Crown of the World Novella

"The Crown of the World: Novella Cover"
November 29th, 2010
Watercolor and Ink

CURRENT ~:+:~ NEXT



"A man never deserves a sword until he can hold it by the blade. His hands may bleed; but it is then that he sees the Cross." (The Return of Don Quixote by G.K. Chesterton)

I drew this all the way back in November and I didn't put it up until now because I wanted to try and wait until I at least finished the first comic page of the Crown of the World novella of Nathan Sadasivan's prologue that I've been planning on doing for ages. But of course, I am lazy, and I haven't gotten around to it. I haven't put anything up for a few days, and finally said to myself, "Why not?" So here's Godfrey, in all of his over-saturated glory, with the La Beausceant waving in the background.

Well, I am at least somewhat satisfied with it. I *slightly* fixed his left-eye, which was the cause of much Facebook-status-griping. This is supposed to be the "cover" for my Graphic Novella (that I will do...eventually...) of the Prologue of Crown of the World. Because I felt like I'd need a cover. Because proper comics have covers.

I wanted to experiment a bit with different watercolor styles. I've been an admirer of ~Achen089 for a long time, and I really love her illustrative look to her watercolor paintings. Because one of the main visual "themes" of Crown of the World is the crown of thorns, I wanted Godfrey to be ringed about in a crowny hedge of thorns. However, roses also go very well with thorns, and, incidentally, they just so happen to be the colors of the Knights Templar: red and white. AND those two colors represent two very important concepts, namely, purity and martyrdom which tie in perfectly with Godfrey (not that he gets martyred...as far as I know anyway. The author may have different plans for him though...). So, I really loved the way ~Achen089 painted the roses in her portrait of Sleeping Beauty ([link]), so I wanted to do something very similar.

Alas, I do not have a very gentle hand with watercolors. While ~Achen089's pictures are light and airy, mine are heavy and dark. AND super-saturated. I was very frustrated with parts of this piece, partly the colors, but MOSTLY because Godfrey's eyes WERE JUST NOT COOPERATING!!!



And by the way, the rainbow ponies called, they want their colors back. And it looks like he rolled around in a sewage ditch to boot. *facepalm*

And why are his hands bleeding? No, it is not because Godfrey is a masochistic freak. Because he's not. It's because when trying to sketch a pose for this picture I got that top quote stuck in my head. So yeah.

I'm still not happy with that left eye. It looked better in the sketch. He looks like a whipped puppy...

...well....

I always draw him looking like a whipped puppy. Poor Godfrey.



Crown of the World Prologue Novella:

Crown of the World Prologue Novella Cover
Page I: "I Lift My Eyes Up to the Hills"
Page II: Too Far to the South
Page III: Cutting back North
Page IV: "Like the Old Days"
Page V:”The Messengers from Cairo”
Page VI: "Homesick for Damascus"
Page VII: "Chasing Shadows"
Page VIII: "Deliver Us From Our Enemies”
Page IX: "Malik’s Plan"
Page X: "A Prey to their Teeth"

Other Crown of the World inspired pieces:

The Crown of the World
Outremer: The Land Beyond the Sea
The Holy City: Jerusalem

25 Expressions: Godfrey de Montferrat
Malik, Godfrey and Jacques sketch
Oh Godfrey
Poor Jacques
An (almost) Friendless Templar
A Serenading Saracen
Godfrey meets Baldwin IV
Well, this is awkward
A Beef with Gerard de Ridefort
Godfrey's Singing
Dreams of Chivalry
Dormez-vous?
Godfrey and Baldwin-Calvin and Hobbes Style
Godfrey de Montferrat, Knight of the Temple
Boys will be Boys
Drinking Buddies
What do you do with a Drunken Templar?
Chibi Godfrey
The Templar's Adoration
Crown of the World Novella Cover



"Crown of the World" belongs to Nathan Sadasivan.