Odin hanging from the Ask Yggdrasil
Another black and white digital drawing.
One of the things that you can really do better in digital images is drawing white on black. I have done quite a few thing in traditional media like prints and painting when it comes to adding lighter colours on a black background. It is a method that has always fascinated me, and working this way in digital media is a real pleasure. The black is always real black, while black paper never really are. No white media (because it is mostly oil-based) can be erased the same way as in digital painting. Then it is just drawing on top with black.
You might want to look at the page were I originally posted the drawing about two years ago. There is a small discussion about the dark background topic.
This piece depicts Odin hanging from the Ask Yggdrasil, sacrificing himself to himself and thereby getting hold of the runes - from the Hávamál stanza 137-139
Behind Odin, showing in the bark of the tree, are the three deadly forces: Hel, Fenris and Jormungand, that are to be the fate of the Asa-Gods on Ragnarok.
137.
I trow I hung on that windy Tree
nine whole days and nights,
stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin,
myself to mine own self given,
high on that Tree of which none hath heard
from what roots it rises to heaven.
138.
None refreshed me ever with food or drink,
I peered right down in the deep;
crying aloud I lifted the Runes
then back I fell from thence.
139.
Nine mighty songs I learned from the great
son of Bale-thorn, Bestla's sire;
I drank a measure of the wondrous Mead,
with the Soulstirrer's drops I was showered.
Olive Bray's translation from 1908
The high resolution file below is rather large so only click if you want it big :)
Published originally at my Diaspora profiles.
The image is made with Krita my favorite Linux drawing application, It is licenced CC-BY and is available in highres here - 2600 × 3500 - 7.3 MB - 16-bit PNG
Nice art work.
Thank you so much, Lighter!
Great art work.
And you too, greatness, Thanks!
Really, really beautifully done - the black and white colors compliment the sadness of the story.
I've recently discovered Krita myself, but have yet to try its potential. It's quite different than Adobe products.
Also, very nice of you to publish your work in full resolution under a CC license.
Thank you very much:)
As for the sadness the story is maybe a bit more complicated. I guess that the Iron age and Viking age people of Scandinavia saw this story, not as a sad one, but one of cunning and dangerous magic. What happens in the poem is that Odin, the only male God of magic (sorcery was an area managed by women ), is trying to get hold of the magic of writing (to these people literacy was akin to magic) and to do this he has to make a sacrifice to the male God of magic - himself! Sacrifice, suicide, and resurrection all in one.
But on the other hand you are right that I do emphasize the tragic part in the image by imposing the three monsters, because Odin got the knowledge of writing and thus also of poetry, and in poetry was the end of Odin and the world foretold. The beautiful vølupspa. So in my interpretation: getting the runes also gave Odin the power of poetry and divination, which in turn told him of the end of himself and his world.
And yes, I do believe in giving away what you do not need. The things I sell or might have use for in my projects, for them I keep my copyright. But these images would just turn to dust on my harddisk. :)
Try look at my next post for some extra info :)
Wow that's amazing art work.
I love art, never seen this before but I will print this out and hang it with my collection.
I'm a new follower.
Thanks, and please do make a copy. I just like that it is used. As far as I remember it should be possible to print in at least A4 size in 300dpi.
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Great work. There is just something special to drawing on the computer like this.