiichi #10 is still a kind of new character as well... she's very quiet on her twitter account that acts as more of a experiment for a character to blend into real life society.  She is also rather overtly figured and yet very sky with a temper.  Coffee is her love language usually; that or small cafe's. 

Here she is yawning (both sketches I used a compilation of reference images for) with her arms behind her back. She's big on cozy clothes and sweater weather is her favorite - and nearing.  Of course Kawaiichi's aren't the most active at times and sleeping is a competitive sport for some if given the chance. 

sketch + India Inks done on Yawning Kawaiichi #10. ©2020 Dave Minton

 

I'm a bit apprehensive to try to color this with markers - and yet I know trying to PC color will be just as tedious and risky, with at least a Ctrl+Alt+Del option. Shall have to see where this one goes.  She diffidently is worth watching...  😉😶💧

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