Prismacolor Markers on 9"x12" bristol. February 28, 2009.

Fan art from the anime series "Shōjo Kakumei Utena," featuring Arisugawa Juri and the phantom shadow of Shiori.

I intended to have this layout act as a portrait or profile of Juri, her deepest and darkest secret being the main theme. Shiori, whose image is trapped within Juri's locket, enters from the right-hand side of the page, acting not as the person-Shiori, but as the phantom-Shiori that haunts Juri's heart. The locket wraps around Juri's sword, insinuating it is the power behind her duel with Utena in episode 7. The chain pulls tightly against Juri's neck, as if strangling her with its weight. The position of the sword trying to separate the phantom-Shiori from Juri is like her ire for the girl, trying in vain to cut the memory from her. Juri is turned away from Shiori's silhouette, attempting to shun the power of miracles.

In execution, this did NOT come out as I had hoped, and it certainly does not flow with the fluid and feminine art style of "Utena" as it's far too bold in color and value, and the cell shading is presented in the wrong fashion.

This picture went through a series of extreme changes, which is probably why it did not come out as I wanted. I first had thought of going monochromatic or gray scale for this piece, then decided I really liked the oranges and peaches of Juri's outfit and general person. Then, as I started in on local color from the character and series, I realized I didn't have the appropriate colors for her hair, rose petals, and skin tones. Being excrutiatingly low on money and time, I tried to make due with what I had. And then, I ran into a crap-ton of problems with Shiori, as I was trying to meld two forms over the top of each other, but wasn't quite sure how. She came out far darker in value than I had planned, but I felt going lighter might have diminished the power of her presence.

The structure of the picture also suffered, as I was trying to expend most of my efforts in proportion in relation to the "Utena" art style and the actual art style itself. In doing so, I sacrificed the integrity of the compositional layout of the piece, especially with Juri's hands, since they seem to come in from absolutely nowhere and are hard to follow. While I felt I was maintaining such a strong hold on proportion in the "Utena" style, I realize now that there are some very awkward areas of Juri's body (namely the size of the hands and face) and how all the components flow together.

In the end, I had high hopes for this piece, but now do not hold it up with the other Utena fanart I tried. I would like to try drawing Juri again, as she is a very interesting character in my opinion, but I'm fairly burnt out on her right now, seeing as this picture completely ruined my interest in the topic for the time being.


"Shōjo Kakumei Utena" is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara; I do not own any part of the series or manga, including any of the characters or concepts portrayed.

Comments and criticisms greatly appreciated. Thank you.