gandalf – Graeme Skinner

Gandalf the Gnome

Graeme Skinner — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:23:20 +0000

A little woodturning project to distract me for an afternoon

The hat is turned from Yew, the body Beech, and the nose and tip of the hat Cherry.

Stone Giants

Graeme Skinner — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 14:06:29 +0000

Quick watercolour…

Dark journeys

Graeme Skinner — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 14:38:56 +0000

It’s strange how the mind works, I started sketching a sea arch, though I don’t know why anyway, the rocks kept growing and the sketch changed from a sea scene to Gandalf starting one of his dark journeys…

Knotted Gandalf

Graeme Skinner — Tue, 18 May 2021 10:46:01 +0000

Gandalf’s hat in a knot

Gandalf in a knot – Photoshop

Sheltering

Graeme Skinner — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 11:29:52 +0000

Carrying on from the Stormcrow post the other day I went with Gandalf sheltering from the storm, somewhere in Middle Earth (just a few miles down the road from Bree). I did borrow a reference image for the tree

I’m not all that happy with the right arm, hand, lower legs, head tilt, but I’m not changing it now

Edit – I decided to play with this in After Effects

After the party

Graeme Skinner — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 12:33:37 +0000

Quick sketch of a Gandalf mask for the theme of the month over on John Howe’s website.

It had to be done

Graeme Skinner — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 14:40:18 +0000

Tolkien and his works has been on my mind more than usual this week following the death of Christopher Tolkien, so I ended up scribbling Gandalf sketches, Gandalf hats, his staff…. you get the idea anyway, I decided I needed to practice sketching robes and folds in clothing a bit more so used the Hobbit movie poster as a reference for a Gandalf sketch. Now I need to start from scratch again and work on a larger Gandalf illustration, I just need to wake up and get some energy first.

Starting Again

Graeme Skinner — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 15:34:15 +0000

A while ago I started a painting which was supposed to be Gandalf leading Bilbo and the Dwarves through the mountains. The background went fine which is unusual for me, then the rock faces didn’t work out too badly. Then I added Gandalf and I didn’t like it, I added more rain, more clouds, tints, hints… nothing worked for me, so there’s only one things for it. I’ll have to go back to drawing board Next time I’ll go a bit darker, with a bit more cloud, for now I’ll leave this here to remind myself that sometimes whatever you do things don’t end up as you want them to

Caradhras

Graeme Skinner — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 11:12:14 +0000

Bit of a watercolour doodle to get me back in the ‘zone’ Gandalf wandering towards Caradhras with a bit of snow in the air (also in his hair).

Meanwhile in Moria….

Graeme Skinner — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 11:59:13 +0000

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 and I ended up painting areas far too light anyway… this is Gandalf as he sits through the ‘nights’ watch in the guard room during the Fellowships journey through Moria.

Acrylic on board 16 x 12 inch then some photoshop work to get the levels and tint I wanted but could not quite achieve with the brush.