The Silmarillion Fini

This has taken me a while to post, I've been a bit ill recently but I'm better now hopefully and shall get back to posting more often.

These are my final illustrations of 'The Silmarillion' by JRR Tolkien.
This one is Telperion and Laurelin, the trees of Valinor. Born of the thought of Yavanna and the ancestors of the sun and the moon and the White Tree of Gondor.


This is the Vala Oromë and his horse Nahar. He was a hunter and with his hounds he hunts the fell beasts of Melkor's thought.



This is the elven city Tirion sat upon the green hill of Túna nestled between the Pelóri Mountains. Here the Noldor and the Vanyar lived in harmony.



These last two illustrations are the least successful, I was ill at the time but they were also my least developed ideas.
Fëanor rallying the Noldor to return to middle earth and recapture the silmarils stolen from them by Melkor.



And finally, Carcharoth the werewolf, fed on Melkor's hate, evil and power, after he has bitten off the hand of Beren which was holding a silmaril.



I really enjoyed this project, especially the painting part of it. I first read the Silmarillion when I was about fourteen maybe fifteen, I really enjoyed it as a challenge because it was so hard to read. I got a bit worried about half way through the project that by illustrating this book I would ruin it for myself but even though it didn't go well at the end I don't think I've ruined it. My favourite of the five is Tirion on Túna, I like the colours.

Stamp Art

I just found some lovely 1960's stamps on the theme of Grimm's Fairytale. I think they're absolutely beautiful and I wish I had the real thing rather than just the digital image.

Sleeping Beauty


Hansel and Gretal





Little Red Riding Hood





Snow White and the Seven Dwarves





The Seven Kids




They make me want to return to my childhood and read the fairytales all over again.

The Jungle Party

My housemate Claire turned 21 last week and so we threw a jungle themed party for her, it was my job was to paint the monkey for the 'Pin the tail on the Monkey'. Here he is:

The party may be over but he now lives in our living room.

Sol Linero

I was just looking at some different designers websites because I really want to re-design my own. I came across Sol Linero a while ago through a friend on facebook and specifically remembered how lovely her website was: http://www.sollinero.com/

Here is a peek at one of her animations which I really like and a couple of her illustrations.

Each Campaign from Sol Linero on Vimeo.

Purple Woods

Quite enjoyed making this...

Clyde Pearson and the Rulers of Britain

I love going to the second hand bookshop, the only problem is I come out quite a lot poorer. Well last time I went I bought a book from the children's section called: The Rulers of Britain. It's a subject I'm interested in anyway and if it had looked different there is a great possibility I wouldn't have bought it. But as it is I did buy it because it is beautifully illustrated by Clyde Pearson. Here are a few of the illustrations from the book, there are many more but these are some of my favourites. Above are some others books he's illustrated.

Carcharoth

In this scene the big bad wolf, Carcharoth, bites off the hand of Beren son of Barahir. Having just stolen a silmaril from the Iron crown of Morgoth, Beren and Luthien are fleeing from Angband but at the gate stands the mighty Carcharoth who had previously been put to sleep by Luthien but she is too weak to do it again after having put Morgoth to sleep. Carcharoth is baring down on them, he is the biggest, most evil and scariest werewolf of all middle earth, and in an attempt to stay him Beren holds the Silmaril above him but undaunted, Carcharoth bites off his hand. Not that, that does him much good since the Silmaril begins to burn his stomach.

Anyway this is one of my attempts at painting a scary wolf, I hope it achieves it's purpose.

Happity Birthday

It is my friend Claire's Birthday today. This is the card I made for her:

Claire also happens to be an awesome illustrator and designer.

Eric Fraser

Earlier I was looking at the Folio Society website and came across the edition of 'The Hobbit' that was illustrated by him. I quite like his style and so I've grabbed so pictures to share with you:




I'm not sure if all these are from 'The Hobbit', the bottom two definately are. I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have.

Silmarillion #1

And it has begun, 1 illustration down and 4 to go. I'm pretty happy with this one.

"Upon the crown of Túna the city of the Elves was built, the white walls and terraces of Tirion; and the highest of the towers of that city was the tower of Ingwë, Mindon Eldaliéva, whose silver lamp shone far out into the mists of sea. Few are the ships of mortal Men that have seen its slender beam."

Tolkien, JRR (1978). The Silmarillion. Book Club Associates by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin.

Trees and Trees and Trees

At least two of my illustrations for the Silmarillion is going to involve trees and so today and yesterday I have been drawing and painting trees. I began by drawing real trees:

Until it began to rain and then I began to paint.


And here is the Parsnip Forest


These top ones are preliminary sketches for the forest in which I intend to implant Oromë and Nahar hunting fell beasts.

The ones after this are the beginning of an idea for Telperion who produces the flower which the Valar make into the moon and also the ancestor of the White Tree of Gondor.






Illustrating this book makes me realise that I'm a tiny tad of a nerd about it.