Reincarnation
This drawing took inspiration from my favourite character from the video game "Overwatch." This features the character known as Reaper, a man who has turned to a life of crime after the betrayal of his best friend, and a world who turned his back on him. Reaper, formerly known as Gabriel Reyes, was the head of an elite military organization. He lead a strike team known as "Overwatch" through a war, a brought victory to the human race. After having been passed on in favour of his best friend Jack Morrison, their arguments and disputes lead to the downfall of the whole organization, and an explosion of the military base that left Jack with serious injuries, and Gabriel for dead. From some unknown force, Gabriel was resurrected and reincarnated, and was given the abilities to break form and feed on the souls of his victims. He took on the alias Reaper, and now lives on as a world renowned terrorist. The only way to know where he is, or where he went, is the trail of husks he leaves in his wake.
In this depiction, I drew what I interpreted the resurrection and reincarnation of Reaper/Gabriel would look like. I imagined the pain, anger, and agony that he must have been in, not only from the explosion, but also from being abandoned by a world he gave everything to save, and a friend he sacrificed everything for. This fire would be represented by the sparks of flame in the background. I also payed homage to the new found abilities he gained, with Reaper holding two soul orbs in his hands, almost weighing out whether or not this is truly the path he wants to make for himself.
This drawing was inspired by the tales of the Grim Reaper. In some depictions, the Grim Reaper is seen as the spirit who deals out death, and that he is the cause of death. However, I always interpreted the Grim Reaper as the one who guides lost souls to the after life. Sort of like a messenger instead of the executioner. The Grim Reaper is a figure who is often personified, and is sometimes believed to be human himself. There are those who believe the Grim Reaper is a human who sold their soul so a loved one would have a longer and more fulfilling life, and in order to pay back their debt, must carry on as the one who guides those who are on deaths door into the next life. The Grim Reaper you see may not be the only one around, as it can be found that there are multiple Grim Reapers, all working to pay off their soul debt.
In this drawing, I drew what I imagined the Grim Reaper to look like. Common characteristics known to be associated with Grim Reapers are the humanoid form, often seen as a skeleton, wearing a black wispy cloak, and carrying around a large scythe, which is used to cut open a portal between universes to deliver lost souls to the next life. I imagined the Grim Reaper to have a skeletal form, with a large smoky cloak, and carrying a large scythe. The Grim Reaper would also be walking between the paths of the universe in response to the tug of death, where he will fill out his duty and guide whatever lost soul to their new destination. I decided to use the pen for its dark lines and wispy like behaviour, creating a simplistic but scratchy looking design, and a kind of creep factor to go along with the idea of the Grim Reaper.
In this drawing, I decided to use the mythical creature referred to as the Phoenix. In Greek Mythology, the Phoenix was a long lived bird that regenerated, or was otherwise reborn. The Phoenix was associated with the Sun, and was known to obtain new life from rising from the ashes of its predecessor. In an act of reincarnation, the Phoenix is given life from those fallen before it, so it is never truly dead.
In this drawing, chose to use the Phoenix as a representation of reincarnation because of its ability to form new life from those before it. I drew my interpretation of what a Phoenix would look like, with its fiery red colour mixed with wisps of orange, and yellow. I also used white to represent the ashes of those before this Phoenix, as if this Phoenix was just reborn.
This painting was originally meant to be a representation of the astrological star sign, Aries. Aries are represented with the symbol of a ram, and are known to be passionate, and have a fiery attitude and personality. As I looked into this painting further, I realized it could also be used to represent reincarnation. The skull is often represented as a symbol of death, but what follows death is always life. the circle of life dictates that not everything will be laid to waste, but instead will be followed again in another cycle. The fire flowers can represent the fiery passion and will to live on, not willing to succumb to having their light flicker out. Even the stars in the background can be used in representation of reincarnation and new life. When a star dies, it can sometimes be found as a supernova. This huge explosion can leave stardust and debris everywhere, and after centuries, can finally coalesce into another star, or another planet.
This is a drawing inspired by the animated Music Video "Mystery Skulls Animated." It features the character Lewis, who is the subject of this drawing. The backstory behind this scene is that Lewis was pushed off the edge of a cliff in a mysterious haunted cave by his possessed best friend. Lewis however does not know this, and is reincarnated in the spirit of a ghost hellbent on revenge. In this depiction, I interpreted the situation as traumatic for Lewis, as the emotional, and psychological damage (as well as the physical damage from the actual fall), where he would be wondering why he was betrayed like that, what had he done to deserve it, and ultimately, would he fulfill the role he was fated to do having been given back "life"?
The main colour scheme Lewis has is the shade magenta. In this rendition, I made liberal use of this colour in order to not only honour the original design, but to also to commemorate the turmoil he must have faced, using a bright shade of pink to cut through and create an almost eerie glow.
In this drawing of Lewis, I interpreted what I imagined would have been the turmoil of having to decide whether to let go of his anger and hate, or carry on as he was reincarnated to. To fulfill the role he was given, seeking revenge on the one who had wronged him. This would have taken place before the previous image, as on his face you can see two different eyes. The one on the left is his normal human eye, what he had before his death. On the right is the eye of his ghostly apparition. You can see the clear indecision by his inability to choose between forgiving, or accepting the gift given to him, a second chance to fix whatever happened. This drawing was made using a lineless style. I decided to use this not only as a challenge for myself, but also because it works well with the unclear path. The fact that there are no hard, concrete lines is how Lewis has not chosen what direct path he wishes to take to fulfill his role.
This final depiction of Lewis in this series can actually be seen as the first. The lack of injuries sustained in the previous two drawing suggests this. This drawing almost has the feel of a "dream-like state", which can be attributed to the fact that when I drew this out, I imagined this to be where Lewis' mind went to right after having been pushed. The expression on his face, even without the use of his eyes, can still be traced back to confusion, worry, and concern. This can all be linked to the fact that this was done by his best friend, and is a traumatic experience for anyone to endure.
In this drawing, I make use of the original character's colour scheme, liberally using different shades of magenta and pink in their respective locations and purposes. I used a flat colour with simple shading to draw the attention to the main source, the character. The neon pink highlight in the hair draws the eyes to the face, where all the emotion is portrayed. Even the body language is hesitant and unsure. I used a fuzzy, almost galaxy effect for the background to make it seem like a hazy dream. The this could actually potentially not be happening at all, when it is, in fact, real.
I unfortunately do not have a picture of the drawing, but the drawing depicted would have been a water colour painting featuring a glowing heart floating high above in a cave. This would have represented reincarnation in not only the art itself, but the heart floating as if the soul is occupying a new life. The art itself also is created using a weaved lattice-like effect. To create this effect, I painted the image first, then cut it into multiple strips. I then weaved them together to create a "new life." Essentially taking one thing, and turning it into another thing with a whole new purpose.
I also unfortunately do not have an image of this drawing, but the drawing depicted would have been an inked design of a human floating an a black and white striped abyss. The human had the effect of having been cut in half, exposing the skeletal system underneath the skin. There was also a broken/shattered heart placed under the human form. The reason for the black and white monochromatic colour scheme was to create a sort of illusion effect, kind of like those swirly black and white eye illusions. This would represent the loss of control over one's fate, since in the act of reincarnation, you don't know where you are going, and will not remember who you were in the past life. I used the half human/half skeletal form to represent the body and soul separating, with the skin being the body, and the skeleton and heart being the soul respectively. The heart was broken/shattered to represent the loss of a life, and instead a life reborn into anew.
