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Haleviyah — A Decade
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Published: 2022-04-19 08:09:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 6618; Favourites: 40; Downloads: 0
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Description
Did another “Draw this again meme” this time with our main guy here.
All I can say is… WOW.
Just, wow. Almost a decade and here we are. As I have stated before, Joshua has been through one hell of a metamorphosis that mirrored my personal growth and struggles. Wether that can be taken in a positive or negative stance is completely up to you and what you want to see here.
Let’s start with the easy part here to break the ice, shall we?
ART DEVELOPMENT
BEFORE
(2012-2013ish)
The tools of the trade:
Back then, I barely just purchased my Macintosh that I still use to this day, however I didn’t have Photoshop. Yet! I had a program that I am fond of and wish I had reinstalled called MangaStudioEX4. I used that program to sketch, paint and do whatever. Hell, I entered a competition using that program… and won. Old Wacom tablet had to go due to the program CD being lost and Wacom moving on to the next thing. So, I upgraded to a Wacom Bamboo tablet that had some apps and presents for the tablet. It was a heck of a lot smaller (hence why my drawings then looked even more constrained than before (2011)), but it was smooth and I got used to it after a day or two.
Art Style:
Very anime inspired, I was into “Black Butler” until I was a senior in high school. So Toboso’s style was something I tried for a season and was okay with. (Not the best, just okay.) My lines were scratchy and shaky, I had no sense of color theory or proper anatomy. Everything looks stiff, triangular and almost unconfident to a degree.
AFTER
(2022)
Tools of the Trade:
I still have my Mac. I still work with a bamboo tablet. Only difference I have Photoshop, I seldom work with MangaStudio (I have a demo version now) unless its’ for creating comic pages and laying them out and I tried AutoDesk but it’s not my cup of tea unless I’m in a really sketchy mood.
(Quick question, is wine considered a tool, too? Because - DAMN - have I gotten some whacky ideas from drinking Shiraz! LOL)
Art Style:
Best I can describe it: art nouveau mixed with realism and anime; I take some inspiration from rotoscoping. Color theory has gotten strong but to perfect, lighting and shading has improved, everything is more organic and loose. Anatomically speaking, things have improved greatly.
But enough of me time to talk about the infamous male lead of "Rose of Sharon".
YEHOSHUA BAR YOSEF
(a.k.a Josh, Joshua, Yeshua)
BEFORE
(2012-2013ish)
Origins:
This was during the height of the “Heaven is For Real” wave that consumed everyone on and off the internet. The story of the Burpo’s and Kramarik was basically everything - valid proof that G-d existed. But what really caught everyone’s infatuation was the fact two kids from different parts of America just so happened to see the same blue-eyed face. It was a euphoric time in my life and this one face was all I had my attention on; everything and everyone else be damned.
Little did I know it would eventually bite me hard in the ass.
Design:
As said previously - and I’m not ashamed to admit this fuck up of mine - the appearance of Yehoshua was based on Kramarik’s work from the “Prince of Peace” portrait.
Yeshua was originally meant to have mainly long, baggy robes what would be draped around his body and a highly saturated color scheme where you look immediately at him. His hair was straight and wavy to a degree with skin almost as pale as the moon. The style of clothing was mainly Anglo noblemen blended with the attire of Greek gods.
Personality Traits:
Majority of the personality traits that Yehoshua had a decade ago was rooted mainly in Baptist Christian beliefs. Here’s a list:
- Omnipotent
- Idle
- Incapable of learning
- G-d-complex
- Independant
- Sovereign King (makes all the decisions)
- Somewhat the “Straight-man” of the group.
- Kingdom first
- Entitlement based Judgement
- Not very athletic
- Hermitic
- “Straight-edge”
- Loves the Worship
- Knowledgable most of the time.
- Personification of a Lion.
Other:
- Jewish/Hebraic/Middle Eastern heritage is nonexistent and has no impression on his design or personality.
- This is mainly due to my lack of access to the Jewish community at the time and being over saturated in Christian based-doctrines only.
- For some reason he had a scars all across his head. I guess it’s because everything else including his hands and feet were covered and it bugged little “fanatical” me.
- Originally he was a only meant to reside in Heaven and was forbidden to leave.
- Unmarried bachelor.
- Fancy curtains for robes.
- Almost never interacts with other people, unless the person is picked by him.
- Angel’s automatically liked and obeyed him without a second thought.
- No soft spots or quirks I can think of.
AFTER
(2022)
Origins:
Roughly I want to say around 2017 is when things took a sharp turn that went from 90º to 180º in such a short time. This change was not just personally but it also happened for Yeshua’s design. Wether that turn-around is up, down, left or right… I cannot say, because given what I have been through has been nothing but fog in all directions. Regardless, this is where books were hit and some hard homework started replacing the parasitic relationship I had with religion.
I basically had this mentality that if Yehoshua is Jewish I need to dive into that culture. No excuses.
Design:
Joshua’s current design may have has some outside influence, but the rest comes from both cultural and Biblical inputs:
Originally, he didn’t have piyot (those long side-burn locks) on either side of his head nor did he have a lot of angles or definition to his face. According to some accounts the hair was so long it went past his hips and like you'll notice in a lot of orthodox folk it does change color. His olive skin tone was taken from the average complexion of Mizrahi Jews mainly in the Galilee region, or in and around Israel. Hair colour and texture became more darker and thicker obviously. Instead of being over 7ft tall, Joshua now stands at a humble average of 5'7". His physique was taken from his occupations while alive such as traveling frequently on foot and heavy lifting.
Speaking of job occupations, Joshua was way more busier than I had expected. Instead of being a homeless wanderer with barely anything to do he did help run a family business, had a huge family to come back home to, a hell of a hectic schedule and a huge network of people of both Jew and Roman. All of this wasn't part of his original design back in 2013 - he was mainly portrayed as a loner then. But this added recent information does explain that "family man" or "fatherly" instinct of his you'll catch every now and then in the comic.
The scars were taken from special sources I will refrain from explaining and were changed up to look like deep acid or burn marks rather than puncture wounds that people could see through.
Eye color was taken from the book of Revelations and most common eye colors in Galilean region; during his time, Joshua's eyes were very dull in color, almost muddy-like or desaturated of color.
Personality Traits:
- Empathetic
- Active
- Capable of learning
- Fixer-complex
- Josh does have a habit of thinking if he broke it, he can fix it again and this is where his most stubborn side comes out.
- Team player
- Congressional Legislature (needs to find a compromise among peers)
- Slick Smart Ass of the group
- Loved ones first
- Incentive/Character based Judgement
- Athletic
- Social and curious.
- Drinks and smokes
- Hates being worshipped.
- Clueless at times.
- Personification of a lamb… or ram, if you piss him off.
Other:
- Married man.
- Prostitutes, Widows and Orphans have a soft spot in his heart.
- Jewish/Hebraic/Middle Eastern heritage is a huge influence his design or personality to the point he respects cultures in the region.
- Heavily interacts with other people native or not native to Israel.
- Very simple, mundane wardrobe that would have you mistake he’s a lumberjack as a side hustle. Hunting gear is based off military and athletic-wear.
- A wanderer. Joshua travels from place to place until someone decides to host him for a time, because what is this “kingdom come” you speak of?
- Angels (Malakim) are skeptical of him unless given otherwise (Michael is a prime example).
Comments:
In short, all I can say is the change is quite stark in contrast. One minute he is a G-d-King who can command angels with a flick of his finger, the next an exiled soul trying to understand his worth and such angels only listen to him because of his host.
I leave the judgement up to you wether this progress is headed in a solid direction or not.
Like I said repeatedly, "Rose of Sharon" has been through an evolution from Christian favoritism to Judaic Philosophy and Middle Eastern adoration... and Joshua, (being our male lead) is no stranger to the evolution. I will leave with this subtle hint... He is who you wish for him to be, it may be his journey of understanding but that does not make it your salvation. That resolution begins when you face the music, not putting your trust in a man who has already been through enough.
I know of the recent strifes between the Christian and Jewish communities, and that battle is no stranger for me. There is an ongoing battle between good intentions and preservation of culture. And I'm not talking innocent disagreements, I'm talking about 3700 years worth surviving knowledge of G-d's character development in real-life verses naive ambition that is just shy of 1900 years with a track record of killing empires. This battle has unfortunately flirting with kinetic warfare, and it's something the Rebbe himself never wanted in the first place - he tried everything in his power to NOT make that happen but it ended up adding gasoline on the fire (look at Masada).
I admit, I am a poor advocate for peace between the two if such can be accomplished, but I can leave this with a straight forward message: the Judaic people must be left to BE the Judaic people.
We as Gentiles and/or Christians alike have no authority over such people rather than the Creator who established Zion herself. All I can say to anyone not of the Jewish diaspora should simply LEAVE ISRAEL ALONE.
Leave the Jewish people alone.
So what does this have to do with Yehoshua's character development?
A lot to do with it. It's very cut and dry how opposite these designs turned out in the end. All I can say:
If you put these two men in the same room... only one of them is going to walk out with scratches, and the other is going to get one HELL of a reality check while knocked into a coma.
Let that part sink in.
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