So what’s a Nekomimi?

Nekomimi is a fictional human character who have cat ears and others feline traits such as a tail or paws. The word itself comes from Japan; Neko (Cat) and Mimi (Ears).

I love cats! Unfortunately, I’m allergic to them… ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

(GIF from anime "Barakamon")

So the challenge requires me to draw an original character so I thought that maybe I should turn my OC Kurenai into a nekomimi~ (*•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Who’s Kurenai?

Kurenai is actually my OC for Sengoku Basara’s series. I was so obsessed with Masamune Date and thus created her! Her character design is actually the hardest for me to finalize as I want her description and looks to be parallel with Basara’s location and time setting as much as I can. I started created her back in 2011 and I’m still trying to figure out an appropriate warrior’s costume for her. So below here I have compiled a mini timeline of Kurenai’s design development (along with my cringy art style).

Evolution of Kurenai.jpg

I particularly like the last 2 designs of her kimonos but it’s still not to my liking. So this time, I decided to mash both designs to create a new garment for her!

A Yakuza Cat?

Kurenai also owned a black cat named Tama. His right eye is blinded and Kurenai conceals it with an eyepatch. I actually want Tama to be a calico cat, but my mom said there’s no male calico coat… So, I changed his coat to bluish black to imitate Masamune’s design (and also to compliment with the eyepatch)~

Enough strolling in memory lane! Let’s cut the chase and proceed with illustration processes.

Stage 1: Sketch

Like my other illustrations process, I will start sketching with paper and pencil as I able to control the pencil’s flow better when I’m using traditional way.

Stage 2: Sketch Refining

When I satisfied with the look I’m going for, I darken the lines so it will be easier to see after I scanned and about to proceed with the lineart process.

Nekomimi Kurenai_008.jpg

Stage 3: Lineart

As usual, I will use size 1px brush to do my lineart and thicken them at certain parts. The hardest part to lining is actually her hair because she has many sharp edges and stray strands (or was it locks?). I also use a dark purple colour for my lineart.

Nekomimi Kurenai_007.jpg

Stage 4: Blocking

I actually have no idea what does this method called… ┐( ´ д ` )┌

But I often see my fellow creator friends on Instagram did this. For me, I found this method is quite useful to identify the parts that I should colour (especially the tiny details) since it’s hard to see with a white or flat background.

Normally, I will use either blue or green as temporary background before I proceed with the actual background to protect my eyes from harsh monitor light during the whole process. I didn't show it here since I want the GIF animation to look consistent later.

Nekomimi Kurenai_006.jpg

Stage 5: Base Colour

I use a warm tone colour to compliment with Kurenai’s personality; as well an opposite colour tone with Masamune. Her whole design is meant to be an opposite attraction to him. To save my time, I minimize the colour usage and reuse them at certain parts such as her hair ribbons and obi sash (her ribbon belt).

Nekomimi Kurenai_005.jpg

Stage 6: Shading

Like my other illustrations, I will use 2 or 3 colours for shading so I can achieve this soft gradient looks. Once again, her hair is the hardest to shade.

(ﾉ´ｰ`)ﾉ

But, at least her eyes remedied my soul. I always find people who have green eyes is very attractive!

Nekomimi Kurenai_004.jpg

Stage 7: Overlay

I applied different shades of purple and blue at certain areas to give different colour transitions. This makes the colour brighter and pleasant to the eyes.

Nekomimi Kurenai_003.jpg

Stage 8: Background

Since I overkill myself in previous illustration’s background post, I decided to keep this one simple. I choose a blue lace as background to compliment with Kurenai’s pinkiness and also to make her character more stand out.

Nekomimi Kurenai_002.jpg

Stage 9: Final Adjustments

I merged the whole layer (except for background) and increase the saturation to make the colour appear more vibrant. Last but not least, I stamp my watermark beside Kurenai to prevents art thief.

16012018_Nekomimi Kurenai_Final3.png