#ayokaiaday

Today’s #ayokaiaday is Okiku Mushi! A yokai inspired by the chrysalis of the Chinese windmill butterfly which can be found in wells and resembles a bound woman. A fact that drew comparisons to the legendary ghost Okiku.

I love this sketch. I’ve started making a finished version. I’ve also had an outline for a comic strip she’s in for a while and I need to solidify her design plus two other yokai before I can draw that.

#okikumushi ＃お菊虫　#yokai #japanesemonster #folklore #instaart #sketch
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVra5-SLYJw/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday (and bonus #yokaitober) is Toire no Hanako-san! The little ghost girl that can be summoned by calling out to her from the 3rd stall on the 3rd floor of an elementary school! What she does once summoned is up to the storyteller. Sometimes she just answers back and that’s it. Sometimes she’ll try to scare you or drag you into into hell through the toilet or some other nasty thing like that. But while she can be scary apparently the nice version is so common that in Japan she’s generally regarded as mostly harmless- even benevolent.

The two Hanakos in the bottom corner are the first new drawings in this thread. Up til now I’ve drawn her short and stubby like a Powerpuff girl or Dora the Explorer (Not my intention but there have been comparisons) but then I tried drawing her skinny like this and she might be better this way. (Especially since for some reason I found it easier to draw her in her more traditional jumper) If you agree or disagree feel free to leave some feedback!

The painting in the upper left corner is part of a painting I did for an illustration class many years ago. The painting was of yokai in a bathroom including an akaname licking the bathtub walls, a hyosube drinking from the toilet, and a kamikiri picking through the hair in a brush. My favorite comment I got from a classmate was that Hanako is the cutest character in the painting but she’s also the one doing the most damage. I hadn’t considered that when I made the painting but it’s so funny to me!

#toirenohanakosan #yokai #japaneseurbanlegend #japanesefolklore #instaart #ghost #urbanlegend #トイレの花子さん
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVo8qzaLjd5/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday is Ippon Datara! A one-eyed, one-legged little dude that happens to be a skilled blacksmith. Sometimes said to be red and green.

#ippondatara #yokai #japanesemonster #watercolor or possibly #gouache I dunno it’s been a long time since I made this thing #instaart #monster #painting #oneeyedmonster ＃妖怪
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlwiyKv6nM/?utm_medium=tumblr

[Yesterday’s] #ayokaiaday is Ittanmomen! A long cloth that floats about as if caught in the wind until it hits you in the face and strangles you to death. Possibly a tsukumogami, possibly a fox or tanuki playing a horrible trick.

#ittanmomen #yokai #japanesemonster #folklore #instaart #procreate
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlnqwAPMTs/?utm_medium=tumblr

[October 26th’s] #ayokaiaday (and bonus #yokaitober)[was] Hitotsume Kozo! A one-eyed boy who likes to play pranks and startle people.

#hitosumekozō #yokai #japanesemonster #folklore #artistcard #instaart
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlnCZ3PS6U/?utm_medium=tumblr

[Yesterday’s] #ayokaiaday is onyudo! A giant monk that stands in front of you and becomes even more giant until you fall ill or break your neck from looking up at it. Sometimes he’s just a really big guy, sometimes he’s a shadowy person-shaped mass, sometimes he has a long neck as seen here.
This onyudo is an artist card I painted a long long time ago. It’s based on giant mechanical puppet used in a festival in Yokkaichi in Mie prefecture. I learned about it from a wonderful website on Japanese culture called Pink Tentacle. It stopped updating in 2011 but despite being seemingly abandoned, the URL hasn’t expired. Can websites be yokai?

Here’s the link if you’re curious:

http://pinktentacle.com/2007/08/giant-mechanical-o-nyudo-doll/

#onyudo #yokai #japanesemonster #folklore #artistcard #insaart ＃妖怪
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVhcnvWrCfa/?utm_medium=tumblr

Before I forget again here’s today’s #ayokaiaday: a tanuki eating tanuki soba!
Tanukis’ favorite trick is to disguise something worthless as something of value such as disguising leaves as money. Tanuki soba is made from leftover bits of tempura so it’s kinda like falling for a tanuki’s trick

This is a very old painting from my deviantART days. I think it was a commission or a gift for someone

#tanuki #tanukisoba #yokai #painting #instaart
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVaE4W4rPMP/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday is Hakutaku! A strange bull-creature that long ago appeared to a Chinese emperor and told him of 11,520 mysterious creatures. A book of these tellings was transcribed but has been lost to time

#hakutaku #yokai #japanesemonster #chinesemonster #sketches #instaart
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVUYGpRLbrI/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday (and bonus #yokaitober) is Rokurokubi! A pic of me based on a gift item in Line Play that I really wanted. I made this to try to get someone to buy it for me. No one bought it for me.

#rokurokubi #yokai #japanesemonsters #ghosts #obake #ろくろくび　#ろくろ首　#お化け #instaart #myart #artistsoninstagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVRSyG5pvh9/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday is Tsuchinoko! A stubby snake that can jump up and bite your face! And also maybe drink all your sake!

#tsuchinoko #potatosnek #yokai #sketches #japanesemonsters #myart #instaart #cryptid #妖怪　#つちのこ #ツチノコ＃槌の子
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVKZ1kgLy2j/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday is Abura Sumashi! Squatty potato-head guy who answers back when you talk about him!

Posting this now because I keep forgetting to post them on the day.

This was made using a bunch of scanned textures. A technique I wonder if I should ever go back to since it’s interesting but I’m not always able to make it work. This is one such example. Leave a comment if you think I’m wrong.

#aburasumashi #yokai #japanesemonster #art #instaart #myart #油すまし #妖怪
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVFQL4hLd0O/?utm_medium=tumblr

[Yesterday’s] #ayokaiaday doubling for #YokaiTober is Zashiki Warashi! A house spirit that will bring you prosperity if it lives in your house but will bring you life destroying calamity if it ever leaves. It’s unclear as to whether or not the Zashiki Warashi has any control this power.

A collection of sketches. You might’ve already guessed I tried to make her look a bit like a kokeshi doll. The background is a piece of origami paper that I scanned and messed with in Photoshop. Kinda wished I went something less busy but all the origami paper I have are kinda busy.

#zashikiwarashi #yokai #childghost #japanesemonster ＃妖怪　＃座敷童子　＃ざしきわらし #drawing #sketches #myart #instaart
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVFOeN2Luo5/?utm_medium=tumblr

[Yesterday’s] #ayokaiaday is Arie! A prince of the sea that graced the land to tell the human common folk of a coming pandemic & the protective properties of his royal image!
Unfortunately he had a lot of trouble getting people to listen to him because he was a creepy little sea monster.

#arie #prophecy #yokai #youkai #妖怪 #japanesemonster #seamonster #ありえ　
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVC3OPKrKPd/?utm_medium=tumblr

[Yesterday’s] #ayokaiaday is Basan! The fire breathing chicken monster! It’s an elusive yokai but sometimes might be seen sneaking into villages or campsites for a few bites of leftover fire embers. I wonder if it likes barbecue

#ayokaiaday #yokai #basan #japanesemonster #youkai #chicken #monster #妖怪
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVADqRorg4h/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday is Hyakumeoni! I think I might’ve lost a follower I had just gotten when I originally posted this on Instagram. Can’t blame them. Imagine following someone for their cute art and then they post THIS
tbh It’s the one time I felt kinda proud to lose a follower.

#hyakume #hyakumeoni #yokai #japanesemonster #monster ＃妖怪　＃百目鬼
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU8tOHypKpd/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s #ayokaiaday: Nure Onna! Snake Mama and baby!

#nureonna #yokai #japanesemonster #snakelady #monster
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUzQy4orhJP/?utm_medium=tumblr

Posted this on Twitter but forgot to post it here. Yesterday’s #ayokaiaday: gaki! One of my favorite paintings that everyone else seems to overlook. Do people just not like zombie monsters anymore?

#gaki #yokai #monster #zombie #japanesemonster #myart
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUzQOKXLWBo/?utm_medium=tumblr