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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Feb 28 2007, 5:37am
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"He sank on one knee and presented the arrow to Theoden. 'Hail, Lord of the Rohirrim, friend of Gondor!' he said. 'Hirgon I am, errand-rider of Denethor, who bring you this token of war. Gondor is in great need. Often the Rohirrim have aided us, but now the Lord Denethor asks for all your strength and all your speed, lest Gondor fall at last.'
'The Red Arrow!' said Theoden, holding it, as one who receives a summons long expected and yet dreadful when it comes. His hand trembled. 'The Red Arrow has not been seen in the Mark in all my years! Has it indeed come to that?'"
The Return of the King
****
This was painted in 1992 in monochromatic watercolor and appeared in the journal Mythlore.
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Idril Celebrindal
Dor-Lomin
Mar 1 2007, 6:41pm
Post #2 of 10
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Thanks for sharing your artwork with us!
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I'm enjoying it all very much!
It's interesting how you made the red arrow and the message bearer the focus of the other figure's gazes. I especially like the figure standing in the doorway, and how he draws attention to the drama within the tent.
With caffeine, all things are possible.
The pity of Bilbo will screw up the fate of many.
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linkin-artelf
Menegroth
Mar 1 2007, 9:55pm
Post #3 of 10
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reminds me of anunciation paintings
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with the angel Gabriel kneeling before a seated Mary. Different announcements of course and more people present but eerily reminiscent of those works. I'm curious, did you choose the messenger to be dressed in dark clothes because of his dark tidings or did it simply work better compositionally?
"I walk along the shore and I gaze
At the light that radiates down
Will it travel forth to you
Far across this shimmering sea?"
formerly linkinparkelf
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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Mar 2 2007, 5:47am
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>>I'm curious, did you choose the messenger to be dressed in dark clothes because of his dark tidings or did it simply work better compositionally?
No, I was just going for some contrast with Hirgon's garb compared to the Rohirrim. And I had this wonderful paint.... When I paint in monochromatic watercolor, I don't use black. I use a color called Payne's Gray, which is a very dark bluish-gray. It gives the finished piece more depth than pure black would, in my opinion.
Since I created the scan from a copy of Mythlore, and not from the original painting, you can't see the blue in it. But take my word for it--it is a lovely color, and it reproduces excellently in print.
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linkin-artelf
Menegroth
Mar 2 2007, 6:35am
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but I've been scared away from using it since reading in a book how it was overused and easily recognizable by fellow artists. 
It's certainly richer than black, which I never use unless it's sumi ink. My watercolour blacks were always made with a combination of Alizarin crimson and Windsor green, sometimes with one other color added to grey or warm it.
"I walk along the shore and I gaze
At the light that radiates down
Will it travel forth to you
Far across this shimmering sea?"
formerly linkinparkelf
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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Mar 2 2007, 12:43pm
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>>but I've been scared away from using it since reading in a book how it was overused and easily recognizable by fellow artists.
Oh, I wouldn't let that stop you, if you want to use it! It certainly isn't going to stop me. Who cares if it is overused (I frankly haven't seen evidence of that, but anway...)? What if your favorite color were Cerulean blue? Would you stop using it because others were using it? I should hope not! Nor should you. Use what you like, any time you like.
>>My watercolour blacks were always made with a combination of Alizarin crimson and Windsor green, sometimes with one other color added to grey or warm it.
You are much more adventurous than I! When I need to use black, I'll just reach for the tube (I have different blacks, though, like lamp black and ivory black.)
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Beren IV
Mithlond
Mar 3 2007, 2:44am
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I generally think that this is a nice piece of artwork. The sense of surprise and shock on the character's faces are good. The rider's resigned expression is also telling. Good work! 
Technical comments that might make it better:
-All of the Rohirrim seem to have exaggerated hair, almost in an afro. It makes them look swelled-headed.
-Would everybody be armored at this time? They are sitting in court, so I would assume not.
-Is the beardless character sitting in the back behind Theoden supposed to be Eowyn? Her garmet folds around her neck like a sweater, but it has exactly the same pattern as the chainmail on the other characters. Real chainmail would not fold like that; it's too heavy, but if it's a sweater, it is confusing.
-The coloration of the arrow itself is not evident from the drawing. The white shading of the shaft implies that the redness applies to the fletching, or perhaps the point, but neither would be particularly unique for an arrow, so I assume that it is the shaft that is painted. If the shaft were drawn in gray instead of white, it might make the arrow look better.
Anyhow, nice pic. I hope to see more!
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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Mar 3 2007, 5:54pm
Post #8 of 10
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Thank you very much for your comments!
>>-All of the Rohirrim seem to have exaggerated hair, almost in an afro. It makes them look swelled-headed.
You may be used to seeing interpretations by artists like Alan Lee. I personally cannot stand Alan Lee's paintings, with stringy-haired characters who look like they haven't washed their hair for over a month. Yuck! I don't do lank and greasy hair! The only time I've done limp hair was on Gollum, because he is described as having a little lank hair. I imagine I'd do it for Grima Wormtongue, too. But no lank hair for heroes. Not from me, anyway.
(As you can see, I'm not shy about my opinions re: Tolkien illustration!)
I like full hair on my interpretations of M-e characters, and, in the case of hobbits, thick curls as described by Tolkien.
Aragorn (although not in this painting) is described this way when Frodo first meets him: "...he threw back his hood, showing a shaggy head of dark hair flecked with grey." Later, as the Ring companions paddle the Elven boats near the Argonath, Frodo looks up to see Aragorn: "...his hood was cast back, and his dark hair was blowing in the wind."
So what I take from "shaggy" is relatively thick hair, and from "blowing in the wind" an indication that his hair was at least moderately long (which is how I usually portray him.)
The Rohirrim, when Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli see them approaching on horseback across the plain, are described as "tall and long-limbed; their hair flaxen-pale, flowed under their light helms, and streamed in long braids behind them; their faces were stern and keen."
That's why I show the Rohirrim with braids and blonde hair.
And how about this description of Theoden when Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas first see him in the Golden Hall:
"Upon (the gilded chair) sat a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf; but his white hair was long and thick and fell in great braids from beneath a thin golden circlet set upon his brow. ... His beard was laid like snow upon his knees..."
One of my character beefs with the movies? Theoden was blonde, and wore a goatee. Although I didn't like it, I'm sure his look was changed to better differentiate him from Gandalf and Saruman, who both clearly had beards that were too short, when compared to Tolkien's description. I understand, particularly in movie-Gandalf's case, this was because the long beard kept getting in his way! They had to make it shorter.
My problem with the movies' depictions of the Rohirrim is that they were so--how shall I say this?--filthy. Most of the characters in the movies were just too darn dirty for my tastes--as if they didn't know how to stick their heads in a stream once in a while and wash their hair and faces. Probably influenced in looks by Alan Lee's production art, since he worked on the films.
I'm sure I'll take some slings and arrows for the above-comment, but I don't mind, because that's how I feel about it.
>>-Would everybody be armored at this time? They are sitting in court, so I would assume not.
They are not at court. They are in Dunharrow in a pavilion eating dinner. Perhaps they may have removed their mail. I chose to show them still ready for action at a moment's notice.
>>-Is the beardless character sitting in the back behind Theoden supposed to be Eowyn? Her garmet folds around her neck like a sweater, but it has exactly the same pattern as the chainmail on the other characters. Real chainmail would not fold like that; it's too heavy, but if it's a sweater, it is confusing.
1.) Yes, that's Eowyn. She was present in the scene. As for the "folds," I remember I was using photo references for chain mail that had been depicted in some sort of TV movie (probably from the TV Ivanhoe from the early 1980s). Chain mail for TV and film is often made of knitted wool that is sprayed with metallic paint to make it look like mail. This is a lot easier on the actors, as it weighs almost nothing. But, it does, in fact, fold and drape like wool! It actually looks fantastic on screen, but clearly doesn't do what real mail would do.
>>-The coloration of the arrow itself is not evident from the drawing. The white shading of the shaft implies that the redness applies to the fletching, or perhaps the point, but neither would be particularly unique for an arrow, so I assume that it is the shaft that is painted. If the shaft were drawn in gray instead of white, it might make the arrow look better.
Here's the quote from Tolkien: "In his hand he bore a single arrow, black-feathered and barbed with steel, but the point was painted red."
The shaft is not red in Tolkien's description, only the point. And I did, in fact, shade the shaft to give it dimension. It's hard to tell here, though, because while I have a good scanner, I don't have a great one!
This painting (it's not a drawing) was done in monochromatic watercolor, since it was set to be reproduced in black and white in the journal Mythlore.
I did not paint illustrations in color when I knew I'd only have a black and white printing as the end result, and mostly for one reason: Orthochromatic (“color-blind”) films used for camera-ready art reproduce reds as blacks in b & w reproduction--quite a problem when Caucasian skin, which often has pinks and reds in it, is being reproduced in black and white. The skin comes off looking horrendously mottled and blotchy--very unappealing!
>>Anyhow, nice pic. I hope to see more!
Thank you!
(This post was edited by WonderBroad on Mar 3 2007, 7:15pm)
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WonderBroad
Menegroth
Mar 3 2007, 7:12pm
Post #9 of 10
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Linkin-artelf, I must emend my comments
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>>I'm curious, did you choose the messenger to be dressed in dark clothes because of his dark tidings or did it simply work better compositionally?
>>No, I was just going for some contrast with Hirgon's garb compared to the Rohirrim.
Actually, Linkin-artelf, there was another reason for painting Hirgon's clothing darker. But until I looked up the reference again in the book, I had forgotten. Here's how he is described.
"He was clad as a rider with a cloak of dark green over a coat of fine mail; on the front of his helm was wrought a small silver star."
So there's the reason for the dark cloak--it's in the book, and so I would have read the scene and taken notes on it, before I painted it.
Hirgon is also described as looking "as like to Boromir as if he were one of his kin, tall and grey-eyed and proud." So I based him somewhat on an earlier pen and ink drawing I did of Boromir.
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Beren IV
Mithlond
Mar 3 2007, 7:13pm
Post #10 of 10
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Hair - the problem is that the hairstyle you use gives the impression that most of the characters have hair 2-3 inches long, with some hair coming off of the sides (Theoden's braids) or backs of their heads being much longer. Generally, I envision most of the males as having all of their hair shoulder-length, and females with longer. I agree that the limp, straight hair does not work for everybody, but my principal complaint with the hair is that it looks like it has a complicated style with some of it cut short. Thingol's hair in your stipple-drawing is much closer to what I am thinking of.
They are not at court. They are in Dunharrow in a pavilion eating dinner. Perhaps they may have removed their mail. I chose to show them still ready for action at a moment's notice.
Armor is an extremely uncomfortable thing to wear while seated and eating, and chainmail in particular can be taken on and off very quickly and easily. It's not necessarily wrong, but it's a little strange.
Yes, that's Eowyn. She was present in the scene. As for the "folds," I remember I was using photo references for chain mail that had been depicted in some sort of TV movie (probably from the TV Ivanhoe from the early 1980s). Chain mail for TV and film is often made of knitted wool that is sprayed with metallic paint to make it look like mail.
My question if that was Eowyn is just so that I don't get he/she pronouns screwed up!
Yes, this explains a lot. Having worn chainmail, I can tell you that it drapes over more or less like a shirt, particularly a wet shirt, although it's not as flexible as cotton.
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