Despite what a lot of people have been guessing, she wasn’t inspired by Dragon Ball Z or other shounen anime. She was probably most subconsciously inspired by Susan Strong from Adventure Time:
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I really should post more on this blog! Tumblr has started to become my main social network of choice, which is a shame because I have forgotten to keep updating here, on dA, and Twitter. Bad Yamino!
I’ll try to update this Sacralicious Blog more often! But if you are interested in following me on Tumblr, you can follow my personal blog here: yamino.tumblr.com
Or for Sister Claire related stuff (fanart, sketches, etc) check out sisterclaire.tumblr.com!
I noticed this chapter has been sparking more discussion and debate than ever. I’m thrilled that you guys are sharing your predictions and interpretations of the characters and conflict between the Nuns and the Witches. However, please keep the tone civil! I don’t like having to edit inflammatory or rude posts. =)
A lot of people have voiced concern that the story is very one-sided, showing only the nun’s perspective. I’ve also heard some people, particularly Wiccans, worry that the Witches will be portrayed as pure evil. Don’t worry, my opinions are not necessarily those of my characters. Keep in mind that these two parties were at war for generations, and so the propaganda and simplification of the enemy is deeply entrenched in the nun’s minds. I am planning to show other sides to the conflict eventually.
I have been doing a lot of research lately on all different types of magic, as well as my regular study of mythology, war, propaganda, and many other miscellaneous inspiring things. Here is a small sample of the books I’m currently referencing:
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m really enjoying reading up on Wicca and its pagan roots, and coincidentally I am fortunate enough to live in a part of England that has especially strong ties to pre-Christian religion, only a short distance from Stonehenge and Dartmoor- which is extremely relevant to the next book of Sister Claire that I am planning! I think it’s amazing that there are a lot of people in this area who still celebrate pre-Christian pagan ceremonies. It’s definitely been a change from living in continental Europe, California, and deep in the Bible Belt of Georgia.
“The Wicca Bible” by Ann-Marie Gallagher
This book in particular has been a really amazing resource as far as explaining Wicca in a very easy to understand way, covering a huge amount of information in a surprisingly small book. I have only read through about 1/5 of it on the train today, and already I felt like it was much more informative than all the other books on Wicca I have been studying all together. Somehow, when I read this, things started to click and make a lot more sense than the previous attempts and understanding the complex histories and rituals of witchcraft.
There are a lot of things in this book that really inspired and resonated strongly with me. I’ll probably be making more posts about this in the future, when I am feeling more eloquent.
Finally, I’d like to welcome the new readers who stumbled across Sister Claire via this recent ad on MSPaintAdventures:
Hope you enjoy Sister Claire! Here is a little Thank-You to the Homestucks who helped me decide what to put on the banner, and to the Homestucks who actually clicked through. <3
Due to an error, I didn’t get the notification email for signing up for tables, so I was merely a visitor rather than an exhibitor this year. I went dressed as The Great and Powerful Trixie, with an amazing cape and hat custom made by bakedstitches! I bought books 2-3 of Hemlock, an amazing comic.
And lastly, I had BUBBLE TEA at Bubbleology! Wonderful! My friend Katie completed the evening by giving me a bubble tea shaped soap! Woo!
I only got back from London quite late, and my family awaited me to have dinner and pumpkin pie. Sorry for the slight delay in the page, I’ll make it up to you by not only finished the page, but with a Halloween pic too!
I just got back from the biggest comic/aci-fi con in the Benelux region, F.A.C.T.S.! It was a blast! I got free ponies, free food, and of course met tons of cool people, including my friend and fellow comic artist, Chloe, and the creators of OpenMinded. Here are some convention sketches I made:
Hey guys, I am planning what to put in a new and improved Sister Claire store, and I need to hear from YOU.
Specifically, what sort of merch would you most be interested in buying?
The first Sister Claire book is already being planned, but here are some ideas I’ve been kicking around:
- T-shirts: Claire (Either shooting her Holy Watergun or with cats), Gabrielle on the toilet (I have this shirt for sale in the Spreadshirt shop) and maybe a subtle Nun-Fu/Sisters of Mercy school shirt with the nun’s emblem on it?
- Stickers and Charms: I’m working on some chibi designs for these for all the main characters (see photo above)
- Claire’s Panties: Due to popular request, this design is available in the Spreadshirt store, although I am hoping to find cheaper options.
- Plushies: I’m not sure how to go about getting these, or how high the demand is. I could probably only afford one design to be made at first, if any. If you want a plushie, which character would you prefer? Claire? Bubble boys? Do tell!
Since it was late anyway, I took a bit longer on this page to really perfect the lighting and composition. This is a pretty important scene, after all. Since a lot of people ask about my coloring methods, I’d like to talk a bit more about the thought that goes into it.
In this case, Claire is making an important decision, and it also happens to be late evening- so the color orange is very dominant in the color palette. The shadows are pink/magenta, which is the color associated with Catharine.
I use color very symbolically in the comic. Whenever a character is dominating a scene, so does their “character color.” I have attempted to establish these character colors in previous scenes featuring the characters.
Gabrielle’s color is blue, and it was the first color introduced in the previously colorless pages. It reflects her effortlessly calm and confident attitude, as well as her associations with water. Gabrielle’s appearance is the catalyst for all future weirdness in the comic, and I wanted to show this symbolically by having her change Claire’s black and white world to color. (Like in “The Wizard of Oz” where Dorothy leaves Kansas.)
Claire is a big ball of handwringing anxiety, but nonetheless she is generally optimistic and trusting. Scenes focusing on her are warm-toned with a lot of yellow and orange, which reflect her energetic and positive nature. He color is the symbolic torch of hope in a war-torn world, a light that leads the story forward.
Catharine’s color is maroon/magenta. It has a similar brightness and warmth to Claire’s, but the redder shade is a subtle clue to the physical and mental pain she has endured. You may have noticed that the entire Witch trial, as well as most scenes where she was possessed by Evil Cat, were very saturated with this color.
When Catharine becomes possessed, her magenta color becomes infused with yellows and greens, showing the duality of her transformation.
The twins have not only a character color, but their own special effects, too. Whenever they make an appearance or dramatic statement, it’s accompanied by a blast of pink roses and spakles, as an homage to shoujo anime/manga.
Marguerite’s color is green, symbolizing her twisted mind and sickness. Soon the reason for her zombie-like appearance and extraordinarily cruel and paranoid practices will become more clear.
I hope this helped to explain some of the unconventional coloring choices I make. ;)
Hi guys! As yo might have noticed if you follow my twitter/tumblr, I was at Abunaicon all weekend, and didn’t get a change to finish this week’s page in time. I was too busy selling stuff, drawing sketches, and meeting awesome Dutch people. If you saw me, thanks for visiting my table! I had a blast, I really hope I can come again next year. =)
Here are the full versions of the sketches. Sadly, I didn’t remember to take photos of most of them, but these were probably the my favorites:
I have a terrible habit of always forgetting to take photos of sketches I make at cons. This is just the tip of the iceberg. My hand was sore, but I can’t tell you how pleased I was that I got so many requests for Korra. (I did remember to take pics of all THOSE.)
These were all drawn with no reference. I have memorized their designs. XD
Apparently “crossplay” (Crossdressing+Cosplay) is extremely popular in the Netherlands. I saw a lot of genderbent versons of characters running around, but this group was by far the best. Marlin (aka Mario… er, Maria? XD) also lives in Amsterdam and said she’d take pics of locations for me! What a nice gal!
Also, there was a gaggle of trolls running around. I took pics of these two when they passed my table. I don’t read Homestuck, but I know a lot of you guys do. I was pleased that when I showed Ingrid. Out of all the billions of trolls, I happened to snap her two favorites. Is this what they call… destiny?