"The Road to the Grey Havens"

[wallace_trust]

This painting is dedicated to Elenya, whose epic fanfic "All That I Had" so beautifully depicts the last riding of the Ringbearers.  I can't find a current page for her, so if anyone knows her, perhaps they might forward this?

It is also intended, as is "Down From the Mountain," to eventually be a small portion of a much larger artwork set in the universe of an original fic I am currently working on.  In that universe, it is thousands of years in the future and LOtR has evolved into many versions and editions.  For one group of interplanetary colonists, the story has become a religion and the hobbits are like small fictional saints, to be invoked when the situation demands.  While this idea is not the main focus of my original sci fi story, but rather a detail, I'm really amused at all the little scenes it engenders!

Starting with this entry, I am trying to include higher res files in my posts.  Hope you like!  ^_^

Comments

[shirebound]

Beautiful. I especially love the colors of the horses.

[wallace_trust]

Thank you so much ^_^

The horse colors were initially sourced from commercial texture maps. Most of my newer LOtR artwork starts with at least some rendering of 3D models. It greatly increases my speed and decreases the amount of mistakes I make (though very often my artwork also starts out just rife with errors-- and sometimes ends up that way too!) After the figures were rendered I then painted over them and boosted their chromaticity.

[lbilover]

There is a saintliness to this, with the halos around their heads. I especially like the fact they are riding as people (or hobbits) who actually KNOW how to ride. A pet peeve of mine as a former horse owner. :-)

[wallace_trust]

Thank you so much! Saintliness was what I was going for :)

I know, it is incredibly annoying to see images where the riders cannot ride. I, too, am a former horse owner. In the picture above, the Bill and Strider models were modified to resemble my very own Bill-- my first pony, an ancient bay Exmoor-- and my own dear Beau, who was an incredibly flashy and intelligent Welsh B who owned me for 32 years. Both were my best friends, and both have unfortunately now sailed to the heavenly pastures :(

[baranduin]

Hobbits with haloes! Love it, the stylized effect. I don't usually envision the Grey Havens that brightly blue but I like it.

[wallace_trust]

Thank you! ^_^

I think while making the Grey Havens my mind was probably dwelling more on the brightness of the Tol Eressëan shores. :)

[lavendertook]

Lovely! It has a feel of Old Russian iconography to it, with the saint haloes and and the onion dome.

[wallace_trust]

Thank you so much ^_^

I think it feels like the old Russian iconography too. I was also thinking, particularly with Sam's face, of a certain fresco which I cannot remember the name of right now. For some reason I like onion domes on elvish architecture, but I don't know why ^^;