I’ve created five new illustrations for my Bible journaling, based on a theme of ‘promise and covenant’. I had to look up the difference, as on the surface, they seem to be the same concept. A promise can be defined as a declaration of intent, whereas a covenant is a formal relationship agreement with obligations, expectations and enduring commitment. The Bible is woven with promises and covenants, holding God’s plan together – these verses are the ones I chose from the multitude that are available:
Illustrating promise and covenant
Many of this month’s verses were quite wordy, so, for some, I chose just a few words that I felt conveyed enough of the meaning to be relevant. I used AI models again – I brainstormed with Claude, then got Claude to prompt ChatGPT for the drawing, and then I had editing input to the final image. In every case, my inspiration started the process, honed it and finalised it. Cheating? I don’t believe so – it’s using AI as a sounding board since there’s no one else in the studio to do that with. I would also have got there with the drawings too, but ChatGPT is quicker! The typography is down to me, though – AI is getting better handling type, but it’s not there yet.
The imagery
A rainbow from ‘heaven’ to earth seemed much more appropriate for the illustration rather than the normal bow shape. The earth-jewel idea developed from trying to incorporate the ‘treasured possession’ element of the verse. I wanted to veer away from the ‘favoured nation’ sentiment, given the current world’s political situation. An ongoing promise of a new heaven and a new earth, building on the foundations of creation, inspired the illustration for Numbers 23:19. This, in turn, helped inspire the peeling back of the stormy bleak ‘old’ for the sunlit ‘new’ – the arrow signifying our steady movement toward that moment. And lastly, let the illustration do the work – this hope is the anchor for the soul.
The materials
As normal, I am working in my NIV Bible Art Journaling edition using mainly Faber-Castell Polychromos colouring pencils. Colour palettes were inspired by Sarah Renae Clark’s Color Cubes. Sakura Micron black pigment pens form the outlines.
