Leviathan

'Now, after king Leviathan had designated princes in the water, they asked: "Why is it that you do not circulate about, or raid?" And he replied: "Because enemies do not come near us and we need nothing, enjoying what we already have. Furthermore, I do not travel around with you so that it would not be difficult for you." What he said appeared pleasing to them.'

One of the inner digital illustrations in the upcoming collection "Fables of the XII Century" by Ruben Markaryan: a reimagined translation of medieval fables by Armenian philosopher Mkhitar Gosh, put into monorhythmic poetic form.

The following illustration represents the concept of the biblical Leviathan - a massive sea serpent, king of the seas, an imposing silhouette against the dark sky and rolling waves. Though the fable speaks of Leviathan and its sea princes conversing as people do, assigning a human level of sentience to mythological monsters, they are monsters still. Thus, rather than try to illustrate the complex meaning of their conversation, I illustrated the Leviathan itself - the sea serpent king, wanting for nothing and fearing no one. At peace, yet always ready.

The illustration was completed in the Procreate app for iPad Air, using a free set of charcoal-imitating brushes by COFE.