Client
Personal Project
Category
Illustration
Synopsis
NFT Collection on the Solana Blockchain
Year
2022
Immortal Song
A collection of members of the kabukimono gang known as the Immortal Song.
You can find them all over on Exchange.art
Inspiration & Ideation
One of the primary inspirations for this collection was/is Blade of the Immortal. It has been one of the formative comics and works of art that has influenced me in a lot of ways. From the action sequences to the back and forth between ink work and graphite work.
Taking inspiration from that idea of flawed individuals, an idea that's always been appealing to me, and running with that. Enter the kabukimono gang, Immortal Song, a family of rogues that are an exciting group of terrible people.
Concept & Rough Sketches
Bear
The eldest clan member isn't often seen anymore. He lives in a hut in the forest, spending his days in a drunken state distilling his shōchū. It's been said (but not confirmed) that he's slightly blind from alcohol. Don't let this man's frailty fool you, even in an inebriated state he's formidable.
Mal (Mallory)
Bear's only daughter, his deviant princess. Her tongue is as sharp as her sword and wit to match. An information broker that gathers from the shadows. If you're ever trying to spot her, just watch for the light from her pipe and the glint in her eyes.
Sonny
Father, survivor, ex-servant to a samurai family. Stoicism personified. If he was to smile his face might crack. However, catch him in a fight and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wields a blade more passionately--a sight to behold.
Sloane
Sonny & Mal's first-born. The young fox inherited her father's swordsmanship, her mother's wit, and possesses her own physical charms. Due to these traits, everything is a game to her. Incredibly well versed in Niten Ichi-ryū and rumored to have learned it by taking Miyamoto Musashi as a lover. It's never been confirmed because she's dispatched anyone that's ever brought it up.
Cosmo
The second of Sonny & Mal's brood. There's no easy way to say it, Cosmo is either a genius or completely insane, quite possibly both balancing on the edge of a blade. He's an electric storm of chaotic energy that lives with unbearable pain in his heart. If by chance you hear a laugh that sounds more like a cry in your local gambling spot, Cosmo is nearby.
Luther
Big as a tree, quiet as a mouse. Allegedly Bear set up a bare-knuckle fight between a local and Luther when he was fourteen. Even at a young age, for as large as he is, he wasted no movements with his fighting. The fight was over in minutes and the prize? Luther's pride and joy, his ax. The fastest way to get Luther chatting it up is a little shōchū. Be warned that this is also the fastest way to find yourself at the end of his famous ax.
Dhara
Self-exiled from the Immortal Song. Dhara's reasoning is quite simple, her family's dreams are too small for her own. In her words, "Why be part of a gang when you can have an army? Why control a city when you could take the country?" Armed with an arsenal of a small army with a boulder-sized chip on her shoulder, she's always prepared to fight a demon or god. Beneath all of her armor, she still wears the kimono gifted from Mal. There's also a rumor she still sends letters to Cosmo.
Contact
Email: bl.mullins@gmail.com
© Brandon Mullins 2020