Hobbit week pt. V

And now comes the scene which I have imagined time and again since I read the first read The Hobbit so many years ago. Smaug. Smaug the Golden. Smaug the Magnificent. 

For the back cover of the book I got the chance to illustrate Bilbo's conversation with this last dragon. 

My goal was to follow Tolkien's original painting as a guide (as far as overall dragon design and color work).

Tolkien's original illustration.

 ___________________________________

From there I arranged my figures and figured, since there wouldn't be too much room on the back cover, that I would vignette the image somewhat, keep the edges in shadow to help out the designer.

The thumbnail.

The finished drawing.

The watercolor.

Working in the final, digital color.

___________________________________

The finished piece.

Smaug, detail.

___________________________________

I hope you've enjoyed Hobbit week! 

If you'd like to catch up on all the posts, you can find the collection below:

Pt. I - Introduction

Pt. II - Planning / Drawing

Pt. III - Color work

Pt. IV - Finished work

Pt. V - Smaug the Golden

Hobbit week pt. IV

Previous entries in "Hobbit week."

Pt. I - Introduction

Pt. II - Planning / Drawing

Pt. III - Color work

____________________________________________

The finished piece.

Bilbo, detail.

All of this leads us to the finished piece. I had such a good time on this project. But wouldn't you know it, just like so many good adventures, I wasn't finished yet.

. . .

There was room in the budget for a piece for the back cover. And what a back cover. It's scene I have imagined again and again ever since I first read the book in high school. Tomorrow's post will cover this back piece in detail but until then here's a teaser:

Fire and water.

Hobbit week pt. III

For the actual color work on this cover I did things a little differently. Each piece, each project, each series I work just a little differently. I'm constantly refining my method and tinkering with the process.

Things were especially different in that I was under a time crunch to get this and Archaia's Free Comic Book Day Labyrinth story done at the same time. Also I was obliged to be out of my studio and work on the road. I ended up getting a MacBook Pro to work on the go (and it's turned out to be one of the best things I have ever gotten.) Yes, things were done a little differently this time around.

Finished drawing.

Some of the difference shows up in the coloring progress and textures. I tried a few different methods of flatting and blocking in shapes.

Flatted color.

This lead to some interesting (and strange) textures when a few of the other layers were turned off.

Textures!

____________________________________________

One thing that you are especially not supposed to overlook in Tolkien are the details. The books are all details so you have no excuse to not know how a particular character is dressed, what they just ate, what phase the moon is in ... the list goes on. All that to say, when dressing Bilbo I forgot his vest! Vest missing the little brass buttons. I drew it seperately and photoshopped it into the drawing before I began the final cover.

____________________________________________

Hobbit week.

Pt. I - Introduction

Pt. II - Planning / Drawing

Hobbit week pt. II

Illustrating anything from Tolkien's writing, in any official capacity, has always been a dream of mine.

I once got to illustrate one of his poems for Highlights, the most recognized and respected kids' magazine in the galaxy.

____________________________________________

If it's not my all-time favorite book (and yes, it probably is) The Hobbit is surely one of the greatest, most charming, most delightful, frightening, and exhilarating stories ever told by a human. And the chance to illustrate any scene from it is an illustrator's dream come true.

For this project I got to work again with Barbour books. They've always been a great, collaborative client. In my experience, they're one of those great clients who art direct really well and know why they've hired you.

The initial idea was to show Bilbo displaying a little grit, some kind of determination. I knew would best suit that request was the moment after killing the spider, by himself, in Mirkwood. Even so, I wanted to explore.

Here's are the thumbnails as well as the thoughts I sent to the AD.

____________________________________________

Overall I tried to keep close to actual moment in the book as well as nail the tone for the cover that we talked about perviously. 

A. A moment in Chapter 8 where Bilbo climbs to the top of tall tree to see where exactly he and the dwarves are in the forest. He's struck by the beauty and sunshine. It's the first time he's seen the sun for a long time (as they have been traveling through Mirkwood for quite some time). I've always loved this and I think it could do well for the cover. This small moment of joy in the midst of the deep dark of Mirkwood.  

B. This one is my personal favorite and the strongest of the three, emotionally, and I believe it comes the closest in tone with the original ideas for the cover. The turning point in Bilbo's journey was killing the spider all by himself. To quote, 

"Somehow the killing of a giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of a wizard or the dwarves or anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath." 

This I believe would be the first moment in the book where we would see a look of determination on Bilbo's face (all before he was always thinking about breakfast). A look like that at any other time doesn't work, I think. I think this is the right moment. However, I would understand about not exactly wanting to show a big dead spider on the cover. I would handle the spider without any blood, and the leg shapes would look tree-like, mixed in the trees in the foreground and background. Almost as if you wouldn't notice the spider at first, but only on a second look would you realize what's in the background. The focus would be on Bilbo and his new found courage and determination. It would be tasteful and not too dark. And with the title and text laid on that would further obscure the spider, drawing even more attention to Bilbo. Plus, the faint, pale blue light coming from the sword could look amazing.  

C. This one is a little more simple, Bilbo wandering through Mirkwood by himself. At this point in the story he would have already killed the spider and lost the dwarves, though he'd be wearing the ring (so he'd be invisible, but I could take some artistic license!) After he killed the spider he went looking around so that would be this moment and one where he would look determined, or at least cautious.

The other ideas.

Ultimately we went with B. Good for the tone but also this afforded me the chance to draw a giant spider.

The working thumbnail!

____________________________________________

From there I took the drawing to finish.

The finished drawing!

Next time, color!

____________________________________________

Hobbit week.

Pt. I

Hobbit week!

A little while back I got to do cover for a new book about The Hobbit. If you can't do a cover for your favorite book directly, a book about the book is the next best thing.

This week I'll be walking through my process for the cover (with a grand, old surprise on Friday!)

Enjoy!

Bilbo in Mirkwood!

Bilbo, detail.

_______________________________________________

The final cover.