Phoenix

This week's topic of Illustration Friday is "phoenix".

In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the phoenix or phœnix is a mythical sacred firebird. The phoenix also became popular in early Christian art, literature and Christian symbolism, as a symbol of Christ, and further, represented the resurrection, immortality, and the life-after-death of Jesus Christ.

This image also captures the surreal feeling of New Year's Eve. This day of the year always feels different. You stay up until after midnight on purpose. This time, we had a thunderstorm as well as sunshine. They showed stuff like "Groundhog Day" and "Dinner for One" on TV. It's my first time in Australia or in the Southern Hemisphere for that matter. It was so quiet in Canberra, no crowds near City Hill where the fireworks were, unlike in Sydney. It's just this weird, dream-like atmosphere.

For this image, I sketched a few lines in pencil, then I just used my watercolor pencils and later brushed with some water. In my watercolor Moleskine.

I don't have a scanner here, so I have to take pictures with my digital camera. So that's why sometimes things aren't quite square even if the paper is.