Goldberry from Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Here's a character I had originally meant to submit to a Lord of the Rings Exhibition last year but couldn't complete it in time (if you would like to see the exhibition you can view it online here). Since then I redesigned her and here you see her finished in her silver green dress and forget-me-nots in her hair.

"...they saw Goldberry now small and slender like a sunlit flower against the sky; she was standing still watching them, and her hands were stretched out towards them. As they looked she gave a clear call, and lifting up her hand she turned and vanished behind the hill."

JRR Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

Goldberry
Ink, watercolour and gouache on Arches 640gsm smooth watercolour paper.
2014.

And here's the development of the painting, enjoy :) Send me a message on facebook and let me know what you think or if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Original concept sketch

Originally I was going to have her facing the other direction wearing a cloak

Colour rough

Final drawing, with a few lines from the book describing the scene

Here is one of the rare shots I got of the inked drawing (really need to remember to scan first before proceeding!)

After reading about Arthur Rackham's technique of lifting colour to create highlights I thought I'd give it a try

I applied a layer of Daniel Smith's Watercolour ground to the hair before applying the was as I found that I had made the hair too dark with the ink linework

I was quite happy with this end result as a tonal base, however next time I will use a lighter glaze.

Due the ink staining the background a lot more than I intended a lot of white gouache was required to lighten the sky

 

Apologies for the shaky photo but this is the only shot I have with my palette in front

There were a couple of moments where in the middle of painting I felt it was a shame to continue, like the tonal base and this stage with the irises, I 'm still learning the art of guiding the eye using detail and it's lack thereof.

Now this is the type of frame I'd like to frame my artworks in, unfortunately this one was too narrow. However if any of you decide you'd like to buy this painting may I suggest this frame :)

and here you can see some of the reference I used

Thanks for watching!

Bel.

Disappointments, Inspiration and New Paintings

"Mistress of the Black Dog" Detail

It's been a while since my last post and in that time I have experienced a few ups and a lot of downs. Yesterday - the 12th of September - "R U OK?" Day was initiated in Australia addressing the rise in cases of depression and suicide attempts.

I am one of those Australians who have been diagnosed with depression and have had thoughts of suicide. This was first recognised when I was studying Fine Art at University over ten years ago. At the time my parents were splitting up and I was failing the only thing I thought I was good at it. I had no energy, no enthusiasm and I just felt constantly sad. My head was in a fog. My mum recognised the signs and got me to a doctor who was able to prescribe me suitable medication and recommended I get counselling. It wasn't a quick fix, my parents were still splitting up, I was still doing badly at uni but the medication helped me to focus, I started to think clearer and I managed to graduate with a Bachelor of Art.

Then came last month where I experience a massive bump on this journey called life... though I should say it was a series of bumps that just grew without any relief in sight (I'm still struggling with it to be honest). I won't go into it at this point (unless any of you would like to know please comment below) but lets just say it had a lot to do with traveling/visas, money, employment and illustration.

Anyway what I would like to say is, if you're doing it tough and you are struggling don't go it alone. Find someone you can trust, a friend, a family member, a boy/girlfriend, your wife/husband, priest, mentor - whatever - even your pet will do, (I know I have vented some of my frustrations to my pet dog Buddy and he gives the best feed back - a happy tail wag and a soulful look) tell them you are struggling and that you need a; hug/support/advice/help/coffee. Sometimes it's surprising just how supportive they can be. Don't give up, keep going and keep your integrity.

Below is two images I did during this difficult period. The first is my take on a nymph of a birch forest. She's preparing to leave the forest as it approaches winter and receives a message from Winter in the form of a raven. Her dress is caught in some of the undergrowth and tears as she glances towards the raven, she longs to bring life back to the forest but knows she must wait until spring.

The second is for the Artorder Inspiration Challenge  run by the fantastic Art Director of Wizards of the Coast Jon Schindehette. If you have never heard of these challenges and you like to create either digital, traditional 3D or 2D art you should definitely give this a go. The challenge is due November 18th 2013, so you have plenty of time to get something in.

When I first started working on this I really struggled. I was trying to come up with a cohesive way to combine my love of trees, Pre-Raphaelite art and my pet dog. At first the tree was the focus but I just kept coming up with ideas that have been done to death... then I came up with the final composition, I can't remember how (I think it might have been during an afternoon nap!) but there it is. I have been reading tonal painting and colour theory in "The Student's Guide to Painting" by Jack Faragasso which really helped me with this. The book is very good and is based on "The Reilly Method", I highly recommend it for anyone wants to grow as an artist.

The next painting "Mistress of the Black Dog" points of inspiration include; Pre-Raphaelitism, Romanticism, trees, flowers, sunsets and my pet dog Buddy - who is also representing "The Black Dog" . As I described above I have had some battles with The Black Dog and at the moment I'm keeping him on a tight leash, though it ain't easy! Luckily the black dog in the painting (Buddy) is not a depressing dog and is a fond member of the family.

Thanks for reading this and watching. I wish you all the best.

Belinda Morris.

UPDATE October 2nd 2013 
My painting "Mistress of the Black Dog" won the "Encouragement Award" at a local arts festival :) You can view photos from the event here. It's ironic... haha I needed an "Encouragement"

And for those who are curious here's my photo references, thanks goes especially to Deviantart stock photo artist *chirinstock who provided the inspiration for the girl and her expression.

NOTE THERE IS SOME NUDITY IN THE FOLLOWING IMAGES

Now here is the next painting "Mistress of the Black Dog";

and for the curious, here's the reference material (minus the blossoms as I used some blossoming branches from my mums garden - it's spring in Australia);

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS SOME NUDITY IN THE FOLLOWING IMAGES

 

 

Dragon Tea

This was submitted to the online competition "Artorder Dragon World Challenge"
Medium - Watercolour and gouache on 300gsm watercolour paper
Size - 240mm x 265mm

Dragon Tea

I imagined a culture such as ours back in the Edwardian times when Orientalism and tea was really popular that traditional Chinese Dragons would be both the mascots and guardians of teas production and consumption. I also imagined that the Tea Dragons would be a ladies best friend, keeping the tea warm once poured, guarding a ladies secrets from gossipers, transferring messages to lovers and providing companionship.

This painting can be purchased here

The Silver Kovsh

The Silver Kovsh

Date: January 2012

Medium: Photoshop

Client: Joe Kubert School of Comic and Graphic Art - Design Class - Design an Image Using Analogous Colours With 2 Focus Areas.