Ninetails are known to be the most powerful form of the kitsune. Once they turn 1,000 years old, they gain all nine of their tails and turn a golden color, then ascend to the heavens where they become celestial foxes.

This is my first experiment with tea painting. The background is stained with green tea and worked over with acrylic and colored pencil. I was inspired to try this method after seeing medical illustrations painted over a coffee-stained background (shown by my illustration professor one day in class). It created a rich texture that blended nicely with the image itself.

• 9x12 illustration board
  
• Acrylic, colored pencil
  
• Completed winter 2010

Artwork © Sarah Graybill

Prints Available on Etsy - www.etsy.com/shop/TeaFoxIllustrations