25mm LOTR - The Fellowship

Hey everyone,

Time for something new in this post.

When I am painting I always have a movie playing in the background... Zulu or Gettysburg or Andersonville or whatever I happen to have at the time. The film series that has really gotten me through, however, is the Lord of the Rings series. Not only are the films something like 12 hours long in total (directors cut only... too many great personality scenes cut in the released version...) but there is a version with commentary from the director and writers, the producers, the post-production crew, and the cast. That is like... well, lots and lots of movie, and the best part is that most of it is just talking, which is perfect for painting time!

So, in honor of watching SO much of that film recently (and working on a video game on the same subject) here is my Fellowship.

First up are Aragorn and Gandalf. I think they turned out well; I tried to keep them close to the film and rather realistic. I even tried to get Aragorn's/Viggo's eyes right. I think they both turned out well.

Next up is Frodo and Sam. Again, I went for colors similar to what I recalled in the films. I also tried to match skin tones a bit; it just looks more interesting and realistic when everyones skin isn't the same. I was experimenting at the time with extreme highlights; hence the highlight on Frodos pants. I have since stopped with this.

Then comes two of the Three Hunters; Gimli and Legolas. Note that what appears to be hair sticking up behind Gimli is actually the top of a very tall clump of weeds, perfectly hidden by his back. Again, I went for different skin tones in an attempt to make them look more accurate.

Finally, Merry, Pip, and Boromir. I tried some amateurish NMM on Boromir's shield; my first and only attempt. Eh... it works fine, I suppose. You cannot see it in this shot, but you can see it in the last shot.

Anyway... so, that is my Fellowship! I have a whole LOTR collection, but I don't think I will post it; this blog has a decidedly historical feel, and I think this single "fantasty" post is enough. Dr. Tolkien's books are among the best ever written, however, so I did want to show these guys off!