Where the idea came from
This illustration began with a fascination for the Phoenicians, a seafaring civilization that once connected the ancient world. I’ve always been drawn to cultures that leave behind visual traces — symbols, forms, myths — more than monuments.
As I explored Phoenician motifs and history, I wanted to create a contemporary piece that felt anchored in their visual language, without trying to recreate it literally.
Who were the Phoenicians?
The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic people who lived in the eastern Mediterranean, in what is now Lebanon and parts of Syria and Israel. Active between 1500 BCE and 300 BCE, they were master shipbuilders, traders, and transmitters of culture.
Their influence spread across the Mediterranean through commerce and seafaring, and they’re credited with developing one of the earliest alphabets, which later influenced Greek and Latin scripts.
Artistically, they blended influences from neighboring cultures — Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek — into a unique visual identity. Their artwork often included stylized animals, divine figures, sea imagery, and ornamental patterns.
From research to concept
I began by collecting visual references:
- Phoenician amulets and reliefs
- Fragments of pottery, frescoes, and jewelry
- Depictions of ships, mythological creatures, and floral motifs
I wasn’t aiming to copy these directly, but rather to absorb the spirit of the style: bold symmetry, stylization, storytelling through iconography.
Sketch phase: Building the scene
Before adding any color, I mapped out the composition in sketch form. Here’s what The first step was sketching out the core elements. As you can see in the original drawing, the scene already contained all the symbolic components I wanted to include:
- The ship with its rowers, central to the Phoenicians’ identity
- A winged sphinx, stylized plant life, and oceanic swirls
- Human figures in dialogue, offering gestures, and animal motifs like the serpent and turtle
At this stage, I focused more on narrative flow and symbolic placement than on precision. The sketch acted like a rough map of meaning: a way to see how the elements could interact on the page and guide the viewer’s eye.
As I moved into the composition phase, I shifted several elements drastically — to improve clarity and rhythm. The turtle, for example, was repositioned to support the upper corner and provide visual balance. Decorative waves and patterns were redistributed to create breathing space, especially around the central axis.
This is where intuition comes in: knowing that even a symbolic illustration needs to be inviting to read, almost like a visual sentence. Each part must lead naturally into the next.
Color & final rendering
The palette was key: I chose earthy browns, deep greens, and warm golds to evoke natural pigments and sun-aged stone. These tones also reflect the Mediterranean landscape — land, sea, light.
I kept the rendering graphic and flat, to stay close to the ancient visual language, but added subtle textures and shading for a touch of depth.
Final thoughts
This illustration is not a historical document — it’s a visual interpretation, a way to reflect on a culture that shaped much more than we tend to acknowledge.
I see it as a bridge between ancient symbolic art and contemporary visual storytelling. It’s also a reminder that even lost or overlooked cultures still echo in our visual world today.
Title: Children of the Sea
Technique: Digital illustration
Tools: Illustrator
Available as: Art print, poster, and more