Sunday, August 21, 2011

That Nasty Baggins



I had forgotten how much I loved The Hobbit. This weekend I picked it up again and was transported back to the very first time I read it as a teenager. My sister, Paula, had loved Tolkien's books ferociously and from time to time would try to get me to draw an accurate hobbit. She would give me a detailed description which was deeply engraved in her memory after multiple readings and I would set to the task, determined to dazzle her with my genius. She loved me very much and was a staunch supporter of my work even back then, but I never could draw a hobbit that she liked. I'm certain if she were to see this drawing, it would be no exception. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago but I think of her as I read every page and it's made this visit to Middle Earth that much richer for me.
That's the beauty of this book and all books, I suppose. When we read them we paint our own landscapes and cast our own characters and woe to any fool who thinks he can just whip out a sketch and say "here's your hero!"
It's doomed to failure, really.

On the other hand, I did promise a sketch a week.

7 comments:

  1. Beautifull sketch ! c'est très beau .

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  2. Olá!
    Já á muito tempo que não visitava o teu blogue o que me encanta muito ao ver momentos encantadores. Continuação de felizes momentos de criação.
    Um até sempre.
    senapduarte

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  3. This is great, Peter!

    I always loved the styling and character-design in the Rankin/Bass film. Too bad that the animation was so hopelessly limited that the characters were sort of expressionless and didn't "act" or interact with one another. When Peter Jackson created his version of Middle Earth, some of the actors failed to match my childhood interpretation of hobbits, but the depth of the writing and acting allowed me to accept them. Your simple sketch succeeds on both levels. It fits the book's descriptions and also hints at a relationship.

    I've heard animation described as "acting with a pencil". Your illustration does the exact same thing. You just have one frame to achieve it.

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  4. Beautiful, Peter :D Look forward to seeing you next week post :) All the best.

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  5. man this is such a great drawing! i can't figure out the marks near bilbo's sword, did you use a little digital?

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  6. Genius! Always inspirational! Thanks for sharing.

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  7. This is amazing....what a sketch...beautiful

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