Middle-earth Journeys

I must admit I'm pretty chuffed .

Riv, I love the richness of color in the new version of the window into Bag End. The multi-colored border really sets off the painting to fine effect. Brava!

For some reason Denethor has popped into my head. I've had no intention of drawing Denethor at all but my muse must be mucking me about.

He's a difficult one to capture. Pippin thought he 'looked indeed much more like a great wizard than Gandalf did, more kingly, beautiful, and powerful; and older.' Yikes!

I like him Iolanthe. He seems more aged and sinister than my imaginings, probably appropriately so.

© Rabbit Ridge Art

Lovely, Riv . There's a real homely glow to it now - you really want to go inside. This is another one that's benefited a lot from the new style! The grey background brings out the colour of the leaves beautifully.

I'm learning.

Something a bit different - this is more realistic than some of the earlier ones. I haven't abandoned that style, I'm just flexing my illustration muscles! I've wanted to paint Old Man Willow singing of water and sleep for ages but couldn't quite visualise it. I've finally got there:



There's a lot more colour in the original but every time I try to boost the scan digitally the balance goes all wrong. It's not quite so pale....

It is wonderful Iolanthe...simply gorgeous. I am

I'm so glad you like it - it's a difficult one to capture. I might rescan it and upload it again tomorrow when I have a bit more time as I'm a bit unhappy with how pale it looks. It is quite subtle but there's subtle and washed out .

I know what you mean. I have an awful time adjusting the color to post here, and have a tendency to over-color.

I've rescanned it and replaced it in the DB - it looks a lot better and closer to the original . The grass is greener, the trees in the left background are more visible through the mist and you can see the yellow of sunlight through the leaves reflected in the water. I'm much happier!

I think this is another one for Oxonmoot.

Iolanthe wrote:I think this is another one for Oxonmoot.

Yes indeed!

Oh Iolanthe, I LOVE your Old Man Willow! He looks like he's just getting ready to flip Frodo into the water. It's always so creepy when Mother Nature turns on you . . . (shiver).

I also love your depiction of Denethor. He's such a severe and tragic figure, and it can be very hard to summon up sympathy for him, given his terrible treatment of Faramir. I like the way you have made him seem . . . dessicated . . . as though his battles with Sauron in the palantir have sucked him dry, so that all that is left is overweening pride, an iron will, and a more than half-mad obsession that alternates between duty and death. It's a chilling portrait. Well done!

Riv, your new version of the fireside just glows with warmth and welcome. I can almost feel the snuggly slippers on my feet and the mug of hot chocolate in my cold hands! Lovely!

Iolanthe, I really like your Old Man Willow - I love the way you can see his face in the trunk (that happens so often with trees, don't you find?). I think your 'realistic illustrations' are in a league of their own! and I'm looking forward to seeing the impact they have at Oxonmoot.

I like your hobbits, too. The huge risk with realistic depictions is that someone will look at them and think "but that's not how I see them at all" . . . but when the observer's vision coincides with that of the artist, it's wonderful.

Regarding colour reproduction, I'm afraid I simply scan (or photograph) and post. Most of mine look much brighter in the original!! serves me right for being lazy