31
Jul
One of my favorite scenes from my time as an RPG character in Mirkwood: The Aged Willow.
Alphiriel was Areanel's dapple gray mare. She of course was retired along with her mistress. A strange sight amongst the forest of Mirkwood indeed ... but I got away with it somehow.
This rather cute and enthusiastic elf perched in a redbud tree was the first RPG character I ever played. Her name was Areanel, and she lived in Mirkwood (from Tolkien's Middle Earth.) It is of course after her that this website is named. Areanel lives on!
This is actually a rather old picture - but my vision of Arwen at the time, none the less.
Atop Amon Thranduil - or just a nice rocky landscape if you will. I realize that if you don't know Tolkien's Middle Earth, the names of these locations don't mean much. So hopefully they stand on their own as nice landscapes all the same.
Areanel, her mare Alphiriel and her cousin, Elwen having a pleasant chat beside the ancient willow tree bordering the river in Amon Thranduil.
Culurien - a mare belonging to another elf in Mirkwood. I was commissioned to do this picture, but when the time came, the lady playing said character did not pay me for my services... ah well.
An extremely difficult elven banner. I mainly drew this to prove I could do something a little more technical and less freehand than usual.
This is how I envisioned Eowyn - my personal favorite of Tolkien's characters. I will probably re-do her someday.
The Falls of Amon Thranduil. Yes, another scene from my RPG days in Mirkwood. I've always been the most pleased with the end result of this picture - which is unusual for me since I'm such a harsh critic of my own work.
An illustration of two elves Areanel knew in Mirkwood: the healers, Aewidhren and her husband, Bronwe.
The Hotsprings - a popular scene in Mirkwood when I played Areanel there.
My vision of Yavanna (from Tolkien's Silmarillion.) It was the best I could do at the time ... but I'll definitely be re-doing her someday.
The Bridge over the North Fork. The first scene I drew from my days in Mirkwood - and in fact, the first picture I drew after an extended illness spanning more than a year.
Nioniel - my current RPG character that I play on Elendor - the Tolkien based MUSH that I keep eluding to. She is a Galadhrim elf; a seamstress; one of the only elves apparently who can ride a horse, and often you will find her hanging out with her trouble-maker dog, Calion.
Hopefully no one will sue me for this. It is more or less a copy of one of the banners of Rohan seen in the movie version of The Two Towers.
Tinuviel ... or Luthien. Every artist who loves Tolkien can't help but catch some of the love and adoration he put into his most beloved character and try to draw their vision of her loveliness.
