Lord of the Rings page

The paintings/drawings below were inspired by J.R.R.Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings
All characters/names copyright Tolkien Enterprises.

click above to see all the comics

From my Sketchbook.....
ShireBorn Rogues, pencil.

Hobbit humor. Pippin, Merry, Sam, and Frodo are happy in the Shire before that awful Ring business.
these illustrations are also featured at There and Back Again.net

	"Gimli," pencil. Gimli is a Dwarven fighter, and one of the toughest members of the Fellowship. Gimli is also a brutal exercise in costume and armor decoration. Lots of detail to lose yourself in, but I hoped to capture the look in his eyes too.
	From my Sketchbook....."Frodo: Grey Havens," pencil. The fourth and final in the Hobbit Elements series. I drew this one and titled it "Frodo: Water" and then someone said, "Oh how sad! You drew him at the shoreline. Is he getting ready to leave for Valinor, or is this scene on those shores?" So: New title, and a new concept, sort of. Nothing like a weepy Elijah-Wood-inspired Hobbit to chase those cares away. ;)
	"Sam," watercolor and gouache. This is a continuation of my Fellowship series, (its taking me awhile to do all nine companions, but it's my eventual intention to paint 'em all!) see "Frodo and the Ring" and "Legolas" below. Based off a screen shot from The Two Towers, the sketched version of this was signed by Sean Astin, with compliments.
	Private Commission "Merry," pencil. As promised, more hobbits, this time - Merry! I thought a lot about what element he should get, and finally decided on Fire for him and Water for Frodo. Merry seems more summery/warmer somehow, and Frodo - well - blue eyes, departure across the sea, seemed to just fit. Now that's the last one of the series, still yet to come...
	Private Commission "Gandalf the Grey," Graphite, Black Prismacolor pencil. Gandalf from Fellowship, cradled in the wildness of Middle Earth, with that mysterious twinkle in his eye. I entered this one in There and Back Again.net's annual Lord of the Rings Fan Art contest, and was awarded Second Place.
	From my Sketchbook....."Sam," pencil. Hurray! And this one got signed by the man himself - Sean Astin. Take a look and see for yourself! If ya want more proof, check out the pics at the bottom of this page: Sam Costume Photo Gallery Heavily reference-based from a TTT shot (oooh...spoiler!) I'm calling this number 2 in the Hobbit Elements series. Pippin gets an "Air" background, and Sam gets "Earth." We'll see what happens with Merry and Frodo.
	From my Sketchbook....."Pippin," pencil. More thanks, this time to Billy Boyd, for being a fantastic Pippin. Heavily reference-based, but not entirely. I basically looked away from the photo I was using at about 80% completion to give Pippin that special smirk and look in his eyes. This one got better reviews, even though Sam's my personal favorite. I suppose to some degree it's best not to love your little hobbits too much, it makes them harder to draw.....

	"Frodo and the Ring," watercolor and gouache. For technical notes on this technique, see "Legolas" below. The end result is, a solid form to the face and the ring, but a faded spirit-world look to the remainder. I hope to convey a sense for what the Ring is doing to Frodo's soul just by wearing it. I used this "batik" technique for the first time on "Galadriel's Test" at bottom.
	From my Sketchbook....."Frodo and the Ring," pencil. "It makes me wonder at what time of his journey this was taken. The expression on his face shows both his desire and determination of overcoming the quest, while still showing the massive difficulties of his travels and his struggle against the given odds and the power of the one ring calling to him... All he can do is slowly struggle along..." ~from a New Zealand LOTR fan 3/17/02
	"Legolas," watercolor and gouache. I developed the 8 x 10 sketch into this 20 x 24 painting. About the batik-effect background -- basically, I soaked watercolor paper for 30 minutes and crushed it with my hands while pouring a jar of watered-down green paint over it. This technique shows through the midtones and the background of the transparent brown watercolor. The lightest tones were rendered last in semi-opaque, thinned "Dr. Martin's" white gouache.
	From my Sketchbook....."Legolas," pencil. By request - Prince Legolas, the super-talented elf, looking heroic as usual. Dedicated to Christopher.
	"The White Rider," watercolor and acrylic. (Pre-Films). After re-reading Lord of the Rings, I was inspired to portray the otherworldly, almost godlike character of Gandalf, the wizard - riding his horse Shadowfax at impossible speeds across the plains. The swirling shape above his head represents the Eye of Sauron, watching... Limited Edition Giclees available at $150 unframed
	"Galadriel's Test," watercolor and pastel (Pre-Films). For those of you who have read The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, you know that scene where Galadriel meets Frodo and is tempted by the power of the Ring for a moment - well this is it. I meant this to show from Frodo's POV the beautiful and yet otherworldly, somewhat scary Galadriel. The star in the night symbolizes the fact that she bears one of the three elven rings of power. Limited Edition Giclees available at $150 unframed