Jonas Steinberg
Noeck
Jonas Steinberg 🇩🇪
Creation Date: March 2024
The Noeck, also referred to as Nixie, Neck, Näck, Nickert, or River Man, guards the fords of rivers and lives in lakes, ponds, puddles, springs, wells, or water droplets. The name comes from Old High German "nihhus," "niccus," or "nichessa," meaning "water spirit."
The Nix, also referred to as Nixie, Neck, Näck, Nickert, or River Man, guards the fords of rivers and lives in lakes, ponds, puddles, springs, wells, or water droplets. The name comes from Old High German "nihhus," "niccus," or "nichessa," meaning "water spirit."
It is said that he seduces young girls with the sound of harps and lures them into his underwater realm. Older legends depict the Nix not as cruel or evil, but merely capricious and changeable, like the element of water. River men are said to be able to unleash storms but also to warn people of the danger of drowning. People can teach them the Elf King's song. In some regions, the waterman is said to lure people with gifts, then pull them into the water and hold their souls captive under pots. Often it is young girls whom he steals; for example, in the song "Als wir jüngst in Regensburg waren," a Nix is mentioned who pulls Miss Kunigund into the waters of the river.
Alleged remedies against the Nix are said to be steel or reciting a spell before bathing in a body of water:
"Neck, Neck, needle thief, you are in the water, I am on land. Neck, Neck, needle thief, I am in the water, you are on land."
On land, they are said to be recognizable mainly by the wet ends of their clothing, but also by their teeth, which are either green or look like fish teeth.
Why did you choose to sculpt this piece?
I created a few drawings of trolls for my bachelor thesis and chose to get back to this theme. I am also somehow attracted by aquatic themes, maybe this somehow relates to my name, which is also about being swallowed by a whale. But who knows.
How long have you been sculpting? What is your artistic background and style?
My journey in sculpting spans over a decade, marked by experimentation with various digital tools such as Google SketchUp, Cinema 4D, and Mudbox before settling on ZBrush as my primary medium. I abandoned it when I finally got to art school because no one I knew was really into sculpting or working digitally at all. At some point, I met Dirk, whom you might know from the recent interviews, and he got me back into sculpting. While I still wanted to do 2D, I was somehow drawn to doing more 3D work again, and at some point decided to switch entirely. So this is how I finally got here.
How long did it take to create the piece? What tools / software did you use for your creation? Any insight on your process?
This is my 3rd attempt at this topic. I abandoned the first few approaches because I was so amazed and a little intimidated by all the talented artists among this community. Especially the head has been reworked multiple times. While I cannot pinpoint the exact duration, the creation primarily relied on ZBrush for sculpting and Blender for rendering.
Is this piece for sale? How can a fan acquire it?
Yeah, it's up for grabs if anyone's interested. Just slide into my DMs on Instagram, and we can chat about it!
Are you looking for work? If so, in what role & location?
As for work, I'm holding down the fort as a lead artist at this little game studio. While I am not actively looking for jobs, I am open for work. Creature artistry is my jam, whether it's full-time or freelance. And hey, I'm cool with packing up and moving anywhere, as long as there's decent Wi-Fi!
Your website / showreel & social media
https://www.artstation.com/zim666
https://www.instagram.com/slimboy_hood/
