follow me into the rain

And one final time - God jul/Merry Christmas from me!

Katsura asks Gintoki for a date, using the lure of an (insincere) coupon and not much else.

( he knews his target well )

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who celebrate!

New Gintama fan art behind the cut. Katsura is convinced that a giant likeness of Elizabeth is much better than any Christmas tree, real or artificial, for decorating the urban landscape!

( God jul! )

In the end what else could it be? We end this series of flower-themed Gintama art with Shoyo-sensei and cherry blossoms.
Perhaps this is predictable - but I think sometimes simple is the best way to go.



(I'll probably end up drawing one more picture, though - I want a "title page" picture for when I post the whole thing to Pixiv.)

I drew three pictures for Katsura's birthday today on June 26th. I've posted them separately on my other platforms, but here I gather them together! The first one above the cut, the other two below it.

One flashback picture, one from the present day, and one picture from a what-if scenario.



( it's not the birthday boy, it's Katsura!! )

Zinnia for Mutsu!

The zinnia flower symbolizes 'loyalty' and 'endurance' in Japanese flower language. I like the unusual way it looks.

I thought it felt right for Mutsu the Diamond-Pebble Princess - tough and quirky and wonderful.

Like Nobume, Oboro gets a flower that only blooms at night - the moonflower, Ipomea alba. I chose this particular flower because of its tranquil aura and celestial vibe symbolizing something that Oboro may not himself possess - notwithstanding him declaring himself a part of "Heaven" - but certainly yearns for.

For Isaburo Sasaki I pick the rare and highly prized Vanda falcata, also known as Samurai Orchid and Wind Orchid, which was once greatly admired by the shogun Tokugawa Ienari (1773-1837), leading to a great increase in popularity among the elite.

This elegant and expensive white flower, whose very shape seems hard to pin down, leaning this way and that, seems to fit this tricky character well.

I chose the sweet pea for Bansai for two reasons: the shape of the petals remind some people of violins, which together with its strong but sweet scent
cause it to be associated with music. But the shape of the petals are also reminiscent of butterflies and moths, never inappropriate for a Kiheitai leader.
The purple sweet pea is associated with luxury, elegance, creativity, ambition, success, and admiration.

Chrysanthemums, especially yellow ones, are associated with the emperor in Japanese flower symbolism. But we never see the emperor in canon, so let's give these flowers to Sho-chan and Soyo instead!

Certainly the majestic aura of the yellow ones fits Shigeshige well, and by changing the hue to a youthful pink you get a serene flower with a both dutiful and hopeful air that I like for Soyo.

Foxgloves for Catherine and Tama both!

Why give Catherine and Tama the same flower, when they are quite different people? Let me explain!
I wanted to give Catherine the foxglove for two reasons: foxgloves are associated with secrets and deception, and foxes are seen as cunning, sneaky, unreliable figures in both European and Japanese traditions.
As for Tama, at first I was unsure whether to give her any flower at all - she is proud of being a machine, and needs no biological plant to express herself.
But then I found out that the scientific name for the foxglove genus is Digitalis... which made me go 'hmmm'.

Now, Digitalis simply derives from the Latin word for 'finger', but still! I just couldn't resist it.
Here Tama is holding an artificial imitation of a foxglove, all in angles like pixel art.