In July of 2018, I had an urge to start a new illustration project. This project was to create a t-shirt print, inspired by the look of old book plates, especially those illustrating battles with dragons and sea-serpents. Another condition of the design is that it had to be relevant to the culture of New Zealand.
For the Taniwha, I took design cues from the Taniwha found in carvings in Marae and Necklaces. Some aspects of it's design were inspired by the Manaaki Tuna (long fin eel). The koru patterning on the Taniwha went through many iterations with the final having characteristics of both Moko (tattoo) and Whakairo (carving).
To make the shirt interesting from all angles I utilised some small prints I drew of the Chevron Skink (Niho Taniwha) and Tuatara. These were placed on either sleeve and on the back near the collar.
The following shows some of the working of the illustration and design!
