King David

King David—Psalmist, King, and Warrior

Illustrated with charcoal and graphite, this artwork shows King David with his hand on his heart, signifying his sincerity and faithfulness. His eyes are peering upwards towards the heavens, representing the hope he places in God, which is illuminated by the striking halo encircling him. As a warrior and king, David holds his battle sword in his right hand, striking a contrast with his ostentatious crown. The single light source comes from the bottom right-hand side, creating a solemn ambience.

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”

Psalms 39:4-5

The Illustration

My sketchbook was where I first conceived of a basic outline sketch for this artwork. I wanted this piece to highlight David’s warrior status, faithfulness, and uniqueness as God’s chosen king. I thought it would be a great idea to utilise a low light source to enhance David’s, prayful, upward stare towards the heavens. In addition, I wanted the hallow enclosing David to appear slightly skewed, consistent with David’s head position. The halow was also ehanced by adding flaring symbols which frame David striking appearance.

Laid out against a black charcoal background, this piece utilises soft, oil-based charcoal to obtain rich, deep blacks, which contrast the striking figure. A range of soft, medium, and hard charcoal was used for the shadows on the hands and face, while softening gradation was achieved with graphite ranging from 5H to HB. This piece took around 20 hours to complete.