Many moons ago I started work on an illustration, it was a simple idea, however the execution of the piece took a little longer than anticipated 😉 The theme I was working towards was Statuesque over on John Howe’s website – so I decided to illustrate the statue placed high above Rivendell to the memory of Celebrían, though the scene shown is many years after the last of the Elves had left for the West so the statue was in a poor state of repair….
Read MoreTag: illustration
Meanwhile in Moria….
The theme of the month over on John Howe’s website was Fiat Lux “Light should be the focus of the theme, whether it’s shadows, flames, rising or setting suns or distant stars. Lots of possibilities, from Prometheus bringing fire to mankind to the lovely shadow cast by an object from the lamp on your table…” So, I wondered how little light was required to illustrate a scene – more specifically if I could get away with using as little light as possible. Turns out it is quite difficult at times…
Read MoreBooks, they open unexpected doors…
The theme of the month for July over on John Howe’s website is ‘Books‘, which started me thinking about books and what they mean to different people. To me they often open doors to unexpected places, or sometimes to expected places but where you often discover something new 😉 So this is a composite in photoshop of a book opening a doorway into the Shire, with a willing Hobbit ready for a wander 🙂
Read MoreThe Elydoric Graminoid Adroitness Contrivance
Everyone wonders how some artists and illustrators paint grass so well. Okay, not everyone, a few folk do anyway. There’s even guides on how to paint grass (link) for those of us who can’t figure it out (or even do it with a guide). But the truth which all these artist and illustrators who can realistically paint grass don’t tell you is they use a machine. The Elydoric Graminoid Adroitness Contrivance was invented in 1983 by John Howe and he’s kept it hidden for years locked away in his attic…
Read MoreOld Man Willow
I sat down to do a serious, detailed study of Old Man Willow (as seen in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (just in case anyone was wondering)). So I’m unsure how I ended up doing this 😉 Tired of rescuing pesky Hobbits from the clutches of Old Man Willow, Tom Bombadil decided to put up a sign warning those approaching of the dangers. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll hack the darned thing down.” He muttered to himself walking away from the newly erected sign.
Read More