Related Items

Avatar of Inari

A symbol of prosperity and success, the avatar of Inari grants a wish to those who can find her among the birch trees. To those who are faithful, the goddess brings long life and acts as their guide and protector in death. It is said that her tail contains the souls of those she carries between the realms. She is believed to represent love that survives the grave. With age, her wisdom and magic will grow--as will her tails. In her fox mound high in the mountains, she keeps her soul safely within a jewel. Many have tried to steal it to secure good fortune in this life and the next, but none have outfoxed the trickster herself.

Process

There are two moments when the light is perfect. Usually about an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset. This is called the golden hour and it's a time when light appears magical and the land glows in radiance. When I imagined this scene I saw it in that time of day and wanted to capture the magical feeling I get when the light is just right.

This drawing was spontaneous. Usually I spend lots of time on ideation, thumbnails, and studies before approaching the final drawing. Inari just wanted to be on paper. She leapt from my head while I was sketching and expanded to a size larger than my original paper. You'll also notice that I wasn't happy with my first attempt at her expression. I made a second attempt at it on a separate piece of paper. Then I scanned both drawings in and composited them on the computer.