For our four weeks project, right before Christmas, I decided to expand on one of the workshops we did previously. Naturally, I chose Illustration and decided to make another book. The focus for me this time was on mythology and specifically a myth near and dear to my heart, the myth of Medusa.
But, I decided to put my own spin on it, by looking at Medusa's side of the tale, and make it a little more child friendly.
To me, and in the version of the myth I grew up reading, Medusa was always the victim. After being assaulted by Poseidon she was the one punished and made into a monster!? Doesn't seem fair to me. So, my version focuses on her story, her life with her sisters, a child friendly version of Poseidon attacking her (aggressive flirting instead of actual assault), and her downfall from then on.
To start with, I thought I'd get the characters out of the way! So, without further ado, here are my designs for the characters!
Medusa
Naturally I decided to start with our main star! I decided to be different and give our hero turned villain long hair, as opposed to the short hair people seem to give her often. Her dress was based on Ancient Grecian clothing, naturally, and is slightly different to her sisters, more suited for her height and build. I also began a study on drawing snakes as, up until now, I had no idea how to draw snake heads and, considering Medusa's myth, I was definitely going to need to draw snake heads.
I'd hoped to make her look innocent and completely unlike the monster she's better known as.
Stheno and Euryale
Medusa's (sorta lesser known) sisters! I gave them hairstyles similar to both each other and their younger sister, Medusa. I also decided to take some liberties with their characters, as not much is really known about their personalities, and make them a little mischievous, but ultimately care about their younger sister's well being. I thought that those traits embodied what an older sister was like and thought them suiting for Medusa's older sisters. There wasn't much else to do beyond deciding upon their outfits, two very basic Greek dresses.
Poseidon - God of the Seas
Time for our main villain. I wanted Poseidon to look powerful but also creepy. As he's one of the three biggest God's upon Mt Olympus, alongside his brother's Hades and Zeus, I felt like he needed something more than a basic outfit and, given his proud nature I also felt like he would be one to show off, hence why I decided to add the cape. His hair I wanted to seem like the ocean's waves so I gave him slightly curly hair. Overall, I felt like his design was very "Poseidon" and that he, thankfully, didn't come across as one of the other Gods instead.
Perseus
Now for our "hero" Perseus. Blessed by the Goddess Athena he took off to slay the beast Medusa. Even in his myth he was described as cocky and arrogant so naturally I tried to make him seem cocky and arrogant. His outfit was the same standard warrior outfit I gave each of my warriors in this, with belts to carry his weapon, Harpe, and the satchel Medusa's severed head was placed in, Kibisis. I gave him hair similar to Poseidon to hopefully portray the idea that Perseus is most definitely not the hero in this tale.
Athena - Goddess of Wisdom and War
Athena's design was quite plain as she was a very simple Goddess. I gave her an elegant dress yet not too elaborate and did a similar hairstyle. Not too elaborate but still with a sense of elegance. I wanted her to come across as stern as well as, considering she punished Medusa for "allowing herself to get caught by Poseidon" and for "dirtying her temple's grounds" I'd imagine Athena was indeed a very stern and strict Goddess.
Generic Warriors
Finally we have the generic warriors and their generic weapons! These guys were standard warriors that both attempted to attack Medusa when she was first cursed and also helped to spread the tale of Medusa as some powerful beast. They weren't very important characters but I thought my life would be much easier if I designed them beforehand instead of trying to think up hairstyles while trying to create my book at the same time.
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