The second Alphabeast ink of the day is a Japanese mythological creature known as the onryō.
If you’ve seen The Ring (or Ringu), even maybe The Grudge, you probably have a pretty good idea what a onryō is. An onryō is a vengeful ghost, seeking retribution for some wrong that happened to it during life.
The most famous onryō is probably Oiwa, from the Japanese ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan. Oiwa, before she dies, was given a poison creme that left her face, especially her left eye, drooped down. Eagle-eyed viewers of Ringu will notice that the ghostly character looks much like that.
I’ve chosen this visage of the onryō for my ink, 5″ x 7″ on 140 lb. Cold Press. I liked the idea that the face could have a lot of texture, and have a lot of horror within. I thought showing the ghost at the moment of the big reveal would be nice, and give me the opportunity to up the horror some. It was fun to try, and perhaps it would be one to expand into a larger ink.
Here is O is for Onryō, let me know what you think. Click on the image for a larger version.
