⚔️ Welcome to the Warriors' Council ⚔️
Greetings, valiant members of the Cygnus clan! You have arrived at the sanctuary of wisdom and valor, the Warriors' Council, where the flames of the forge and the legends of the past intertwine. Here, your questions find answers with the strength of an axe in battle.
Today, we embark on an epic journey into the realm of new art designs, crafted and envisioned by our very own Deneb. We’ll explore how he has transformed the works of famous painters into Viking-style creations that define Cygnus. From t-shirts to hoodies and other merchandise, discover how these iconic pieces have been reimagined as true artifacts of our saga.
Raise your horns, gather around the fire, and prepare to uncover the secrets behind each design. Skål to the guardians of the realm, and may the answers be as powerful as a Viking storm!
Let the Council begin!
Question 1: Your merchandise is unique in many ways. If someone checks out your online store, they’ll notice there isn’t a single shirt with the typical band design. By this, I mean that simple band logo, or at best, the album cover on the front, and maybe tour dates or a smaller logo on the back. However, your shirts clearly avoid this formula and go for something unusual, something never seen before. First of all, can you explain what we see on these shirts?
Deneb: Exactly! That’s what we wanted—to break away from the mold used by most bands. Putting the album cover as an awkward square on the chest or belly was something we definitely didn’t want on our shirts or hoodies. Usually, people only wear those shirts to concerts, then wash them, and they just sit in the closet until the band comes back to town. So we asked ourselves: what can we do to make our fans want to wear our clothing on any occasion, not just to a Cygnus concert? I designed these shirts with reinterpretations of various famous artworks, so they can be worn comfortably out to dinner, to the movies, to the mall, for a barbecue, a party—really any occasion (though maybe not for burials or funerals!).
Question 2: Where does the idea for offering these unique designs to your fans come from? What was the concept, the vision for creating the "Viking version" of these famous paintings?
Deneb: I’ve always been passionate about history—not just human history, but also the history of art. Famous painters have created works that captivate me and the public. This idea to make an artistic reinterpretation in the style of each painter, but with a Viking twist, comes from there. We use the coolest gods, mythical creatures everyone loves, and aim to evoke some of our songs. I know this collection includes well-known designs, some might call them “commercial” or “cliché.” Great works by Velázquez, Goya, Raphael, Beksinski, Picasso, Dalí, etc., are not included for now. But in a second collection, there will be more options. I chose these popular works because they are favorites of many people. If we hadn't included them, people would have said, “Why didn’t you use Van Gogh’s Starry Night? I love that one!” So, we started with the most famous ones to please the majority.
Question 3: Let’s talk a bit about the captions! Below each item in the store, there’s a humorous caption with the Viking-ized name of the original painter, as well as a short description in the same tone as the lyrics of your Viking songs. And let’s not forget the "Warning of the Year" below them! Where did this idea come from, especially for Viking-izing these painters' names?
Deneb: Hehehe... Within Cygnus, we’ve always enjoyed playing with words, mixing them, and having fun with them—both in Spanish and English. And what better way to use this enjoyment than by modifying the names of the paintings and painters, giving them a Viking flair? It’s another way to showcase our creativity, play around, and entertain our fans. So don’t be surprised if you find names like “Leonardo da Morte” and similar ones. As for the warning, it was fun to write. There are unscrupulous people who might download the images and print them on other merchandise. We wanted to avoid that—not so much for the money we might lose, but out of respect for those who did choose to buy their original Cygnus shirt from our store. It’s not fair for some to pay the full price while others steal the design to print on their own and, even worse, sell counterfeit copies.
Question 4: Generally, during the creative process of these designs, what was the most challenging part? Which part of the work demanded the most effort from you, and which process required the most of your energy?
Deneb: Being behind the digital art designer was one of the most challenging aspects. Telling them “I want this, I want that, I want it to look like this,” and relying on their time and willingness required a lot of patience. Sometimes ideas evolve, and you need to be open to changes or adjustments.
Question 5: Is there any design among these that is especially close to you? Which one is it and why?
Deneb: I think there are several, but “Sextuple” is particularly close to my heart. In that design, I become an opossum carrying its little ones. Each album is like a child to me, and having them close is a source of pride. Showing these “children” in a dreamlike/psychedelic representation is something I love—it’s like reinterpreting them to give them life in a different context.
Question 6: Which design required the most work (e.g., working on the details or the creative process to bring it to life)? Why was it so tough?
Deneb: Probably the most difficult were those related to Starry Night, Incorporating the “C” of Cygnus into Starry Night and achieving the desired colors was a constant struggle with the designer. With The Great Wave by Hokusai, there was a disconnection in terms of colors and concepts, which made it difficult to shape. We spent many hours chatting, exchanging ideas and samples to achieve what we were looking for.
Question 7: Among the originals, which painter(s) and painting(s) are your favorites?
Deneb: I have a particular fondness for Velázquez and Goya, though they’re not included in this collection yet. I also love the Impressionists like Claude Monet, Renoir, Manet, and of course, Van Gogh. I’m divided among several, but I can say that Picasso also fascinates me. I would love to create a representation of his Guernica as a battle scene. There’s so much Viking art we could extract from Picasso! Each painter with their original work is invaluable; I don’t think I can choose just one. They all have their moment and place in the history of art and humanity.
Question 8: If you had the chance to show one of these designs to the original painter, which one(s) would you choose?
Deneb: All of them! I’d love to have a time machine, travel with the paintings, and show them to the painters to see their reactions. I imagine the surprise or even laughter on their faces. For example, Hokusai’s reaction to seeing a Viking drakkar arriving on his shores, or Edvard Munch’s face when seeing “The Scream” turned into a battle scene. And not to mention Michelangelo! I’d love to see his reaction when he sees “The Creation of Adam” paganized, a deeply Christian painting, knowing he had many conflicts with the Church. It would be hilarious to see their reactions!
Amazing!!! Great questions, wonderful and deep answers! Thank you so much! ❤️⚔️