Work in progress first of a series depicting the lanes of the Shire.

Bag End work in progress continued.

Started to add some base colours with the emphasize on dark's and lights. Will start on background tomorrow.

Bag End work in progress

The process begins with earth, Andalucian earth, dug, washed, sieved and dried. This in turn is mixed with modeling paste (designed for use with acrylic paint) and is used as a means to add texture and for making surfaces stand out in relief. Above you can see the process in action; I always start with the main stand out features in this case the tree trunks and the roof of Bag End and lesser details such as the distance mountains. Above and below the working canvas are very basic sketches which are used purely for reference, I like to let the work take on a life of its own and I am sure that the finished canvas will be quite different when finished. More to follow tomorrow (if you are wondering whats happened to Rivendell, it will hopefully be finished next week. I need to buy some new paint brushes this weekend from the nearest town, the joys of living on top of a mountain).

Buckland Hobbit ( Acrylic sketch on paper )

Hobbits:- fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and 'elvish'; hair short and curling (brown). The feet from the ankles down, covered with brown hairy fur. Clothing: green velvet breeches; red or yellow waistcoat; brown or green jacket; gold (or brass) buttons; a dark green hood and cloak (belonging to a dwarf).

J.R.R. Tolkien

Turning the real into Tolkien inspired art (water colour/chalk sketch)

I have been toying with the idea of using my home town of Olvera, Cadiz as inspiration for Minas Tirith the white city. With just a little imagination Olvera could quite easily be tweaked and it is something that I may well explore in the future.

Tolkien described Minas Tirith as built on a hill, called the Hill of Guard, right against the face of Mount Mindolluin. The city looked eastward over the Pelennor Fields, which were used for farmland, toward Osgiliath, the former capital of Gondor.

The white city end of day sketch.

Within this mountainous region, Sauron's main fortress Barad-dûr formed its tower, at the foothills of Ered Lithui. To southwest of Barad-dûr lay the arid plateau of Gorgoroth, forming the region's keep, and Mount Doom its forge. End of day sketch.

Gandalf a work in progress ( initial sketch and clay mixed with Andalucian earth figure ready for painting)

Sketches /doodles (affectionately know as end of day sketches) are very crude at this stage, its just about getting basic shapes colours down on paper.

Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a postcard entitled Der Berggeist (German: "the mountain spirit"), and on the paper cover in which he kept it, he wrote "the origin of Gandalf". The postcard reproduces a painting of a bearded figure, sitting on a rock under a pine tree in a mountainous setting. He wears a wide-brimmed round hat and a long red cloak, and a white fawn is nuzzling his upturned hands.