Their Souls Rise Free

the thirty birds fly into the core of the Simorgh and become one with Him as the sun shines behind Him and the mountains
By Bruce Hallgren, Sammie Casas, and Rivkah Fuhrmann

The Simorgh occupies the focal point of the illustration as the thirty birds rise to become one with Him. In order to convey that they are unified with Him, their figures become less and less distinguishable as they join with His form. To represent that the birds are no longer individuals, but rather united souls, they gradually become closer and closer to pure white. The Simorgh perches upon a mountaintop in order to signify His place overlooking and encompassing the entire world. His wings and the expanses of His tails span past the edges of the image in order to further represent this far-reaching influence. He is backlit by the sun, referencing the light imagery throughout our lines. The artwork relies on warm, bright colors to accent the majesty of Simorgh.

The concept was realized with paper and pencil, the image was inked in SketchUp 3D, and color and effects were completed in Clip Studio Paint.

Background music: Original composition for Daf and Ney
by Danial Shariat

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