#art by maijimary huang

[Image 1: Greyscale ink-and-brush-style illustration of a man with a cut across one cheek. His left arm is raised with the back of his hand pressed against his forehead, and he is holding a pair of shuriken. Image 2: a 3x2 grid of work-in-progress screenshots of the illustration, from rough sketch to final drawing.]

I recently wrapped up a couple of major multi-year creative projects (one of them being the Genjimonogatari series, the other coming later this month). Unsurprisingly I’ve been feeling creatively lethargic. Kind of like a creative hibernation time? Brain is still bursting with ideas, but I’m just giving myself the chance - permission, or whatever you want to call it - to not have to do anything with it. Just rest, let things percolate, pick up a little bit here, a little bit there, and dabble as I feel like, and not let it bother me too much that my volume of output is so different. Things always come and go, in waves or cycles or however you might feel or picture it.

Here’s a Kazemaru from Yu Yu Hakusho. Kazemaru, I have not forgotten thee!! Every time I draw/talk about/write about something with him I feel compelled to say that, haha. Above are wips of the key stages! Left to right, top to bottom are:

1. Base scribble pose that I felt would work well enough (it’s always a little tricky trying to pose him to obscure the Buddhist manji on his forehead, for sensitivity reasons)
2. A cleaner drawing on top of the sketch to refine it all
3. Digital ink drawing with extreme pressure sensitivity.
4. Base shading
5. Lighter shading
6. Blobby white fireball-energy fun on top. I switched a lot between three layers for the shading and the white blobbing.

His lower lashes and nose are very fun to draw. I do like the face in the second wip image - not that the “final” one is bad per se, but each version has different nuances with the way the lines came out.

Over the years Kazemaru has slowly snuck up to become one of my favourite antagonists from the series (as he’s not really a villain… and he’s basically trying to get a better, more respectable job, after all!). The main reason is not just that his backstory is rather intriguing and his character has a lot of potential for fun opportunities, but also that of course he never ever appears again and nobody really talks about him. This is how I latch onto things and amuse myself with time, distance and fanwork! I’m in the home stretch of wrapping up this Kazemaru fanfic I started writing like a year ago that is a continuation of the short comic What Goes Around. Actually, the fic is next to finished, but I have a cover and stuff I want to go with it which is really what’s delaying things. Getting very very close, fingers crossed!

[image: Ink and watercolour comic panel closeup of a small person peering over a curved surface and saying “Hey”. Below, a swimming sea turtle wearing a crown and ribbons tied into bows on either side of its head glances up. A couple of fish swim alongside the turtle.]

*peers over from the last page* Hey, listen! Chapter 11 page 66 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CeUyV3_L6e_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[image: Ink and watercolour comic panel closeup of a person drawn in a cute chibi style, with scratches on their cheeks, pulling up a corner of the page with some effort. The underside of the page reads “The next page” and below is an expanse of blue watercolour.]

Emmie the android breaks the fourth wall!! (They’re just impatient to get to the next page ) Chapter 11 page 65 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CeMzFKMLkOC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

*sighs in beautiful* Chapter 11 page 64 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CeCqU9brg0U/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

What a motley little crew! Plus Fairy G peeking in from the side ✨ Chapter 11 page 63 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/Cd6yftiLAXK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

All 55 illustrations of the Genjimonogatari series in one collage!

One of the main ideas behind this series is that you can combine the illustrations in different ways to showcase various relationships, thematic groupings, and key narrative connections. Many of the illustrations were designed with these potential groupings in mind, so you’ll notice things like similar or mirrored/complementary compositions and colour palettes. These groupings make great print displays or inspirations! For me personally, it’s also a fun way to learn, reinforce and even discover new things about this rich literary masterpiece!

Read on for some groupings! https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/2717844

• See the full list of illustrations
• All illustrations available as prints on INPRNT (my INPRNT shop/direct link to the Genjimonogatari series collection)
• All profits from my INPRNT sales go to charity.

INPRINT is running a flash sale for free shipping with no minimums this weekend (ends Sunday May 22, 2022 EST)!

My INPRNT shop: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/maiji/

Since March 2022 I’ve committed all profits from my INPRNT sales to charity. Every little bit helps, and it’s also an opportunity for me to be able to highlight the important work of some amazing organizations!

There’s a saying that goes like this: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children”(source discussion) – and all those that come after us. There is so much deep truth to this, and for many reasons, right now I want to focus on charities that tackle our climate crisis and support the environment.

From now till the end of 2022, I will add all profits from INPRNT sales to donations I am making to the three organizations listed below. They’re all five-star charities ranked by Charity Intelligence Canada, with scores of A in results reporting.

• Nature Conservancy of Canada: They’ve been safeguarding Canada’s natural environment since 1967, protecting 15 million hectares across the country since founding including forests, grasslands and marine areas. They secure properties (acquiring them via donations, purchasing, conservation agreements etc.) and manage these habitats long-term for many at-risk species.
• David Suzuki Foundation: A long-trusted Canadian charity focused on climate solutions, thriving nature, and sustainable communities through evidence-based research, policy analysis, education and citizen empowerment.
• International Conservation Fund of Canada: ICFC is dedicated to long-term preservation of nature and biodiversity across the world, working with local partners and Indigenous groups. Its four main program areas are Land Conservation, Threatened Species, Shorebird Initiative, and Marine and Freshwater Conservation.

If you enjoy my work, please consider taking this opportunity to get some lovely high quality prints, and also support these extremely important causes! If you don’t need any prints, please consider donating directly to any of the organizations from their websites, or similar charities in your part of the world as well!

Back on Earth Day, I also shared some climate resources and thoughts on optimism and not losing hope in my author’s notes for Now Recharging. I’ve also copied and pasted them on my Pillowfort post as well.

Signal boosts are much appreciated. Thank you so much for your support!

It’s like a family portrait ❤️ Chapter 11 page 62 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CdwrHPQr0eM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Nest of Protection, 2022
巣守 - Sumori

Sumori (“Nest of Protection”) is the granddaughter of Prince Hotaru,Genji’s younger half-brother, but you won’t find her in a single line of the novel we know today as the Tale of Genji.

Youwill find her in the apocryphal chapter “Sumori”.

For hundreds of years there have been writings floating around claiming to be secret or “lost” chapters of the Tale of Genji. Many fakes, of course, but it’s not an impossible idea. A thousand years is a long time, and the tale was written and shared as it was being created. Distribution was a super manual process of copying, and there were certainly errors, edits and tweaks by the author (or authors, depending on what theories you subscribe to) and by the copyists. The Tale of Genji we have today is remarkably coherent in no small part thanks to the diligence of centuries of fans.

There are three chapters generally considered to have higher-than-average likelihood of being legit parts of the Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu. Of these, Sumoriappears to be the best documented. It exists only in fragments today, but these fragments contain people and pieces of poetry that are actually mentioned in some very, very old critiques and analyses of the Tale of Genji - including genealogies that map out the relationships of the characters. Such references have aided in its partial reconstruction. The gist of the pieced-together plot is that Niou is pursuing Sumori, who can’t stand him and his philandering ways. She falls in love with Kaoru instead because he’s so noble and sincere. When Niou tries to go after her again, she’s like “get away from me you creep” and runs away to the mountains, where Kaoru visits her.

There are several theories about what Sumorireally is. One is that it’s a Kamakura-period fanfic written by a Kaoru fan unhappy with how the Uji chapters ended. If this theory is true, it’s a classic move in the long-running history of fandom, and it wouldn’t have been the only historical fanfic attempting to right perceived wrongs against a beloved character. (Go Team Kaoru!)

Another interesting hypothesis is that Sumoriis actually an early draft of what would later be polished into the Uji chapters. It has quite a few similarities and parallels, particularly Niou and Kaoru in a love triangle with a woman who then becomes a nun.Ifthis theory is true, it’s intriguing that the original concept is a lot more sympathetic and favourable to Kaoru - giving him a “good” ending - than the version we know today, 1,000 years later.

Fascinating, right? As a creator and participant/appreciator of fandoms, Sumori sums up so many things I love about stories in general and Tale of Genji studies in particular!

• You can read more about the “lost” chapters of the Tale of Genji here: https://yab.yomiuri.co.jp/adv/chuo/dy/research/20100204.html
• Reading the Tale of Genji is a fantastic resource for this and many other Tale of Genji apocrypha: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/reading-the-tale-of-genji/9780231537209

And aaaahhhhhhh I did it!! Nearly five years later, the Genjimonogatari series is now complete! For fun, I’ve included some wip photos showing the progress of this particular piece, including my trying to figure out the palette from looking at my fountain pen ink swatches, on my Pillowfort!

You can see all 55 illustrations one for each chapter of the tale (including the blank chapter Kumogakure), on my website. The commentary for each illustration is here on Tumblrandon Pillowfort!

Now… I hope to do something with all these illustrations… when I have time…

humangray.com/Print available on INPRNT/Genjimonogatari series

If it ain’t the most stylish, cool and confident lady around, the Retired Fairy G herself crashing this fairy tale! (I love drawing all her outfits ) Chapter 11 page 61 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CdoyrNVLeDp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Aaaaaahh it’s damage control time for small children with big mouths Chapter 11 page 60 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CdelqlpLjj2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Shining Prince doesn’t look too impressed by the advice he’s being given, but he always has a bit of a sleepy look to him Chapter 11 page 59 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CdWy86GLrDo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Now Recharging M-series and family androids Emmie (M-E3), Morio (M-04), and gladiatorbots the Prince and the Shining Prince, except with their hairstyles swapped around. Technology is so convenient! I think I gave myself cognitive dissonance working on this, hahaha. It’s really entertaining to see how the hairstyle changes the perception of a character!

And it makes me curious: I wonder, for people who are not familiar with Now Recharging, what you might assume is each character’s “real” (default) hairstyle?

Gasp!! It’s the most beautiful horsie in the world!! Chapter 11 page 58 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CdMkgbQrMf7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It’s been a long time since I’ve just plain doodled. A very strange thing to realize. So here’s my long-neglected noodle husband! Trust me when I say Hokushin is still very much on my mind… 

So far this year I haven’t had much time/energy to focus on art beyond my webcomic, but I’m hoping to be able to get back to North Bound at some point. I periodically reread my notes and drafts, and am pretty amazed at how much passion Past Me threw into this project. It’s honestly kind of epic! And I managed to get quite far in the ideas I had, including linking it to both historical figures and events and back to Yu Yu Hakusho canon. The trajectory is actually well on its way, so I’d like to do my best to take it as far as I can to connect the main narrative back into present-day Yu Yu Hakusho time and the rest of the Loyal Retainer series. It would be amazing to be able to finish this long-running fanwork!

About time for a robot family heart-to-heart! Chapter 11 page 57 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CdEvKserMJ7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Big brothers can be sad too Chapter 11 page 56 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/Cc6gzgxrmHB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

When all your robot buttons are being pushed therefore resulting in all the pent-up emotions erupting at once Chapter 11 page 55 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/Ccyr8xSr1_E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It’s a super big watermelon!! Chapter 11 page 54 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/Ccoh3ntLlao/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Speaking of the devil! Well, one of them anyways. Chapter 11 page 53 now up at NowRecharging.comhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CcgyS3Br9xQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=