Project Description

INKTOBER 52 2024 Week #13: SAMURAI.

“I have long had a fascination with and interest in anything and everything martial arts related, particularly the samurai. It’s very easy to get swept up in the romanticized version of the warrior class from feudal Japan. They embody physical and mental discipline, skill, loyalty, artistry, determination, honor and other ideals that are worthy of aspiring towards. As with any other people from any other period in history, though, it’s important to remember the context of the time in which they lived, as well as the reality that things weren’t necessarily always good and virtuous. But, one can still appreciate the positive aspects, particularly if they provide inspiration or act as a driving force to positive improvement in oneself.
I had already drawn PMD as a samurai for a previous prompt. While I was brainstorming ideas, I decided to reference one of the coolest, most beautiful video games I have ever played: ‘Ghost of Tsushima’. It’s an epic samurai story based on the actual historical Mongolian invasion of the island of Tsushima. You play as a samurai trying to rally the natives and drive off the invaders. It is incredibly well done, and one of these days I’ll actually finish the game (I suffer from two problems: 1. I don’t spend much time gaming these days, preferring to get more time in my studio. I don’t want to be on my deathbed with the same unfinished projects list. And 2. I’m an obsessive compulsive completionist. I must find all the secrets, collect all the collectibles, unlock all the unlockables, and finish every side quest and secondary story arc. That kind of makes big games like GoT a bit overwhelming and time consuming for me).
I crammed a lot of detail into this image with attempts at different textures. I may have muddied things up a little in the process, and I got so hung up on trying to do justice to the reference image from the game I used that I forgot PMD’s tail…oops.”

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