I made the sketch for Bonsai Tree more than a year ago, after reading a book with traditional Japanese artwork <3 and have been working on it for quite some time.

Seeing the picture during the last weeks while doing the usual polishing work, adding textures and such, was not the same as before. Even if all the elements were already finished - things like the pose and the expression suddenly looked a lot more protective and concerned than I had ever intended it to be. I wondered whether it would be the right time to submit it, since I myself started seeing it differently. But then I decided it was exactly the right time to submit it.