The Black Mill

The Black Mill

The mill is the main set of the the popular German novel „Krabat“ by Otfried Preußler. There’s hardly anyone of my generation in Germany who didn’t read it. It’s a rather dark and gloomy story about a beggar boy who becomes an apprentice to the demonic miller. The ravens in the picture are the twelve apprentices of the miller who teaches them black magic. It's mainly considered a children's book, but I think it's more for those from their early teens onward. You may well read and like it as an adult, too.

I had the idea for this picture for some time and it came out quite the way I imagined it. I used some photo reference for the ravens, but the rest is entirely my doing.

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 Die Mühle im Koselbruch aus Otfried Preußlers wunderbarem “Krabat”. Ich denke mal, dem deutschen Publikum muss ich kaum erklären, worum es in dem Buch geht

Die Idee zu diesem Bild trug ich schon seit Längerem mit mir herum und ich bin mit dem Ergebnis auch sehr zufrieden.

Für die Raben habe ich Referenzbilder benutzt, aber sonst ist alles auf meinem Mist gewachsen.

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 Schmincke watercolours, white gouache and white acrylics on Hahnemühle mould made paper.

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