Comments on: trying to find THE most brutal whale picture

Question: trying to find THE most brutal whale picture

domakesaypat — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:08:12 -0800

I've been trying to find a really brutal picture/print/woodcutting of an old-school whale/sea monster for awhile, as a potential tattoo. You know the kind, double blowholes that look more like horns, fangs, the kinds you see in the corners of old maps. Bibliodyssey has some ok ones, but I'm looking for the perfect one, because I know if I settle for another, I'll just find the perfect one the second I've permanently inked myself with a mediocre monster. Any ideas of where I could look?

By: naomi

naomi — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:32:20 -0800

In this situation you really can't go wrong with a kraken. Or, in the French mode, COLOSSAL OCTOPUS!

You may think you want explicit fangs and suckers and blowholes, but have you also considered whether you want to ever sleep soundly again?

By: thrako

thrako — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:37:44 -0800

I remember seeing some really good monsters in Mercator's original projection, the "Nova et Aucta Orbis Terrae Descriptio ad Usum Navigatium Emendate", but you can't quite see them in the picture. The map is in the Chicago Field Museum right now.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:44:49 -0800

There are lots of blogs that specialize in antique maps, as well as a lot of online antique map and cartography sites (many based from universities) - remembering that a lot (but not all) of these monsters ("cartographic motifs") will be on marine charts, not maps per se - that may help in searching. If you haven't browsed/googled those, then that's a good place to start, of course.

Munster's "Map of Sea Monsters"

sea monsters on postage stamps

metafilter posts tagged with cartography and with maps.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:48:55 -0800

Also: current AMNH exhibit. This book looks awesome: check out the bottom right fanged guy. This map also looks great.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:53:25 -0800

Higher resolution of that last map, of Iceland.

By: nekton

nekton — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:52:46 -0800

This one is pretty cool (two spouts, some claws and spikes, quite angry.)

This one is more like a "sea lion".

This one's in color!

This is just a head/mask, but it's pretty badass.

I like them all...what a good idea for a tattoo.

By: nnk

nnk — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:57:54 -0800

I may be way off base, but you might want to check out the engravings & drawings of Barry Moser or Leonard Baskin - particularly, Moser who did illustrations for both the Odyssey and Moby Dick -- Really beautiful stuff. I couldn't really find anything online for either book, but you might want to check them out in a book store.

By: brianogilvie

brianogilvie — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:13:46 -0800

I suggest taking a look at the sea monsters depicted on Olaus Magnus's 1539 Carta Marina (a map of Scandinavia and adjacent lands and seas). Wikimedia has a good high-resolution image.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:32:17 -0800

You might look at the Jabberwocky for inspiration.

By: peacay

peacay — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:48:11 -0800

Sea Monsters at Monster Brains. If it was me, I would drop a line to one of the cartography sales sites (eg. http://www.themaphouse.com/)

By: funkbrain

funkbrain — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:31:13 -0800

Bad Day on the High Sea

By: moonmilk

moonmilk — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:52 -0800

How do you feel about Tony Millionaire whales? Here and another and then there's this thing...

By: moonmilk

moonmilk — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:06:57 -0800

Sorry, it looks like my image links didn't work. Try this and this and then there's this thing. (and maybe these will inspire you.)

By: domakesaypat

domakesaypat — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:47:33 -0800

Bad Day on the High Sea was actually my desktop background for a couple years, nothing could be more epic. That would require a full back tattoo though, I'm looking for something a little more arm or chest appropriate. At the end of the day though, even if I don't find the whale monster of my dreams, this question was a victory if only because I, and hopefully many other people, got to see that mind-blowing image one more time. It might even have to become my desktop again.

By: kpmcguire

kpmcguire — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:50:31 -0800

This Mastodon album. Awesome band, by the way.

By: mikepop

mikepop — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 06:10:33 -0800

I have a couple in some books at home, I'll post them up here later.

By: humannaire

humannaire — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:35:44 -0800

Awesome band, by the way.

Heh...Mastadon. [Derail.]

By: mikepop

mikepop — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:18:13 -0800

Here's one - I think you could have the tattoo artist adapt it to be a bit more brutal but I like the basic design. If you want a better picture of it, let me know.