This is an original piece taken from a series of portraits inspired by my nieces and nephews. For this piece in particular, I challenged myself to draw the entire figure freehanded, in pen, with no pencil lines to guide my finished line work. What results is an authentic, almost stream-of-consciousness view of my own mental image of this particular saint. Emperor Charles the Great, more commonly known as "Charlemagne," was the first Holy Roman Emperor, crowned in the year 800. His reign is notable for his conquest and conversion of the greater part of continental Europe. Charlemagne also maintained a friendly and obedient relationship with Rome that would become the standard for medieval politics: in his time, Religion and the common good of his people were absolutely inseparable, and the common good required careful collaboration between secular and religious authority. Devotion to Charlemagne in the 21st century seems otherworldly, mainly given the last 500 years of church history. Before the Protestant schism, however, Charlemagne was heralded as a sort of apostle to northern Europe. He was beatified in the 12th century, and his relics remain in the cathedral of Achen to this day. Regardless of controversy, Charlemagne, in a way, is almost the Augustus of the Holy Roman Empire, and he started a legacy that would only officially end in 1917. This portrait is 9x12 inches on 80 lb. sketchbook paper. I exclusively used a Kaweco Sport with an extra fine nib, and the ink of choice was Herbin's "Perle Noir."
