Lord of the Rings

SO. THE HOBBIT IS COMING OUT SO VERY SOON. My sister TOTES ordered tickets today, SCORE! We're going to see it in IMAX 3D, it's my Christmas present from her :D she's so cool. It's gonna be her first time seeing a movie in IMAX 3D (my first and only other IMAX experience was Avatar 3D, and I'm psyched to get back in an IMAX theater!) In light of this momentous occasion (I've been waiting TEN YEARS for this movie) I thought I'd make my first post Lord of the Rings related. As it happens, I just recently finished a commission for a lovely lady that has to do with just such a subject!

Here's a step-by-step process of this piece (I used these step-by-step photos to make a tutorial for my deviantArt page: lamorien.deviantart.com) Hooray LOTR! I adored painting this piece. It's very unlike me to paint anything romantic, seeing as I'm pretty bitter about romance in general, but this one was quite fun. I was working very roughly from a photograph I found online (used with photographer's permission) and I just really enjoyed it. It's unusual for me to paint men, so I was happy with the challenge. I kept the whole painting quite light and ethereal, and I'm pretty happy about that (my professors would be shooting me right now. IT NEEDS MORE DARKS!) So there you have it. And everyone: GO SEE THE HOBBIT!!!

step 1: basic wash over the whole piece

step 2: blocking in basic colors

step 3: finished blocking colors. Time for value!

Step 4: Value added in her face, some in her hair, and some in his coat. LOOKS WEIRD.

Finished: Added in some more detail and value, filled in background a bit more, removed the tape, and signed my name!