Glorious Goddesses of Ancient Ireland celebrates the stories of nine Irish Goddesses. Beautifully written by Karen Ward, in an accessible style with fascinating facts and amusing tales. Aimed at readers young and old, published by Beehive Books and available to buy here.
The goddesses are depicted in the book as a diverse range of ages, shapes and sizes, each with incredible stories: Áine, Aisling, Boann, Brigid, Danu, Ériu, Gráinne, the Cailleach and the Morrigan. Each of the Goddess stories, with the exception of Brigid, was not based on any ‘real’ person. These are mythical beings that carry enormous resonance in Irish culture, our place names and our heritage. It was an exciting challenge to bring these characters to life through illustration.
Glorious Goddesses of Ancient Ireland was featured on the popular Irish 'Late Late Toy Show' on TV and was shortlisted for an Institute of Designers Ireland(IDI) Award in the Illustration Category.
The goddesses are depicted in the book as a diverse range of ages, shapes and sizes, each with incredible stories: Áine, Aisling, Boann, Brigid, Danu, Ériu, Gráinne, the Cailleach and the Morrigan. Each of the Goddess stories, with the exception of Brigid, was not based on any ‘real’ person. These are mythical beings that carry enormous resonance in Irish culture, our place names and our heritage. It was an exciting challenge to bring these characters to life through illustration.
Glorious Goddesses of Ancient Ireland was featured on the popular Irish 'Late Late Toy Show' on TV and was shortlisted for an Institute of Designers Ireland(IDI) Award in the Illustration Category.
Goddess Brigid: The Celtic Goddess of Fire and Creativity
Danú: The Mother Goddess. In Celtic mythology, she is believed to be the mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann people.
The Cailleach: Goddess of Winter (Irish, Scottish and Manx); Gráinne: Celtic Goddess of Love and Youth
Process
The illustrations are a mix of hand drawn elements and digital work. Starting with thumbnail sketches of each illustration, then progressing to a more detailed sketch. I scanned these into photoshop and colour blocked the main areas. I created a series of inked textures and marks that I scanned in to add more interest to the illustration. I used a Wacom tablet to paint in details and refine the illustration before completion. Colour was hugely important in distinguishing each Goddess and also communicating each story. The same palette is used throughout the book for cohesion, with different hues more prominent depending on the theme.
Aisling: An ethereal Faerie Goddess of the Celtic otherworld. Known as 'Sky Woman' she magically appears to deliver an important message.
Boann: A River Godess associated with the river Boyne, in County Meath, Ireland.
The Morrigan: Goddess of Death and Prophecy
Inspiration
The stories of the Goddesses were rich with facts, place names and visual cues to draw from. These deities were first believed to have been worshiped in Ireland by people of the Bronze age period. This led me to visit the National Museum of Archeology in Ireland. There, I observed the decoration and mark making applied to jewellery, weapons and pottery of the era. I drew from these shapes for backgrounds and decoration in the book illustrations. For example, Morrigan illustration depicts battle axes, shields and Iron spearheads inspired by bronze age artifacts in the National Museum of Archeology.
Stories of the Goddesses were passed down in Irish oral tradition until tales were first recorded in manuscript form in the Medieval period. In Irish Medieval Art, as in High Crosses and Manuscripts, iconic shapes are used to enhance narrative and legibility. Compositions are also divided in such a way that multiple narratives are told at once. I decided to use this narrative device to intertwine stories and stylised iconic shapes within each portrait, from animals, battles, sea voyages and thrilling escapes. Where appropriate I used scale within the illustrations to give power and prominence to the Goddess characters.
Spot illustrations for the story of the Goddess Boann.
Signed copies of Glorious Goddesses of Ancient Ireland are available to buy now from my online shop.