Memorial Day

A soldier pays his respects at the final resting place of a fallen comrade. If you live in the area around Washington, D.C.  there is not a more moving time than Memorial Day.  Take a few moments this weekend to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Eowyn and the Nazgul, Part 2. "Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if i may."

This is my finished entry for the latest art challenge on TheArtOrder.com. The subject is the classic confrontation between Eowyn and the Witch King from Tolkien's 'The Return of the King'. This was a really enjoyable challenge. Here is a brief description of the process for this one.
 It was very important to have some decent reference pictures to work from on this so my wife, the amazing Kari, helped me out. She was a trooper and donned her best Rohan garb as well as the fabled tin foil helmet( not taking any chances with any alien interference).  I wanted to paint the scene from an aerial perspective, looking down at Eowyn and the Nazgul from the vantage point of a winged creature. The photos were taken from the second floor of our house looking down into the garden as Kari tried a few poses. I also wandered back to a field behind our house to take some photos of some grassy areas. The scene takes place on the Pelennor Fields in the spring. There is a quote from the book tha tI decided to focus on.  Eowyn, still disguised as a male Rider of Rohan, exclaims "Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may." This takes place immediately after the Witch King tells her "Do not come between the Nazgul and his prey." and to me it best captures the courage and determination of Eowyn, despite the horrors she has endured to this point. Eowyn has not yet revealed herself as a woman at this time and still wears the helmet and shield of the Rohirim.
After gathering my references I did a digital sketch. After the scene was laid out it was transfered to a 30" x 40" canvas. Starting with a warm, reddish underpainting the basic light and dark areas are blocked in  and layers of color and detail are added in oils over a couple of weeks. The reference shot used for Eowyn was the second from below. One of the things I realized after taking my photos is that Eowyn would definitely be carrying a shield during the moment being depicted so I had to move away from the reference at that point. Overall I am pleased with how things turned out and learned quite a bit along the way.

 You can see the entire lineup for this challenge at the link below.  You will be amazed at the hundreds of awesome interpretations of this iconic scene.

http://theartorder.com/2011/05/16/eowyn-and-the-nazgul-challenge-line-up/

Eowyn and the Nazgul, Part1

Here is a piece I have been working on for another art challenge. This version is very much a work in progress and likely will not be submitted, depending on how much more I am able to do before tomorrow's deadline. The subject of the challenge is the classic confrontation between Eowyn and the Nazgul from Tolkien's 'The Return of the King'.  This a digital piece and I'm trying to keep it loose. Next week look for the oil painting that was submitted along with a few process shots. They are very differant in the approach and execution and it's been fun working on a couple of different versions of the same subject. This challenge is going to have some amazing entries, judging from some of the works in progress people have been posting. Stay tuned!

How to take down a Snow Giant

Here are a few tips on how to take down a Snow Giant.
1. Gather every able bodied member of your town or village.
2. Bring LOTs of rope.
3. Find a nice snowy place to bring it down so when you get tossed about like a rag doll you will at least have some fluffy snow to help break your fall.
4. Try to blind the giant, or better yet, find one that is already old and blind.
5, If you want to participate in a second giant hunt, find a nice place among the reserves. Your chances of survival will improve, slightly.
Good Luck!

Spring greens

Having some fun with all of the green spring growth at this time of year. My vines are crawling with all kinds of life.