The King of the shortest day
Getting folky with my final lino print of the year
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: taking up lino printing has been one of the absolute highlights of my year. I thought it might be a fun distraction — little did I know it would end up utterly consuming me.
I finished my final term of 2025 this week and, having wrapped up a little Christmas carving for my family, turned my attention to something just for me: my own take on the Holly King, the neopagan personification of winter itself.
There are many traditions surrounding the Holly King and his brother, the Oak King — twin monarchs locked in an eternal struggle for the turning year. At Midsummer, the Oak King stands at the height of his power. Yet even then, the Holly King waits in the lengthening shadows, ready to claim the throne of seasons at the Autumn equinox.
His reign reaches its peak at Midwinter, the shortest day of the year. From that darkness, the Oak King is reborn, prepared to seize the throne at the Spring equinox. And so the cycle begins anew.
It seemed appropriate to honour the King of the dark half of the year as we hurtle towards Midwinter. I started by sketching him out in a notebook before transferring to Procreate on the iPad, completing his majesty using the mirror tool.
And here’s the final fella in all his spiky glory.
I’m really pleased with how he turned out — one of my favourite prints of the year. Somewhere along the way, I started to wonder if this fella might not want to remain a one-off — that maybe, just maybe, the Holly King could be turned into a card.
What do you think?