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Description
This is my interpretation of the final moment of Sadako Sasaki's life, based mostly on the scene in the book "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes."

If you're not familiar with it, it's the terribly sad (and true!) story of a little girl who was only a toddler in Hiroshima when it was hit with the atomic bomb and later contracted leukemia. In accordance to an old Japanese myth that folding one thousand paper cranes can grant a wish of good health, she began to fold the origami birds. According to the story, she only reached 644, but factually she did complete her thousand with plenty to spare. Still, finished or no, she died at about 12 years of age-- 50 years ago this October.

Anyway, I read the book when I was about nine, and it really hit me hard. I learned how to fold paper cranes soon after, and about two years ago I finally visited Hiroshima-- the first I had heard of it was in the book-- and, lo and behold, the first monument I see is Sadako's memorial for the children victims of the bomb. It just sort of jumped out at me; it was rather unnerving. Anyway-- the whole Hiroshima experience is a rather long story, but, as you can probably tell, the story behind this picture means a lot to me.

Things I like: The structure and perspective of this picture is unusual for me, and I like it. I also did rather decently at drawing the cranes, and depicting a hospital, too.

Things I don't like: Sadako looks as if she is already dead. Yes, it's trying to represent her final moments, but she's not yet a corpse! Still-- she's a very sick little girl. In a way, it almost adds to the strikingness of the picture, but, if you don't think so, we can always once again blame for stealing the skin-colored colored pencil . . .

Her eyes look most alive than anything. I like that about this picture.

Description
This is my interpretation of the final moment of Sadako Sasaki's life, based mostly on the scene in the book "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes."

If you're not familiar with it, it's the terribly sad (and true!) story of a little girl who was only a toddler in Hiroshima when it was hit with the atomic bomb and later contracted leukemia. In accordance to an old Japanese myth that folding one thousand paper cranes can grant a wish of good health, she began to fold the origami birds. According to the story, she only reached 644, but factually she did complete her thousand with plenty to spare. Still, finished or no, she died at about 12 years of age-- 50 years ago this October.

Anyway, I read the book when I was about nine, and it really hit me hard. I learned how to fold paper cranes soon after, and about two years ago I finally visited Hiroshima-- the first I had heard of it was in the book-- and, lo and behold, the first monument I see is Sadako's memorial for the children victims of the bomb. It just sort of jumped out at me; it was rather unnerving. Anyway-- the whole Hiroshima experience is a rather long story, but, as you can probably tell, the story behind this picture means a lot to me.

Things I like: The structure and perspective of this picture is unusual for me, and I like it. I also did rather decently at drawing the cranes, and depicting a hospital, too.

Things I don't like: Sadako looks as if she is already dead. Yes, it's trying to represent her final moments, but she's not yet a corpse! Still-- she's a very sick little girl. In a way, it almost adds to the strikingness of the picture, but, if you don't think so, we can always once again blame for stealing the skin-colored colored pencil . . .

Her eyes look most alive than anything. I like that about this picture.