Friday 6 March 2020

On the slopes of Mount Doom

I beheld the last combat on the slopes of Orodruin, where Gil-Galad died, and Elendil fell, and Narsil broke beneath him; but Sauron himself was overthrown, and Isildur cut the Ring from his hand with the hilt-shaft of his father's sword, and took it for his own.

JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)

The opening scene of Jackson's Fellowship absolutely blew my mind and sucked me in to hours of films, and later countless hours of toy soldiery.



These are Perry brothers sculpts. I painted Sauron and the standing Elendil and Isildur many years ago, but they have not previously graced this blog. For the 'last stand' and 'geology' challenges in AHPC X, I painted the prone NĂºmenĂ³reans and made a scenic base.

Sauron


Isildur and Elendil

Isildur

Elendil

Isildur & Elendil


Magnetized base

I used a rocky outcrop from Gale Force 9 to bulk up the Renedra base, to provide a visual balance to Sauron, and to reinforce the idea that their backs are against the wall. These outcrops are lovely durable resin pieces, and I strongly recommend them. I 3D printed a ring (!) to contain Sauron's 40mm base. I built up the groundwork with plaster, bark, and model railway ballast. I added some brown tones during the painting, since grey is boring and doesn't look right.

Early planning

Groundwork for sealing and painting

Painted






I added a flower in a rocky cleft, since hope blooms even in the darkest moments.

10 comments:

  1. A really well constructed piece which has been well painted.

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    1. Thanks very much, Phil! I’m very happy with it.

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  2. I think this is such a wonderful piece Barks. Really well considered and crafted.

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    1. Thanks, Michael! It is a simple idea I’ve had for years.

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  3. I agree with Michael : wonderful work !
    Adding the white flower in the rocks is a very good idea:
    where there is darkness, there is sometimes hope.

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    1. Thanks, Sam! It is my little take on Tolkien.

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  4. Cracking work mate. Love the composition, especially the flower!

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  5. At first I was to say how iconic they are and to praise your paintjob. But then I scrolled down and saw the whole effect of the vignette, and now I'm drooling all over. Fantastic work!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! It is simple but effective.

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