Lord Speaker's Christmas Card Competition

Last week we were given an optional brief to create a christmas card design for the Lord Speaker.

We could use any medium so long as it was 2D and the entry needed to be sent by post to arrive before the 8th of October.

So, I started thinking about the symbolism within the Houses of Parliament and the House of Lords. Historically they have played an important role in the governance of England and as such are seen as quite important, regal characters. To find something to tie into a Christmas theme I started thinking about majestic animals native to England and how they could relate to the brief.

Stags have always been prominent in English society, wether through game hunting and national galleries of art and photography, usually as a symbol of national heritage and royalty. Red deer are the type native to England and are characterised by a red-brown coat, large, proud antlers and a piercingly pensive expression. One example of England's penchant for stags as a feature in art is the oil painting Monarch of the Glen, painted by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1851.

The Monarch of the Glen, Sir Edwin Landseer 1851

Therefore my main idea for this is to draw a portrait of a stag in my own style and to create a soft, powdery looking snow-storm background in watercolour paints and to add some graphical effects via Photoshop.