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cephenix In reply to Barbarian-J [2015-12-24 18:25:57 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for your kind comment. This one was completed long ago (20+ yrs!) so I've lost my timelog for this. Probably 80 hrs? (I'm a wicked slow painter). I did use extensive modelling however, by posing my then 7 yo son in a bed with the blankets, while making adjustments for maturation of the figure's face and hand. I posed for Gandalf by sitting in a chair set ON TOP of the bed so I could get incoming window light, set a camera on a tripod hoping it was aimed correctly, [ask me if that was fun]. Then I  just drew G's face using that lighting.

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Barbarian-J In reply to cephenix [2015-12-25 14:51:58 +0000 UTC]

That sounds like an interesting process indeed ... LOL. 
But at the same time it's stuff like that, that makes the painting incredibly personal. Thank you for sharing the stories. They rock.

It doesn't matter how you get to the result, as long as you get there. I really dig this painting. 
Actually, when you look at all of the detail in there, I don't think that 80hrs is such a long time. It's about 10 "working days". That's actually pretty fast if you ask me.

A 7 year old son 20 years ago, huh? That would make you probably more or less 10 years older than I am. I'm actually rather thrilled to find a Tolkien-fan who's in the same "age category" than I am. It was already obvious that you inspire your works on the books rather than on the movie material, but I'm wondering now. Did you ever read the "expanded universe" material that Tolkien wrote? I discovered Tolkien late ... only recently actually, and I'll be honest, because of the movies ... and I just finished reading the LotR trilogy and the Hobbit. Some stuff is obviously only hinted at and I'm particularly interested in finding more details on the different rings and their journey and then the Blue Wizards. Do you have anything on those? Some good pointers? Articles on the web? A good Tolkien community where they'd be able to help? 

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cephenix In reply to Barbarian-J [2015-12-27 03:49:52 +0000 UTC]

Ha! Well, I'd say it was my generation that first got besotted with Tolkien back in the mid 60's. (And yeah, you probably got my age about right   )  As an illustrator I'm particular about attending to narrative detail – the author's work needs to be respected. Re the "expanded universe" thing, are you referring to the extensive back story underpinnings of the whole of Middle-earth history? The appendices at the end of the LOTR are fascinating, beautifully written, and will certainly whet your appetite for the Silmarillion, the several Lost Tales books that Christopher Tolkien has put together, and so on. By the time of JRR Tolkien's death I don't believe he had gotten all the loose ends wrapped up; there are several different accounts of Celeborn's life after the departure of Galadriel for instance..It's been a while since I immersed myself in that. Also I have not done any pieces based on those auxiliary works – just lack of time basically..

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Barbarian-J In reply to cephenix [2015-12-27 20:14:30 +0000 UTC]

I have just been spending some money (too much again, probably) picking up a number of the "Encyclopedia of Middle Earth" books that have been edited by Christopher Tolkien. I wasn't really sure what I'd be getting, but after your description here it sounds like there's still a lot of interesting stuff to be read in there, even if it isn't actually "finished" and polished up for publicaiton.
Top. Can't wait to get them now. I'm tempted to try my hand at a comic on one of those stories, even if I'm not sure how that will be received by the collective of Tolkien fans. Comics is my "language" so I suppose I can't do anything better if I'd like to make a 'tribute' to Tolkien.
Now just trying not to get too carried away and sucked into a story that I wouldn't be able to finish because it'll grow into too much work ...

I just hit the 'watch' button, Carol, so we're bound to talk again sometime soon!
Looking forward to more of your delicious paintings!

Cheers!
Joris

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cephenix In reply to Barbarian-J [2015-12-30 05:19:37 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. I'm actually stuck in Earthsea at the moment. Re.Tolkien, there's also, Christopher Tolkien's compilation called "Unfinished Tales" (which is what I was actually referring to earlier). This is a fascinating and extensive collection of JRRT's notes and writings which reflect the evolutionary nature of some characters and ideas as he struggled to solidify the history of ME. Also, you'll be interested to know that there is a rather long and detailed essay on the Istari. Man, I gotta go back and re-read that!

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Barbarian-J In reply to cephenix [2016-01-02 12:30:02 +0000 UTC]

I still think we're talking the same thing, you know.
Christopher Tolkien made a 13 book compilation of his father's unfinished work. It includes the "Book of Lost Tales" in two parts, two versions of the Silmarillion, then the base texts of what would become the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and some more information on the peoples of ME and such. 
I hope that essay on the Istari is somewhere included, because that does sound what I'm looking for ...

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cephenix In reply to Barbarian-J [2016-01-03 05:31:23 +0000 UTC]

The essay does in fact mention the "Ithryn Luin", the Blue Wizards, but I'll not spoil your experience by saying any more! I am not familiar with the exact number and arrangement of the various editions of C. Tolkien's compilations, as I bought them all (?) piecemeal as I became aware of them. But the edition I'm holding in my hands as I write is a paperback published by Ballantine Books in 1989, having been originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1980. I shouldn't think you'd have much trouble finding a copy..

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Barbarian-J In reply to cephenix [2016-01-10 19:44:13 +0000 UTC]

Hehe ... the books are bit by bit coming in ... My Gawd, I'll have reading materials for the next three years, I think.
Very soon, the "Ithryn Luin" will have no more secrets for me ...

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