3 Ravens

My highschool english teacher, Ms. Vaught was (and still is) very hardcore about the Elizabeathen era and I really loved her classes a whole bunch for that. She's one of my most beloved mentors and I wouldn't be as far as I am as an artist and writer with out her knowledge and zest for her subject.

Ms. Vaught taught us about this midieval song that's always stayed with me, "Three Ravens," which is about three ravens discussing breakfast ideas and ultimately deciding not to feast on a fallen knight because his body is being watched over by his faithful hounds, hawks and lover with child who has taken the form of a doe.



The UForge's group show for March is the Illustration Show and the assignment was to draw with the inspiration of your favorite illustrator whomever that may be. I've been gobbling up Osamu Tezuka manga recently and other manga as well. One of my favorites things about the best of the best of manga are the highly detailed backgrounds. Otomo, Tatsumi and Tezuka draw highly detailed backgrounds and simple to complex figures. I used this as my inspiration and to push my artistic reaches as I'm very comfortable and prone to drawing just figures with simple backgrounds. While I think I still need to develop my sense of spacial relation of figure and location, I think this piece is a pretty good product of a lot of love for ye olde lyrics and illustrating an entire, detailed scene.

The UForge Illustration Show opens tonight at 7pm! And here are the lyrics of "Three Ravens":

THERE were three rauens sat on a tree,
Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe
There were three rauens sat on a tree,
With a downe
There were three rauens sat on a tree,
They were as blacke as they might be.
With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe.

The one of them said to his mate,
“Where shall we our breakefast take?”

“Downe in yonder greene field,
There lies a knight slain vnder his shield.

“His hounds they lie downe at his feete,
So well they can their master keepe.

“His haukes they flie so eagerly,
There’s no fowle dare him come nie.”

Downe there comes a fallow doe,
As great with yong as she might goe.

She lift vp his bloudy hed,
And kist his wounds that were so red.

She got him vp vpon her backe,
And carried him to earthen lake.

She buried him before the prime,
She was dead herselfe ere euen-song time.

God send euery gentleman,
Such haukes, such hounds, and such a leman.

from: http://www.bartleby.com/40/12.html