Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ni – 95 degree pivot

Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ni - 95 degree pivotDaily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ni – 95 degree pivot

Tai No Henko Ni is the second of the basic movements in Yoshinkan Aikido. In english we call it 95 degree pivot, it is used when uke is pushing on you and you need to get out of the way to let uke follow that energy. I know this looks a lot like Tai No Henko Ichi, but that makes sense because most of these movements we start in a classic kamae stance, and end in an altered stance, but still kamae because everything is on the center line. The difference here is the figure is lower to the ground, knees bent more, and hands at a different position. Yes, you may have to be an aikinerd to see the difference, yes I am that aikinerd. The photo I used this time was not someone I knew personally, but someone from the hombu dojo.

Ink on Paper.

Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ichi – Cross Step and Body Change

Daily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ichi - Cross Step and Body ChangeDaily Creativity: Tai No Henko Ichi – Cross Step and Body Change

Tai No Henko Ichi is the first of the basic movements in Yoshinkan Aikido. In english we call it cross step and body change. It allows you to divert your energy around something, like a person or a strong point, to find the weak point, and end up on top of uke.

Funny thing, while looking for photos to work from for this, the one I used ended up being someone I know I have worked with at a previous kenshu. I found other pictures of him with the sensei running the kenshu I was at last weekend. Yoshinkan is a small world.

Ink on paper.

Daily Creativity: Ida B Wells – International Women’s Day

Daily Creativity: Ida B Wells - International Women's DayDaily Creativity: Ida B Wells – International Women’s Day

In honor of International Women’s Day I normally draw a woman of influence, this year I drew Ida B Wells. Ida was an editor and activist. Ida was a suffragette and a civil rights activist. She is proof that Feminism was always intersectional and that there were always white feminists that ignored that intersectionality. Ida is also proof that sexism was rampant in the civil rights struggle (see her name being left off from the founding of the NAACP and other slights). She didn’t pick or choose which was more important and she didn’t fear speaking her mind about all of these issues. She’s a role model for sure.

When we honor women we need to include ALL women, and all of the struggles they face. All races, religions, cultures, and physiology. There is no right way to be a woman, all women who identify as women are women, and we honor them all.

Pencils on Paper.

Daily Creativity: Rory as Green Lantern

Daily Creativity: Rory as Green LanternDaily Creativity: Rory as Green Lantern

I love drawing Rory as superheroes, and it is only fitting that he pose as Green Lantern. Rory Lantern? He’s already green so it fits that he’d bear the ring. Knowing him he’d think of food so he’d have more things to eat.

I got the new cable for the printer today so I was finally able to scan my drawings. It’s amazing how something so small can throw things out of wack. Markers on Paper.