While working on my story for Oyasumi Yumiko I came across some very old drawings of Yumiko back when the story was just a shadow of its current self. Since I want to showcase the process of making this manga I thought that you guys might get a kick of seeing Yumiko in the early years and her final (hopefully) design.

Here Yumiko is drawn for the very first time! She is a little plain, but from the start I knew I had two characteristics that I wanted to keep through the design phase. One is her little flyaways – since she is an avid dreamer, she will not always have super smooth hair, there will always be some rouge strands sticking out. Two is her hairclips. At this point I’m thinking they are just part of her headband.

Her outfit for the dreamworld, otherwise known as Reverieh, has not yet been invisioned. Her school outfit is also a little drab, it is very clear I’m just using the standard sailor suit as a place holder.

Here is Yumiko’s a little more developed. She’s already starting to have a more easily identifiable look. It’s funny, when I was first doodling her I thought back from when I was little – and I used to ALWAYS curl my pony tail around my finger. That got me to thinking of Yumiko doing that, and as a result would make her hair curl on the ends. At this point her hair curls a bit too much, almost resembling little sweet rolls…

Her outfit is also a little lacking, but it was one I was inspired by when driving by an elementary school. There was a girl at the time that had on this one piece dress that looks very similar to the one Yumiko was wearing. I really liked how the color divided the outfit, but felt it needed something more to make it apparent that Yumiko is a dreamweaver. I was also trying to incorporate some design element on the lower part of the dress, almost like a crest/patch/embroidery that would change as she ‘leveled up.’ However after careful thought I realized that having too much detail would 1) be hard to pull of for smaller images 2) detract from her overall design due to its complexity. The bows on the edges were an attempt to flare out her dress more visually, but these too were later scrapped.

Still her healing staff makes an appearance, which is just a shepherds crook which has been modified with a heart shape.

Alright – now we’re getting somewhere. I’m starting to find my own style here, and I’m fleshing out more details in her overall design. Her hair is now a little bit less detailed, however still has too much curl at the end. I’m attempting to give the illusion of curl through the actual pigtails with curved lines, but it’s not quite enough yet.

Her outfit has been changed here. Instead of a dark band across the upper part of her dress it is changed for a cowl as I am now taking more inspiration from shepherds outfits. Her dress also has changed due to inspiration from celtic dance dresses which have a solid panel and two pleats down the front and the back. Her staff has remained true, though her bow has been enlarged.

Her shoes and socks remain the same, as I’m a big fan of mary jane shoes.

Okay let’s skip ahead a little. Her outfit has only had a few minor changes up til now – I’ve simplified her bangs, and tried to render her hair in a different style. Notice how her curl is less detailed now, but still curves enough so it looks kinda like a circle… I’m still fighting with that at this stage.

Her cowl has been upgraded to allow for a big bow in the back as well as ribbon along the bottom half. My thought process here was that a cowl should be something to protect a shepherd from the elements, and since Yumiko’s outfit takes inspiration from that it should have that ability. When the ribbon is loosened the bow becomes a hood, and the cowl lengthens into a cloak. (Yeah.. let’s not think of how a toy company could pull that one off, I don’t think its physically possible – but hey this is a manga – things don’t have to always make sense right? ;D)

Here is Yumiko’s FINAL design. Her hair has a specific flow to it, and also a method to how I render it. Her hair clips are now hidden a little by her bangs, since I’m trying to give the illusion of depth. They sit farther back and on her pigtails so they should be covered a little. The curve of her hair is not overly done – and in a way this helps her overall shape resemble a heart. She still has the flyaways though they are in specific spots (though they’re covered up in this image)

Her staff now has one minor adjustment, which is a little heart gem in the corner of it. She now has a necklace with her celtic knot symbol on it – and her overall outfit is refined for the last time.

Her shoes are now a little different. Still mary jane-ish, but now taking on some qualities of celtic dance shoes since they look a little like ballet shoes with the crisscross of the laces.

Final colors for her outfit are set.

So yeah, that’s pretty much it for now – there are other WIP images for her “Healer Outfit” which is what she transforms into. But since those are in the early stages I will wait before I post those. These images were done idly over 3 years while I was attending college and working full time. I think if I had less life commitments the design would have come together a lot faster, but I’m pleased with how Yumiko came out and mayhaps it was fate that it took so long : )

Anyway, hope it was entertaining as well as informative!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily