The Henry V poster for the Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins Street, Orlando, FL 32803) was a rare case where one of my first concepts made it to the final draft. The crossed swords forming a V was my first impulse when designing the art. I did another poser design focusing more on the crown with wooden pikes forming a V pattern.
I decided to try adding some handwriting that was an account of the battle in the light area of the poster. I couldn’t read the handwriting so I assumed it would work as an abstract pattern. Should a scholar actually know how to read it at least it would be an accurate historical record of the battle.
The next design I did was right on point. The only thing I had to do was move the king much closer to the audience. Thankfully I had painted the king separately so he could easily be scaled. These tweaks and adjustments are part of the fun of watching the concept evolve.
Henry V by William Shakespeare ran from January 18 – February 5, 2023. I did get to sketch a performance. The show was riveting, but it is hard to portray just how horrifically devastating the battle was. The king was a brute on the battlefield and knew how to inspire his troops. When it came to winning the heart of a woman however he could not use the same battle tactics.