The Crown of the World

"The Crown of the World"
Finished August 15th, 2010
Approximately 148 Hours
15 by 21 inches
Ink, pencil, watercolor on board


"I will not wear a Crown of Gold where my Master wore a Crown of Thorns.” ~ Godfrey de Bouillon



"...I plucked a leaf from the porch and crept
Away through a desert of scoffs and scorns
To a lonely place where I prayed and wept
And wove me a crown of thorns..."

~ "Song" by Alfred Noyes




Everyone remember that massive picture project that I kept hinting at? Well, here it is. I finally finished it. Last summer (June 2009) I read a book called "Crown of the World" by Nathan Sadasivan ([link]), and I really, really enjoyed it. (especially since I'm such a sucker for anything medieval--and especially the Crusades--so, it was bound to happen. ) Fortunately for me, Nathan Sadasivan happens to be a friend of some really good friends of mine, so I met him over the summer, told him about how I liked his book, and then later e-mailed him asking if I could make some fan-art for it. Long story short, he said, "Sure, go ahead!" and I started coming up with a lot of ideas I could do inspired by his book. My initial idea was to make a graphic novel based off the prologue (which I still plan to do) and then I later thought, "Oh hey, how about I make a montage! Something that could at once get the gist and atmospheric feeling of the story across while also showing all the characters off at the same time!" However, I was not expecting that it would take this long. At all. In fact, the number one reason it did took this long was because I kept re-doing everything.

I started making the sketches for this way back in December 2009. I started work in January 2010, and worked on it for the months of February, March and some of April. May was really hectic, so I took a long break from it during that month and I didn't touch it at all. Once school got out, in June I should have resumed work on it but I wanted to just sit back and relax for a while. July came around the corner and after my annual family vacation I finally started resuming work on it after an almost three-month long break. July saw a good bit of progress but August the most of all because then I was under pressure. The day I finally finished it (August, 15th, 2010) was the day I gave it away to Nathan. It's certainly not perfect, and there are a great deal of mistakes/things I would want to fix if I still had it, but then again, I've always been nit-picky. Right now, I am moderately satisfied with it, so here it is.

My "main theme" for this picture is "The Prayer Cycle - A Choral Symphony in 9 Movements - Movement III - Hope" by Alanis Morrissette and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. ([link]) So you have to listen to that song while you're looking at this, it really helps to reveal the feelings and emotions I wanted to evoke with this picture.

The two other songs that also helped inspire this picture are "Vide Cor Meum" by Katherine Jenkins ([link]) and "Chansoneta farai Vencut" by Ensemble Convivencia ([link]) Love that song!! Many others helped keep me going as well, but these are the three big ones.

I'll also post up some WIPs I put together so you can see my progress on this. I'll put up the "Process" in those WIPs, they'll be linked here. That'll probably help clarify why this took such an ungodly amount of time. There's three main ones, 1.) my drawing sketches, 2.) the coloring process 3.) Godfrey. He gets one all by himself because he took up one third of this project (time-wise). And prepare yourselves for a slew of "Crown of the World" related fanart. Particularly my chibis. I did a great deal of them in between working on this project. I'm still working on several other drawings inspired by it. I'm making two maps and the comic of course.

The Penciling Steps:CotW Penciling WIP
The Coloring Steps:CotW Coloring WIP
The Godfrey-specific Steps:CotW Godfrey WIP

Maps

The Land Beyond the Sea: A Map of the Christian States of Outremer
The Holy City: Jerusalem



Alright, now that's just the explanation for the background of the making of the drawing itself. For something that took me this amount of time, the description will have to match as well. I hope you all don't mind.

Background of "Crown of the World"

The first book in this series is called "Knight of the Temple" and is about a young Templar Knight named Godfrey de Montferrat. The book opens during King Amalric I of Jerusalem's invasion of Egypt in 1164 and closes ten years later in 1174. The reader follows Godfrey through Egypt, to Jerusalem, to Antioch and throughout the Holy Land. The book takes place between the first and second Crusade, or, more accurately, the few decades leading up to the Second Crusade. And, since Godfrey is the main character in this story, I needed to make sure I got him right. Hence, why he took so long.

The title "Crown of the World" has an interesting layering of meaning to it. On the one hand, it obviously refers to the crown of thorns worn in mockery by Christ. On the other, it sets up an opposition of the worldly warring against the spiritual. There is worldly power, prestige and glory, versus the humbler, loftier goals of holiness and sainthood. Being a follower of the world, or a follower of Christ. "Being in the world but no of it." That, coupled with the particular setting of the book, the Holy Land, and in particular, Jerusalem, with all of the political and religious conflicts that engulfed the land during the time of the crusades makes that particular opposition quite poignant. This struggle is most characterized, I think, by the main character of this book, Godfrey de Montferrat. On the one hand, it's the inner struggle we all have to face as we strive for sanctity (or not), but also was idealized and portrayed, I think, most manifestly during the Crusades. Hence why I find that era so fascinating.

Sir Franks Dicksee is one of my favorite artists, and I just recalled a beautiful painting of his that symbolizes the title of this book, and a lot of the meaning behind this picture. It's called "The Two Crowns" and I think if one did not have the title to help you, it might be very hard to spot them both, which I think is one of Dicksee's points. [link]

The Characters

Godfrey de Montferrat - (Fictional) (top right corner) About 22 when the book begins, Godfrey is a young, intelligent but very idealistic knight Templar who dreams of being like the great Christian heroes in the Chansons of the day, like Godfrey de Bouillon (his namesake) and the great knight Roland. To some--especially the more "worldly-wise"--Godfrey's idealism comes off as unpractical and even naïve. He always tries to do the right thing, even when it may seem stupid and disadvantageous, but he always tries to be as chivalrous and honorable as he can be, and this grates on the less scrupulous characters he comes across. I would describe him as melancholy (as in the Four Humors), thoughtful and introverted. He has few friends, but he is fiercely loyal the ones he has, and to those he has vowed to protect. He tries to embody his ideas of knightly chivalry combined with Christian virtue as much as possible. Andronicus Comnenus dubbed him, "Knight of the Impossible Ideal" and that's a pretty apt description of him. (I personally call him "Godfrey of the Arming-Cap", because I always draw him with an arming-cap, but that's just me. )

Physically, he's about taller than average, has dark black hair, brown eyes and is well-built. His father was a European crusader and one of the younger, more obscure Montferrats who married his mother in the Holy Land, who was an Arab. So Godfrey has his darker complexion from his mother. His uncle is William V of Montferrat and his aunt is Judith of Babenburg. Which would make his cousins William "Longsword", Conrad of Montferrat, Boniface of Montferrat, Frederick of Montferrat, Renier, Agnes, and Adelaise of Montferrat (which sets up his family relations nicely in the drama to come later in the series). As was often the custom in the Middle Ages, Godfrey was sent to live with his aunt and uncle and cousins to learn swordplay, church history, riding and his letters, as was expected of a nobleman. Godfrey grew up alongside his Montferrat cousins and it was there that he met his friend Jacques de Maille, who would later become a Templar with him.

So, in this picture, I wanted to try and convey both his youthful idealism and also a certain, wise kind of sadness as well. His expression is supposed to be both innocent and strong, pious and gentle, but also have a certain far-away longingness. His "Impossible Idea,"--sainthood--seems so elusive in the crazy, hectic world in which he lives so he looks to heaven for it instead of earth. In this way, Godfrey is supposed to be separated from the rest of the characters. Some of them have more faraway expressions (like Malik) but they are all still firmly grounded in the politics and wars of their day. Godfrey' impossible chivalry compels him to search higher and further for the "peace of Jerusalem." He is not untouched by earthly troubles, but he searches for meaning beyond them. That was my idea for Godfrey anyway. One picture I came across in an art book that kind of inspired this expression was Donatello's St. Louis of Toulouse: [link] and [link] I didn't use those for references (because I only found those particular ones a few days ago) but that idea certainly did inspire me.

Malik al-Harawi - (Fictional) (the prominent warrior in the bottom left corner) Malik is only briefly in the "Knight of the Temple" but he is the other main character along with Godfrey. From what I understand of him and from what I've read, Malik is a great swordsman and warrior, and honorable, but he's also a bit self-assured, cocky and proud. He is relatively young, and is a good friend of Yusefs'. In the prologue, Malik accompanied Yusef from Damascus to help Shirkuh in the fight against Amalric and his Crusader forces.

Jacques de Maille - While Jacques is a historical figure, he is a very minor one, and his important feats occurred later in his life. In "Crown of the World" Jacques is Godfrey's best friend and fellow Templar. He grew up alongside Godfrey and the Montferrat cousins, and it was there that Jacques and Godfrey became fast friends. When Godfrey decided that his vocation was with the Knights Templar Jacques joined up with him and they became Templars together. In relation to Godfrey, Jacques is a bit more even-headed, less excitable and practical. But he also has ambitions that Godfrey doesn't really approve of. Jacques also tries to do what's right, but he's not idealistic like Godfrey at all. Jacques is tall and blonde and sports a scraggly brown beard, though I made him clean-shaven here. (He's the Templar on the horse under Godfrey, middle right)

Andronicus Comnenus - "Andronikos Komnenos was born early in the twelfth century, around 1118. He was endowed by nature with the most remarkable gifts both of mind and body: he was handsome and eloquent, but licentious; and, at the same time, active, hardy, courageous, a great general and an able politician." ([link]) That pretty much describes him. Here I portrayed him as a wealthy Byzantine nobleman (which he was, being closely related to the Emperor) He is portrayed in "Crown of the World" as being a very skilled swordsman, highly intelligent and clever, manipulative, political, arrogant and proud. I tried to convey all those attributes with his expression: intelligent, but also cold and derisive. (He's the one with the red cloak beneath Godfrey, and next to Jacques, middle row, right).

Baldwin IV of Jerusalem - The future King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, he was the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes Courtenay. His sister was the future Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem. Joscelin de Courtenay was his uncle. Baldwin was one of my favorite characters in "Crown of the World." He's so cute! In the book Baldwin is a adventurous little boy, and intelligent and wise beyond his years. Like Godfrey, his is also quite an idealist, and voracious lover of epic knightly ballads. Here I wanted to show him as still obviously a little boy, but with a very wise, penetrating expression. I suppose the most, well, almost unsettling thing about his expression is how very serious and sad he looks. Grim, almost, and determined. (He's below Andronicus and Jacques, the boy with blonde hair, lower right section).

Joscelin of Courtenay - Also known as Joscelin III of Edessa, he was the brother of Agnes of Courtenay, the mother of Baldwin IV and Sibylla. As their uncle and brother-in-law to the King of Jerusalem, Amalric I, he had a higher degree of authority even though his possessions in Edessa had long been lost to the Muslims in Syria.

Sir Tristan de Monglane - (Fictional) Tristan is a young knight and was the squire of Joscelin de Courtenay, and so, is fiercely loyal to him like a son. Tristan is skilled in horsemanship, sword fighting and the joust. In a tournament he donned the hearaldry of the legendary "Knight of the Swan." (Hence, why he's wearing blue). He is described as being very handsome (he's wearing a helmet in my picture though), tall, and a general embodiment of chivalry. He is virtuous, honorable and proud, but poor. (He's the one on the horse in blue, bottom right corner, under Joscelin).

King Amalric I of Jerusalem - Reigning as king of Jerusalem from 1162-1174, Amalric was the father of the future King Baldwin IV and of future Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem by Agnes de Courtenay. William of Tyre describes him as such:

"He was tall and fairly handsome; "he had sparkling eyes of medium size; his nose, like that of his brother, was becomingly aquiline; his hair was blond and grew back somewhat from his forehead. A comely and very full beard covered his cheeks and chin. He had a way of laughing immoderately so that his entire body shook."([link])

He invaded Egypt several times at the request of the Fatimid viziers but was not very successful, being consistently repulsed each time by the Syrian forces of Nur-ad-Din. Here I made him have a rather wistful, sorrowful expression (and he looks a lot like Jesus ).

Sibylla of Jerusalem - Daughter of King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes de Courtenay, she was also the sister of Baldwin IV. In the first book she is not featured very prominently, but in the later books I am sure she will play a much larger role, since she was the axis of much of the power struggle in later years. Here I portrayed her looking like her brother, but with a more playful expression, though there still is a bit of sadness in her eyes.

Farooq the Hashshashin - (Fictional) I believe he is fictional anyway. He is more in the second book which I haven't read yet, but I think I have a pretty good idea as to how he contributes to the plot, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. (He's the one on the bottom left with the knife and hood).

Lady Maryam - (Fictional) She is mentioned once in the "Knight of the Temple" but I don't know very much else about her, except that she is very beautiful, intelligent and virtuous, and also Malik's romantic interest. ^^ (She's in the bottom left corner with the veil).

Yusef ibn Ayyub - While he's not in "Knight of the Temple" very much, Yusef will later play a much larger part in the history of the Holy Land. (He's on the cliff overlooking the crown of thorns with his army behind him, middle row, left).

On the Composition

Okay, so I think this description could do well with a general commentary on the composition I decided on. It's fairly basic, but the Christians are on the right side (because I'm right handed, and I started with Godfrey when I was first making the sketch. ) while the Muslims are arranged on the left. The central, and most prominent part of the piece is the Crown of Thorns, somewhat reminiscent of a palantir with Godfrey de Montferrat in the middle, blowing the oliphaunt. The mist around Godfrey was inspired by this picture ([link]), which I liked a lot better than my original sketches of cloud. Behind him is the city of Jerusalem (yes, I planned out all of the city streets. I am very pathetic. ) with the last rays of the day streaming through a stormy sky. The general idea behind that was the tragedy and the sadness of the times with the fall of Jerusalem. The light is a last glimmering shred of hope descending around the city. Not all is lost. All the characters are in a poised, but frenzied motion. It's almost like glass shattering in silence. There's a quietness and overall stillness to it, while at the same time, everyone is moving. The castle below the Crown of the Thorns was a fanciful combination of my own of Mont St. Michel and the Krak de Cheveliers. Below, the knights of Jerusalem and the Hospitallers and Templars ride out with banners unfurled like the very flower of chivalry. The city walls in the top left hand corner represents the Siege of Jerusalem. Next to that, in the top middle is an airy expanse of circling clouds. The hopeful message of the colorful clouds and the light streaming down is darkened by the ominous swirling of the circling vultures. Godfrey's eyes stare up at this mixed message in an expression of both fear and quiet anticipation. This montage, then, is essentially a juxtaposition of two forces poised in combat. One is physical, worldly, political, warring, and vice; and the other is spiritual, supernatural, virtuous, and idealistic. Or, as St. Maximilian Kolbe once wrote: “The real conflict is inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the catacombs of concentration camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are victories on the battle-field if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”

That's my own interpretation of this montage.

And many thanks to my good friend ~Aodhagain, who consistently gave me much needed encouragement throughout this whole, long process, especially when I was sick and tired of this picture and just felt like giving up. And thank you especially for your patience with me when I was an absolute wreck about this. Thanks for all the advice you gave me (even though I didn't take it---you were very right about the purple though!) and again, all the encouragement. Again, many thanks!



"...Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all."

~ "The Wondrous Cross" - Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin ([link])



"...'Do you bind roses in your hair?'
They cried, in scorn, to Jesus there.
The boy said humbly: 'Take, I pray,
All but the naked thorns away,'

Then of the thorns he made a crown,
And with rough fingers pressed it down,
Till on his forehead fair and young,
Red drops of blood like roses sprung."

~"Crown of Thorns" by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky



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