Kamiko April 2010

Here's one of the very first drawings of Kamiko for This Mortal Coil from April 2010.

You might even say that this is one of the images that launched this comic which has been, at least for me, a six year endeavor in sum total.

I originally based this sketch off a friend who was feeding a pigeon out of her hand while we were at a park in Mito, Japan where her son was teaching English for the JET program.

It's rough looking back at Kamiko from 2010. Her hair's a mess. The dress isn't quite Lolita yet. I want to say it was more anime inspired. I think I've seen Kamikaze Girls by this time which was my only point of reference for Lolita fashion itself. I still adhere to what Momoko (the Lolita character from the movie) was pontificating when it came to the philosophy behind Lolita itself, but it's much more complicated than that.

If we're talking about Lolita fashion, this is her ita phase. This is her "lace monster" part of her growth into the fashion. In the years since I've drawn a lot more designs inspired by Lolita.