u/Fuwafuwa_Usagi2525

Hello, I am working on a small art project, and for my next piece (which I'm designing as a manga cover), I am drawing Herodias' daughter.

Though unnamed in the Gospels and historically identified as Salome, she is often depicted in later art and Oscar Wilde's works as a malicious, seductive femme fatale who personally wanted John the Baptist dead.

However, Matthew 14 and Mark 6 show her asking her mother what to request. Historically, she was likely in her early to mid-teens. As the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas within the Herodian royal family, she was a politically powerless girl caught in a violent situation controlled by her mother.

To reflect this biblical and historical context, I want to draw her holding the platter with John's head, but looking deeply traumatized, sweating, and terrified instead of proud. For her psychological state, I am referencing the character Kobeni from the anime Chainsaw Man. That character is known for being constantly terrified, pressured by her parents, and forced into traumatic situations against her will. I also plan to emphasize Herodias' imposing presence in the composition to highlight who was truly in charge.

Would this terrified, manipulated portrayal align better with a Christian understanding of the biblical text than the traditional seductress image? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Hello, I am working on a small art project, and for my next piece (which I'm designing as a manga cover), I am drawing Herodias' daughter.

Though unnamed in the Gospels and historically identified as Salome, she is often depicted in later art and Oscar Wilde's works as a malicious, seductive femme fatale who personally wanted St. John the Baptist dead.

However, Matthew 14 and Mark 6 show her asking her mother what to request. Historically, she was likely in her early to mid-teens. As the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas within the Herodian royal family, she was a politically powerless girl caught in a violent situation controlled by her mother.

To reflect this biblical and historical context, I want to draw her holding the platter with St. John's head, but looking deeply traumatized, sweating, and terrified instead of proud. For her psychological state, I am referencing the character Kobeni from the anime Chainsaw Man. That character is known for being constantly terrified, pressured by her parents, and forced into traumatic situations against her will. I also plan to emphasize Herodias' imposing presence in the composition to highlight who was truly in charge.

Would this terrified, manipulated portrayal align better with a Catholic understanding of the biblical text than the traditional seductress image? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Hello from a tired Tokyo office worker!

Mary Magdalene is my favorite biblical figure. Since I’m currently studying Tatsuki Fujimoto, I decided to draw her in his art style. The mood of this piece was heavily inspired by first death by TK from 凛として時雨 and Deep down by Aimer, with the latter being my personal pick for its elegiac lyrics.

This was my first time using Clip Studio Paint, and I already prefer it to Procreate. The vector eraser, blending brush, 3D models, and Clip Studio Assets are excellent, but the brush feel stood out most. The G pen brushes felt especially natural and let me make full use of my drawing fundamentals in a way Procreate never quite did.

I had to rush the shading toward the end because my wrist started hurting so please excuse any rough spots. I am planning to draw other biblical figures as manga covers and would appreciate any feedback you have on this idea.

P.S. Sadly, Reddit seems to seriously degrade the colors and details when I upload artwork. It might look better on desktop, or if you zoom in. Just so you know, drawing the title on the right took the longest wwww.

While listening to the opening theme of the anime Bocchi the Rock! (ぼっち・ざ・ろっく!), I felt inspired to draw St. Peter in the style of its official art. The overall drawing process was pretty straightforward thanks to the cel shading, but the calligraphy took some time as I tried to accurately match the official style.