Residing in calm gardens and ponds is the being they call ‘The Tranquil One.’ Atop lily pads is her favorite place to be, feeling the soft lulling of the waters beneath her and inhaling the sweet scent of flowers and nature itself. In the silence, she hears every thing yet reveals none. As exposed a place lily pads are, she is rather elusive. However, if you are calm and silent in both mind and heart, perhaps you may chance a glimpse of this little being relaxing in the silence of every thing.

 

They call themselves 'The Tumbleweeds'. Apparently, not their own idea, but someone else's. However it stuck and it does sort of remind them of themselves: tumbling amongst weeds, not knowing where to go.

This is a little sneak peek of my new story about a wandering little folk who finds herself deep into the woods. That's all that I can say for now, haha! I'm planning to release their story digitally through a digital comic / manga platform in the coming near future. 

Hope you are all well! <3 

Cheers,

Mariel :)

Misaki

Misaki loves to wander around the forest alone with her own thoughts...but she's not truly alone. She can hear the thoughts of the wind as it whispers among the trees like a friend's stories, feel the touch of the sunlight piercing through sun-dappled canopies like a loved one's embrace and taste the sweet scent of the flowers like a treat given by a friend. She seems a little too shy and quiet but her tiny cat mask gives away the childlike demeanor everybody wants her to hide. She is her own person and that is enough to make her feel free.

"Briefly like spring time,

I have come, but I will go.

Life is too fleeting."

Tora

She is named Tora. To defend one's land is her duty and it takes up too much of her time. Sometimes she wonders if it was better to have been an ordinary person, tilling farm or making rice, singing songs with her friends and eating with her family at the dinner table. But this is the life that she's been given. She is grateful, but she feels her days and her nights are too short -- life is but similar to the passing of sakura blossoms. She will never know just when the blades or the arrows of her enemies will end her days. In this she feels sorrow but also gratitude -- to die for your people and your country is enough to make the hardship and unpredictability of warfare easier to overcome.

Growing up with six older brothers, all Hagumi wanted was to fit right in with the guys. She took up arms and fought in the skirmishes along with them. But that was only in her wildest of dreams. She's stuck feeding the chickens and cooking dinner at home. Not that she hated doing all the women's work, but she longed for adventure... sans the killing. One day she was forced to do what she had imagined doing -- she must fight to protect her brothers' innocence. Oh great, I was just joking, she thought nervously. Well, I could handle a broom so why not a spear? She's quite sure she could do it. After all those daydreams and watching numerous training and sparring with the scarecrow, she could survive the battlefield, right?

Remember the beautiful feeling of touching the pages of an old book, wondering just how many people have lovingly anticipated the stories within its pages? Or that simple, musty and kind of historic scent of it? And also, the excitement of opening a new book and feeling like you've found a new companion? All these are quite quirky and simple but they are part of this wonderful love I have for books. It's not only the stories, but the companionship and the "passport" I attain to far off lands and new people in adventures I know I could only have in books.

Books on the shelves, on coffee tables, on tables beside beds and sofas, on cabinets and underneath flower pots -- the beautiful musty scent of pages old and new linger in every room along with the faint perfume of flowers and rosemary. She buries herself within the pages of literature, stuck inside the adventures and thoughts of each and every story she reads, the memories and lives of the characters felt like they were hers as well. Every fact and speculation she thoroughly peruses, taking in as much as she could digest.  The books are both her escape and her comfort.

I haven't done much digital illustrations lately as I have been so busy with the holidays and some custom handmade gifts. It's such a thrill to be busy for both! But a few days in after Christmas, I've had this "itch" to continue doing this literary girl -- it's been a while since I first started on her illustration and I felt like it was time to finish her portrait. We kind of look a bit alike, but this was unintentional. Really! Haha! Are you guys familiar with the observation that an artist kind of looks like the ones she / he draws? Or maybe that there's a similarity between them among the tiniest details? I suppose it did kind of happen to us here. Haha!

Anyways, I'd love to share the brushes I used in this illustration. It's what Mingjue Helen Chen's been using which she linked on her tumblr. I have been using them for a bit of a long time now and I could say that they are the best! Here's the link and I hope you'd get "lost" in her awesome blog. 

http://jigokuen.tumblr.com/post/78660442498/some-dc-girls-redesigns-an-extension-to-the

Oh and since you are here, here's a tumblr blog about books and such that I have been following for such a long time now. I hope you will enjoy staying in this cafe / library blog.

http://teacoffeebooks.tumblr.com/

Cheers everyone and happy holidays!
:)

Have a peaceful Christmas, everyone! May love and warmth embrace you in all your days. Cheers! Here's a little illustration of the family -- there must have been such an immense kind of love between them. I hope your holidays are well and are filled with love. Cheers and love to all of you, wherever you may be.