(2018 Commission) Hell Girl & Medicine Seller

This piece was a commission that I did in 2018 for my partner. The idea to combine Mononoke and Hell Girl into a piece was my own, but I knew in doing so I was setting myself up for a piece that had to be both eerie and welcoming. The warm tones of the sunset is reminiscent of scenes from Hell Girl- though in the piece, I feel that it exudes warmth and comfort. The shadows of the window panes seem to add an eerie feeling, but the marbles on the floor reflecting the light show Ai's childlike nature despite her gruesome line of work. I also wanted to add a feeling of comfort by giving them each an object that brings them comfort. With Kusuriuri, his pipe- and with Ai, a cup of tea.
With Medicine Seller, I wanted to make him seem as relaxed as possible, but still show some sort of protective nature over Ai. This was a personal choice-- but even though Kusuriuri exorcises youkai, and Ai works with several of them-- I feel that if the characters were to interact, they'd naturally come to this relationship dynamic. At the end of the day, they're both hard workers that just need a break.