Longtime visitors to my site might recall I have a tradition around this time of year of doing something Santa Claus-related. For awhile, I wasn’t quite sure whether I was going to be able to make it this year, but here we are! It’s a Christmas miracle! (Okay; not really)
This is an unusual one. I was working on a Christmas-related project these last weeks that really kicked my butt chasing the deadline. It required a lot of research, and I had to work kind of at or beyond the extent of my abilities. Sort of outside my comfort zone, as I’m really more of a cartoon/comic guy. But as is sometimes the case with really challenging projects, this ended up also very rewarding.
This image was one of the illustrations generated for the project: the real St. Nicholas, 4th century bishop of Myra (in modern day Turkey). Also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker, he was the real life basis for Santa Claus. Based on what images I could find online (like old icon paintings), I thought an illustration with the two of them together would make for an interesting comparison.
So in a way, this year you get a “twofer” of Santas. I guess that’s all, except to wish all my visitors a very Merry Christmas, and all the best in the New Year!
