the house of elrond's next-door neighbor

second act: the house of elrond's next-door neighbor

now i'm working on the house of elrond’s next-door neighbor. arghhhh. the buildings are driving me crazy. okay, that wasn’t entirely a hobbit-like thing to say, but buildings are so... unforgiving, with all those straight lines. especially elven buildings. i prefer painting trees.

anyhow, in the original painting by ted nasmith, the buildings are very light in color and have a shimmering glow. i’d love to paint that, but i don’t have the time nor the experience to get those nuances of light. maybe that will be my long-term project—to make the house glow. at this point, it looks just like a normal, earthling house.

i struggled with the curves on the eaves, the turret on the roof--just about everything. maybe i'll cover the parts i don’t like with overhanging trees. i don’t suppose the elves would let their foliage go all crazy like that, but maybe this is a scene from just after they leave middle earth.

just a few sections left, including the waterfalls, and then we’re ready to paint in some shading and details. i'm saving my paint and keeping track of how i mix it, just in case it dries up.

as with all second acts, there was a struggle. i'm looking forward to act iii.

so, while i'm seriously avoiding mundane life, at least i can get lost in the valley of rivendell...