Old Ships

[bunn]

Here is a thing I painted.

The boat at the top is based on the Sae Wylfing, a replica Anglo-Saxon ship, and the one at the bottom is based on the Draken Harald Harfagre, which is the world's biggest reconstruction viking ship. The decorations and patterns are mostly inspired by patterns from the Sutton Hoo treasure, although there is the odd thing - such as the sea-wyrm top left - that is from are from coins and other sources.  

All the shapes are either inspired by carvings or from metalwork: I didn't use any painted material as resources, because I was hoping to get a feeling of that simplified, 3-d feeling you get from carvings and jewellery.  Only in paint, because carving intertwined knots is such a headache.

Comments

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Ooh, lovely! I love the creatures who appear all ghostly in the sea and the sky (though that fish-thing in the pale patch half way up on the right looks most worried to be there, poor thing.) I love the frame, too, which really suits it.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that thing was based on my vague memory of this figurehead, but I didn't look at the reference again, and he looks totally different with his mouth closed!