Kawaii Kanreki

And I just turned 60 last Friday!  To be honest I was not at all looking forward to the Big 6-0.  Dreading it in fact.  When I reached 50, I stopped counting until I hit the 60 mark.  That said, though, we are supposed to celebrate turning 60, as if it were a giant milestone.  This is especially true in the Far East, namely Japan where I am from.  It is called KANREKI, meaning “return of calendar”  because the cycle of the 12 animal zodiac signs restarts every 60 years, signifying moment of rebirth as the zodiac (in my case Dragon/Snake) is returning to the same sign as the day I was born.  So I have indeed completed my life cycle, and now entering a new one! 

Celebrating in Red

And how is this Kanreki celebrated?  The person turning 60 dresses as “aka-chan”  which in Japanese  literally means “red one” but is also commonly referred to a baby because newborns are typically colored red.  The celebration is thus two-fold:  Firstly, newborns symbolize rebirth.  Secondly, red is associated with luck and prosperity in many Asian countries and further considered the colour of celebration.  As such the traditional costume is red, consisting of a red bouffant hat (e-boshi) and a red sleeveless vest (chanchanko). And what better way to bring out such positive vibes with Little One dressed in this cute Kanreki outfit!

Pencil Sketch

I had initially began with drawing Little One in a sketchbook, and even began working on the background a bit.  However, I then realised a better idea would be to paint on a canvas board so I can display this piece as a celebration for this special occasion!  The sketch was thus photocopied so I can trace the image directly on the canvas board with a graphite sheet.  Now that’s better!

Little Red One

First I introduced texture in the background by gluing bits from some Japanese-language newspaper.  Covered the entire background around Little One with Amsterdam Acrylic’s Light Gold but then changed my mind and switched to pearlescent white after gesso-ing it over.  Here, I combined ARA’s pearlescent white with opaque titanium white and blended a bit of pearl white pigment to achieve this white washi paper effect.  Let’s see what happens!

Pyrrole Red (Golden Fluid Acrylic’s) seemed the perfect red for the costume.  How beautiful did that turn out!  For the inner outfit, I went for a combination  of bronze and gold.  The face was then painted with a blend of titanium white with Quinacridone Azo Nickel Gold, leaving some space for the eyes which were subsequently painted in Burnt Sienna.  Added some texture to the hair with some modelling paste and let it all dry overnight.

Finishing Touches

After spreading a wash of brown for the hair, it was time play around with glitter glue!  First the eyelashes followed by the string of the vest then a thick glob of diamond glitter for the fan to bring out the texture.  Tapped on some light gold gouache around the background with some paper towel.  And finally the word Kanreki 還暦 in my rather badly written Japanese.  And here we are, doesn’t Little One look adorable in her Kanreki outfit?  She doesn’t look 60 at all and stays forever young!

Amid my busy schedule, I was happy to have been able to set some time aside to paint as was badly in need of winding down.  I did however feel I had to rush to finish this because I am going away this weekend and wanted to share it before my birthday date is long passed.  Still I’m rather pleased with the outcome although I could have gotten the subject to fill the canvas up more.  Not to worry, still cute and manages to convey the message that “Life Begins at 60”!