Happy Birthday Hobbits!

First, thanks to the Catholic Illustrator's Guild for my acceptance! That quite made my morning.

My name is Mary Sullivan, I am an artist/illustrator in the making (hopefully), and here is my blog. 

Yesterday, Sept. 22nd, was Mr. Bilbo and Frodo's birthday! A bit of celebration is called for. I myself found a bit of time to watch the Fellowship of the Ring, and draw a little before work. 

'You mean to go on with your plan then?
'I do. I made up my mind months ago, and I haven't changed it.'

It is based on this:

Inside Bag End, Bilbo and Gandalf were sitting at the open window of a small room  looking out west on to the garden. The late afternoon was bright and peaceful. The flowers glowed red and golden: snapdragons and sunflowers, and nasturtians trailing  over the turf walls and peeping in at the round windows.
    'How bright your garden looks!' said Gandalf.
    'Yes," said Bilbo. 'I am very fond indeed of it, and of all the dear old Shire; but I think I need a holiday."
     'You mean to go on with your plan then?'
     'I do. I made up my mind months ago, and I haven't changed it.'
     'Very well. It is no good saying any more. Stick to you plan-- your whole plan, mind -- and I hope it will turn out for the best, for you, and for all of us.
    'I hope so. Anyway I mean to enjoy myself on Thursday, and have my little joke.'
    'Who will laugh, I wonder?' said Gandalf, shaking his head.  
    'We shall see,' said Bilbo.

Happy Belated Hobbit Day everyone!

Inspiration: J.R.R. Tolkien

This website brings together countless sketches and illustrations by Tolkien. Never very confident about his own skill as an artist. Tolkien nevertheless illustrated The Hobbit, as well as providing dust-jacket designs for The Lord of the Rings. As you can see from the collection here, though he wasn't a "polished" illustrator, he had a charming style and a very good sense of color and design.

My Tolkien Entry

Tolkien Stuff

I've been doing Tolkien related stuff for a long time, up to something I finished just this week past. I've already posted a pencil drawing and a computer vector graphic of Eowyn from "Lord of the Rings," and a small interpretation of Ulmo the Valar from "The Silmarillion" cut out of heavy watercolor paper. These I am posting now are all cut out of paper and painted, gouache or acrylic.

Tolkien designed in colored pencil heraldic devices for elven characters from "The Silmarillion." I've rendered some of them in 3d relief.
These are about six inches across and are, top left to bottom right, two of Idril Celebrimdor, Melian the Maiar and Luthien Tinuviel.

This is a deeper cut-out rendering of a drawing from "The Hobbit." The black and white is Tolkien's version.

For this I took the trees from another "The Hobbit" illustration and used it for an image of the arrival of Earendil at Elvenhome.

I did some very small items from his heraldic devices that I am not so much proud of as am very fond of. I'm really just the atelier. (But then so are we all who are aware of God) These are another Idril Celebrimdor (he did a lot for her.), the floral rosette; and Elwe Singollo, Thingol.

I've done iconic personifications of "Silmarillion" Valar. These are Manwe of the Winds; Varda, the Star Kindler (the mouth is NOT successful); Uinen of the Sea, which I think works well; and Yavanna, which I'm most happy with. Manwe and Varda are under 3 inches, Uinen is 4 inches and Yavanna, giver of fruition, is 5 inches.