Okay, so I’ve been seeing this “rikishi son” thing pop up all over my feeds, and I got curious. It looked kinda cool, like some sort of stylized character design. I figured, why not give it a shot? I’m no artist, but I like to mess around with stuff like this.
Digging In
First, I needed to figure out what “rikishi son” even was. I did some quick searching, and, as it turned out, it relates to sumo wrestling, where “rikishi” means a sumo wrestler. “Son” is more like an honorific or an ending to add. I guess it sounded cool. So I needed some pictures of sumo wrestlers for reference. Lots of strong, imposing stances, you know?
Sketching It Out
I grabbed my trusty notebook and pencil – nothing fancy, just what I had lying around. Started with some basic shapes. Big, round belly – gotta have that. Thick legs, powerful arms. I went through a few attempts, erasing and re-drawing. It was a struggle to get the proportions right, and even harder to capture the feel of their power. Man, those guys are solid!
- First try: Looked like a blob with stick figures.
- Second try: Better, but the head was too small.
- Third try: Starting to get somewhere! The pose was still off, though.
Getting the Pose Right
I went back to my reference images. I realized I needed to pay more attention to the way they stand, the way they bend their knees, and the way they hold their arms. It’s all about balance and strength. My next few sketches focused on that. I tried different angles, different stances. Slowly, it started to come together.
Adding Details (and Mistakes)
Once I had a pose I was মোটামুটি happy with, I started adding some details. The mawashi (that’s the belt thing they wear), the topknot… I tried to make it look a bit more stylized, not too realistic. I messed up a bunch of times. The hands were especially tricky. So many fingers, so many weird angles!
I realized I was gripping my pencil way too hard. I got some hand-cramps. Made myself take some breaks and streach my hand.
Finally, Something I Liked
After what felt like forever, I finally had something I didn’t totally hate. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it kinda, sorta looked like a “rikishi son”… maybe? It definitely captured the “strong” vibe, even if it was a bit wonky in places.
I am planning to create a series of this theme. I just need to practice more and maybe do a digital art later.
