I've wanted to draw my version of the wheel of life for a long time , but always found the idea of it pretty daunting …
To be fair I was right .. This is definitely the most intense detailed graphic I have ever drawn …. Definitely done a fair bit of soul searching in the process haha ..
A brief breakdown starting from the inside ..
The wild boar, pigeon and snake in the hub of the wheel represent the three poisons of ignorance, attachment and aversion.
These ones are based on Mythical Beasts from Egyptian , Chinese and Greek Mythology ..
I also used phrases from each region I felt fitted well , also researched the translation for each country .. It's been a good learning curve working alongside a Doctor of Egyptology on the Ammit and Greek and Chinese friends on the other 2 . So the hieroglyphs are on point !!
Hard to tell in the pic below but the middle one is gold print (Gold and blue being Royal colours in Egypt)
Here's a breakdown on each ...
Egyptian .. The Ammit..
Description :
Demoness and goddess in ancient Egyptian religion with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known to ancient Egyptians.
The writing reads ..
Do not be proud just because of your knowledge; instead, consult with the one who hasn’t learnt as well as the one who has.
The limits of art cannot be attained; there is no artist whose skill is fully formed.
Ptahhotep
Greek .. The Griffin ..
Description :
Mythological creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet.
The writing reads:
Every child is an artist ..The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up ..
Picasso
Chinese .. The Lóngguī
Description :
A legendary Chinese creature that combines two of the four celestial animals of Chinese mythology: the body of a turtle with a dragon is promoted as a positive ornament in Feng Shui, symbolising courage, determination, fertility, longevity, power, success, and support.
The writing reads :
The one whom says it cannot be done should not interrupt the one doing it ..
Confucius
Also it'd be wrong to bring wood out with out an edit …
Big Thank You to Tim , Andre and all the crew at Campus Skatepark in Bristol for hosting our late night lock-in . Definitely worth a trip to Bristol to check out the "Pool" made by Canvas .. Featuring Drawing Boards Team Ash Challis , Isaac Miller , Adam Keats , Phil Batchelor and Jak Tonge .. Filmed by AD McEvoy , Josh Wells and Myles Cantello .. Edited by Josh Wells , Directed by AD ... Superhero Music !!
Drawing Boards at the now defunctional Mwadlands Palace Skatepark. Here’s some of what happened at our last session there, wish we could have skated it more. Big shout to Mwadlands, the re-up of the legendary Radlands. Skaters Jak Tonge, Ash Challis and Isaac Miller. Filmed by AD and Myles Cantello.
Fairfield Halls was and will always be a massive part of Drawing Boards history .. So many friends and memories made at that place , not to mention the ridiculous amount and level of skateboarding that went down there over the years ... Here's some salvaged footage featuring our first ever team member Jeremy Wilson with appearances from Elliot , Jak , Teague , Ad , Dyl and Isaac . Thought we'd fling in 2 other now defunct spots .. Namely 50p Building and White rail ... Get Nostalgic .. Fairfield forever !!! Filmed by AD , Toe and Teague . There is a very limited amount of RIP Fairfield decks out there . (Released Friday).. If you want one you best be quick .....
Also (unrelated) the Ninja deck did so well we made it in a new colour way ..
