Beowulf Hero, and King Part 1.
I started this digital piece several months ago after picking up where I left off with my Skull study. I’d completed the skull drawing and the arm drawing for a new collection just before Covid struck. Little did I know after the first UK lockdown I’d be snowed under with my photography work and wouldn’t be able to get back to my next art project for quite some time. So much so that after 18 months of working flat out, I had no real option but to turn photographic work away to ensure I was able to continue working on these projects.
When I began thinking about what to draw next I immediately thought about drawing a skull again but this time adding elements to it to make it visually interesting. My initial thought was to add a crown and maybe add a quote from a prominent historical King or Queen, even make a series of them. After more research, scribbles, and notes I came across the story of Beowulf. It had been a long time since I read anything about this ancient Anglo-Saxon hero. So off I went down quite a rabbit hole of reading papers written by academics and many blogs, websites, and forums.
At this point, I was hooked. But what to do? I had sketched out a few ideas but had no props to draw. I had a major dilemma. Should I visit the Royal Armouries in Leeds (UK) and take photos of swords? But where could I get a crown? Not sure if Liz would let me borrow a couple to study. So what to do? I then had the idea of creating the probs on the computer. It has been several years since I completed a 3D computer graphics project. I’ve always had an interest in 3D graphics since the Amiga 500 was launched, many many moons ago, when I use some software I believe was called Turbo Silver. Those were the days of checkerboards and silver goblets taking weeks to render.
My last foray into 3D graphics was several years prior with a software package called Zbrush. My objective at this point was to create some basic objects such as the skull, swords, crown, etc. My objective at this point was to add a bit of texture and lighting to the objects I’d create and then I’d be able to draw them realistically. Enter stage left for my next dive into the rabbit hole of research.
What type of crown do I create in 3D? What do swords from the 4th century look like? Hours and hours of research and re-reading relevant parts of the Beowulf text resulted in several months of developing my concept.
If you want to know how it was put together, read on. Beowulf – Digital pt2
The Process
I spent a few weeks dwelling on what to draw next for my academic drawing collection. I thought about another skull with a crown and quotes from kings and queens. I even played with the idea of making them into a deck of cards. Then I came across Beowulf during my research. The more I read the more images came to mind.
I read numerous papers and blogs written about Beowulf and there are a number of elements that stood out. The two main swords and the overarching theme of the futility of war and how Christianity was superseding paganism were two such themes.
There was one element of the story that held my attention though. The third sword that Beowulf used is described in the poem.
Hrothgar examines the hilt of the sword Beowulf used to kill Grendel's mother. In intricate workmanship, the story of Noah's flood, the flood that destroyed the race of giants, and the name of the sword's first owner are engraved on the hilt.
This gold hilt was crafted by Eotens (old English for Giants) and foretold their demise. The hilt tells the story of how they were destroyed by the great flood. It symbolises the clash of Paganism and Christianity. Just like Grendel and his mother, giants are the offspring of Caine who killed his brother. As such we have the clash of good v’s evil old world and new.
Developing the gold giant-made hilt and the other elements of the saga took an enormous amount of time. Part two of these posts show more details about this whole process. Beowulf – Digital pt2