July 2019 – Monthly Instagram Roundup – Mama Mia! A Bottlefield Survivor, an Inked Crow & Cheesecake

Lots of artwork in this month’s content…

Slightly late as I had forgotten to push the publish button!

July has been both a productive and experimental month for my artwork. I’ve tried some new things out, got creative with palette knives and even started work on a couple of new projects.

All of the photos are my own, taken with either my phone or digital camera and then edited solely using Instagram.

I hope that you enjoy this selection of my favourite photos that I’ve taken and posted to Instagram,  please feel free to follow me on there and start a conversation!

@JGloverArt

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Ringwraiths at Weathertop – Nazgul – A Knife in the Dark – Lord of the Rings Oil Painting Art Illustration

‘The Ringwraiths are deadly enemies, but they are only shadows yet of the power and terror they would possess if the Ruling Ring was on their master’s hand again’

The Fellowship of the Ring – Book II, Chapter IV – A Journey in the Dark

This particular illustration has been a bone of contention for me now for quite some time. since its conception and initial stages, until now that it is finally finished and ready to post, a lot of time has passed and a fair few other artworks have been conceived and completed.

However, this is a good time to post the piece, I have finally brought it to the point of ‘abandonment’ as Leonardo da Vinci once put it and it is like a celebratory relief.

Now for the interesting part, let’s dive into the words of Tolkien himself and see what he had to say about the Ringwraiths, through the character of Gandalf of course…

Bilbo Baggins, The Finding of the One Ring – Ink Drawing – JRR Tolkien The Hobbit Art Illustration

As usual, it all started with a sketch…

For a very long time now, since my last re-read of The Hobbit, I have been wanting to explore in depth the character of Bilbo Baggins; of all of Tolkien’s characters Bilbo is the one that I feel akin to and relate to the most.

Bilbo Baggins – Rough Concept Pencil Sketch

Before I had made the second mark on paper, I knew that I wanted the final piece to be an ink drawing; ink is a medium that I absolutely love but don’t get to work with enough and thus my experience with the medium is somewhat lacking.

However, knowing that the final piece would be inked, informed my sketching process in a different way than usual and thus made me adapt to a different way of drawing to my usual charcoal and blend method.

June 2019 – Monthly Instagram Roundup – Meatballs, Beer & a Ranger’s Shortcut

Another busy month, and another slightly belated blog post…

Here we are, moving into yet another month and without much idea of where the last one went. June has been a bit of a wash out for me in the UK, our usual summer being a total let down, thus leading to not many days out exploring due to the bad weather and therefore less photos to share.

All of the photos are my own, taken with either my phone or digital camera and then edited solely using Instagram.

I hope that you enjoy this selection of my favourite photos that I’ve taken and posted to Instagram,  please feel free to follow me on there and start a conversation!

@JGloverArt

The Journey to Weathertop – Strider Leads the Hobbits Through Midgewater Marshes – Preliminary Drawing Illustration Art sketch LOTR Tolkien

“This is where we leave the open and take to cover,” said Strider.

Here we are, returning again to Hobbits, and a marsh, and a plan for a future oil painting with a heavy focus on the landscape this time around. My last painting of a similar scene was ‘The Passage of the Marshes’ but I intend to take this one in a different direction.

This new piece is inspired by The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XI – A Knife In The Dark. In this scene we join the four Hobbits; Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin as they follow Strider to Rivendell, before that though is the journey to Amon Sûl (Weathertop) which takes them through the Midgewater Marshes.

May 2019 – Monthly Instagram Roundup – Sketchbooks, Flowers & a Health Kick

Scratching Around, Sketchbooks in the Countryside…

Another very busy and hectic month has gone by and I’ve managed to come to the end of it and roundup a selection of photos. As usual it is a mixed bag and covers a few different aspects of my day to day life, a glimpse behind the scenes…

All of the photos are my own, taken with either my phone or digital camera and then edited solely using Instagram.

I hope that you enjoy this selection of my favourite photos that I’ve taken and posted to Instagram,  please feel free to follow me on there and start a conversation!

@JGloverArt

“Good Morning!” – Middle-earth Sketchbook Illustration – Bilbo Baggins & Gandalf the Grey – The Hobbit – There and Back Again, a Hobbit’s Tale – Art Drawing Sketch

“Good Morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
“What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”

– J.R.R. Tolkien; The Hobbit; or There and Back Again

Just recently I kicked back and did something that I haven’t done for too long…

I pulled out my sketchbook and blew the dust off it as though it was an ancient tome that I had recovered from the depths of a barrow and before the the tiredness overtook me, I started sketching.

Sketching.