A Story in Design: Sora Moto

This is the last of three characters I made for the concept art course (you can read about Li Wei and "Demon" Idir in my previous posts).

While thinking about this character I realized that I wanted to dilute the purely male company with a bit of beauty. Who doesn't like to draw pretty girls? 😉 The only question is - who exactly this girl should be? I didn't really want to do something modern, and I had already noticed several classic medieval and fantasy princesses/elves/witches among the ideas of my fellow students. As with the pirate, I needed an unusual point of view. For example, another culture. Why not? I already have a Chinese vampire and an African pirate. What prevents a Japanese bride? Or a novice in the temple? 🤔 Detailed research on the topic led me to an unexpected decision - I can combine both ideas into one! A young girl who, according to family traditions, was preparing to become a novice in the temple but was forced to abandon this path due to external circumstances.

I approached the search for references as responsibly as possible. Hairstyles of the right historical period, wedding and novice clothing, ritual instruments, traditional jewelry... Honestly, with each new concept, my search history gets weirder and weirder. There is everything from wedding dresses and the Mariana Trench to the question "How much blood does a person have to lose to pass out but not die" 😂 Don't ask about the last one 😅

You can notice an interesting thing about the concept you're making when all references are found and collected on one sheet you begin to imagine the character a lot clearer. From an amorphous and blurred idea, it transforms into something more "real" and "tangible". Details and character traits begin to emerge. Even though the canvas is still clean... And, of course, it immediately becomes easier to choose a suitable name for the hero. Preferably, with a meaning behind it. I love this part! 😁

I decided to name my Japanese girl Sora Moto (Sora - sky and Moto - base, root, origin) - as a hint that she always remains faithful to the deity of the temple and her family.

Sora was born at the end of the Edo period (18th century) in a family many generations of whom were priests in one of the rare Shinto temples (at that time Shintoism was practically forgotten, the main religion was Buddhism). When the girl turned 16 the young samurai wished to marry her. However, Sora refused as she dreamed of becoming a novice and was preparing for a ritual that would bind her to the deity of the temple. Unfortunately, the samurai did not accept the refusal, and during the ritual armed men broke into the temple and took the girl away. Sora had to agree to a marriage to avoid the disgrace of her family and to save the temple.

Her outfit is a combination of the Shiromuku (a kimono that used to be worn for weddings in samurai families) and the ceremonial kimono that is still worn today during holidays and formal events. The golden flowers it is embellished with are the girl's favorite flowers that grow near her temple.

The fan in her hand is a decoration that symbolizes a lost dream (because in such temples a large fan is one of the attributes of a priestess).

The traditional hairstyle is decorated with a hairpin with two birds symbolizing the bride and the groom – one bird looks at the other, but the second one turns away).

 A tragic but beautiful story. I hope it'll inspire you with some interesting thoughts 🙂