Saiyuki - SALTY DOG 3

Ohaiyo to yooouuuu~~~ After previously posting about a favourite OST of mine, I've decided to follow up with a post on several artworks by Kazuya Minekura featured in her illustration book named "Salty Dog 3" (this is the 3rd volume of the series. for now, there's a total of 6). I will show you some of my favourite ones & explain why it is so. Bear in mind that I'm not entirely sure if Kazuya-san did both the drawings & colourings on her own or by her assistances (she's a VERY private person) so I cannot state on whom the credit goes to specifically but I will put it in general by Kazuya-san. This article will just be an easy read in comparison to my reviews/introductions on songs/MVs. Hope you enjoy the artworks & maybe learn something new~~

The eye-catching feature for this piece was the ability of the background in making the character stand out so much despite the minimal use of colour. Even his outfit - coloured in black - had a glossy effect in contra to the water-paint sky. What I find cool about the whole artwork is that the rain drops not only create an atmosphere defeat or possible loss (notice the wounds & blood smears on him) but also gives a sort of vintage feel to the picture. According to the story, this guy was a friend of Sanzo back in his old temple but things got bad & this guy was consumed by the red beaded necklace he's wearing. See the veins popping out on his arm & chest? And that talisman paper stuck on his chest? In the end, he died. Knowing the character makes this image even more meaningful as you know what he had gone through.

I'm feeling a little torn about this piece. The character drawn is not a favourite if mine (he's the villain) but I LOVE the effect Kazuya did in making this illustration deceiving. On first look, I honestly thought he was under water with those petals(yes those are petals) looking like air bubbles floating up. That certain glow emitted on the character & rocks creates the illusion of being underwater, sun shining down. There's also a SLIIIIIIGHT blur around the edges of the character, making the underwater effect even more believable. Feeling wise, the falling petals & cool choice of colours gives a peaceful, serene feel but the skull he holds onto puts a glitch in the serenity, instead giving a feel of suspense & chill. This guy is in fact a zombie who should have been dead but lived with the help of a mahjong tile piece embedded into his abdomen. Creepy huh?~~

I just simply LIKE (with a capital L) this picture of Sanzo dressed in casual clothes. Sanzo was presented as a character of serious & no-nonsense, grumpy half the time but has his soft-hearted moments. The props used in this picture - basically a mask - fits in with him. The details nicely drawn on the mask makes it just cool to wear (hehehe). I do have some doubt on the proportion of Sanzo's head in comparison to his body but maybe that's just the angle played with. Overall, I find this one of the GOOD pictures of Sanzo as a normal guy & not a priest.

This artwork is just awesome (O___O). The small details on Sanzo's hair creates a soft texture, almost as if moving. This in fact is a trademark in Kazuya's style where the character's hair are usually done in much detail, especially the thin strands. The gold shades were placed nicely to create a glowing-blurry effect, making the whole picture soft. The angle of Sanzo's face, although maybe a bit cramped, comes out quite well. There's a balance of hair, face & neckline showing; a close-up shot if I may call it.

Here we have the leader of the good guys & the leader of the bad guys. Well, bad up to a certain point. There's nothing extravagant about the artworks but I was just amazed at the colouring texture done on both of them. Its like a sort of paint brush scratched effect(?). The point of glow comes from their chest, as if the inner part of them are glowing. The colour matches both characters but I do think purple suits Sanzo even more ATHOUGH blue is my favourite colour ^^ Just a simple piece of inspiration.

And lastly, a collection of all 4 main characters (from left; Sanzo, Goku Gojyo, Hakkai). Again, another simple yet eye-catching piece. The whole thing just feels cool & happy, bright & pure from all the stains in the world. The highlight of each picture is the colour of their hair, standing out brightly against the bright white back ground. The expressions draw matches each of their personalities, from Hakkai's serene smile to Goku's childish grin. A simple form of pleasure~~

That's all from the 3rd series. There are many more from the book but these are specifically my favourite :D if you're interested in looking at the rest of the photos, just google "Kazuya Minekura Salty Dog 3" and a few gallery-themed websites should pop out. If you are interested in buying it, you can find it in Kinokuniya and will cost around RM120. If they don't have it in stock, you can just have them ordered & shipped it in (that's how I got mine). Have fun exploring~~~~ ^^  byebye!