Sketch Book Stencil

For my sketch book stencil I chose the ouroboros symbol from the anime Full Metal Alchemist. Homunculus literally means a small human or humanoid creature; in the series the homunculus are created and are representations of the seven deadly sins. They were created as the failed attempts to bring back loved ones from the grave. The homunculus all are marked with the same red symbol of the dragon eating its own tail (ouroboros). This is supposed to represent the cycle of life and death and how death paves the way for life. Another key theme of the series is that of equivalent exchange "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." I think the homunculus symbol also perfectly captures this, even the balanced contrasting triangles in the center depict this meaning. I think this is meaningful to me because it helps me look for a silver lining when times are difficult, like that saying it's always darkest before the dawn. This symbol helps me hold on to hope. It is also meaningful to me in a different way, as it was the first anime I fully watched and it opened the door to a new world for me to escape to.