I am starting a new series in my blog to feature a selection of my recent artwork. The idea is to present the finished product along with some context through my thoughts, sources of inspiration, mistakes, etc.
Kalinga Narthanam
Kalinga Narthanam is easily my favorite imagery from Hindu mythology. Just imagine a five-year old child dancing on the heads of a vast, demonic serpent on an overflowing Yamuna as dark rains lash all around. This scene strongly resonates with my very core. Perhaps as a result, I have tried to capture this image through my sketches on several occasions. Here is a hasty attempt from 2014 on a TODO list!
Over the years I have discovered that drawing this scene helps me to get back into sketching after long layoffs. The powerful imagery moves me to grabbing my pencil. Below is my latest attempt at this scene. It was sketched on an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil on the stock Notes app.
Things I like about this image:
- The flowing motion of Krishna: I was trying to convey a sense of careless elegance by capturing a "mid-frame" moment. If I was a better artist I would have been able to make the image hazier without losing legibility.
- The heads of the snake: I tried to give each head a distinct personality. The head being trampled by Krishna is the most arrogant one, a few nearby are staring menacingly at Krishna, undoubtedly the targets of his future steps; whereas there are some heads that seem reconciled with subordination -- one even appears pleased.
- The flower ornaments: I think the flowers have a 3D effect going on which pleases me to no end. I can't quite remember how I managed this; subsequent efforts at duplication haven't been quite as successful. I think sketching over multiple times with pencils of different darkness settings is responsible. It gave me pause whether flower ornaments will appear so prominent in a torrential downpour, however the scene is brimming with theophany that I reasoned divine grace could explain the freshness of the flowers.
