Hanafubuki

Cherry Blossom Shower. =3

Just trying a different style. ;)

...do I feel a series of these drawings coming...?

This japanese lady from the Heian period (794-1185) wears a junihitoe, formal garment of various layers that was the formal attire for court women on that time. The layers were arranged according to season and moths, in specific color combinations. This one is called "Murasaki no Usuyou" (paling purple), a Spring composition.

I originally made the drawing using "Tsutsuji" (azalea) combination, but then realized that was a Summer color composition, therefore, not fit for the picture's theme... -_-;

Well, it still looks pretty, color-wise, so I'll post it anyway. ;p

Merry Christmas to all! ^_^

Mai Princess - Sleeping Beauty

Finally, Aurora is done!

Drawing and shading these giant amounts of fabric was surely fun! <3

The hair, on the other hand... uff, it's ironical that I love drawing hair just as much as I hate shading it... This method was better than the usual for me, thou... still, I'm yet to find a shading method for hair I actually enjoy.

The crown took a long time, but it was quite enjoyable to draw and color!

I based the crow design on a beautiful crown of an english queen from the XIII Century (very medieval ;D). Below a photo of it, currently in the Residenz palace in Munich, Germany. <3

So... wich shall be the next princess?

Knit Lace Haori ^^

I'm usually very old-fashioned when it comes to kitsuke, but... this knit lace haori from Utatane is just too lovely! Lace is one of the few things in modern/western-influenced kimono that actually manage to make me say "Oh, alright... I admit I like this look!" 

...Althou, being a long haori, this is technically pretty vintage-looking, so... 

I guess it still looks old-fashioned enought to fit my "historical" taste? lol... ;p

The knit lace also adds an adorable winter-ish tone, wich 

looks even more perfect around Christmas time... =3

Merry Christmas to all! ^_^

Pink Shiromuku!

Shiromuku, the kimono worn in traditional japanese wedding ceremony is, by definition, an all-white garment... So, I was most surprised to browse Isyou and find this lovely pink-trail shiromuku! <3

Personally, it's the first time I've seen any splash of color in shiromuku (and yes, I'm sure this is not an uchikake*!). The pink is not an overall too flashy detail, since it's only at the bottom of the sleeves/trail, but for my taste, the tone could be a little softer... but, wow, it's pink on a shiromuku.
How could I not love that?

* Uchikake is the kimono worn at japanese wedding reception, and it's traditionally deep colored (most commonly in red) and heavily brocaded.