Inspired by the beauty of traditional gardens in my native country, Japan, we have been looking to introduce some ideas back here in the Netherlands. One idea is placing in our garden a stone lantern, otherwise known as Ishidoro in Japanese. Having searched on the internet for possibilities, we were elated to discover that a shop in the Netherlands actually exists specializing in garden decorations imported directly from Japan. How cool was that! And as soon as we arrived after an hour or so drive, it was like a candy store! So many carved stone decorations huge and small….
Inspired by the Cat
But what further caught my eye too was the owner’s cat. A black cat with white “socks”. How kawaii! She was prancing around the stone decorations with no care in the world. And there she also hopped onto one of the Ishidoro and decided that was her throne. And so adorable she was that I had to draw about that as soon as I got home! This time, it’s digital art.
The Painting
And on my Procreate app, I set about my “pencil” sketch as above. It’s just a rough sketch. Once I was happy with it, I set about coloring it all in with my usual Medium Airbrush before introducing textures. In fact, this project was a great way to experiment with textures: The cat’s fur, her flashing eyes, the rough “concrete” surface of the stone ishidoro, the shining sun, clouds in the sky, and the leafy greenery. Now look how it all turned out!
Another fun experience with digital painting! Now I love how the fluffiness of the cat contrasts with the solid rough texture of the Ishidoro, Perhaps when I have the chance, I’d love to do a canvas version of this paimting and challenge myself to playing around with texture mediums like modeling pastes. How about collages too ?
My Kawaii Quarter 