Silver and Berries

One of my greatest inspirations are the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and the world and characters of Middle Earth he created. I have to admit I didn’t really know much about the books before watching Peter Jackson’s adaption of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I was hooked instantly.

With the release of the Hobbit films, there were no more words for my love of elves; pointy ears, beautiful architecture, trees and waterfalls, flowing robes and everything else. I’ve seen many portrayals of elves from Tolkien’s works, every artist has their own take, as did Peter Jackson. For the elven-king Thranduil, I found myself combing all the different inspirations from both text and visuals I ever saw.

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King of the Mirkwood, colour-pencils & micron, 13×16″, 2015

This is still one of my favourite pieces, so it was only fitting that I decided to frame it in something equally regal and elegant as the subject. I do my own framing including matting and adding all other archival elements to the finished piece.

king-of-the-mirkwood_framed_front_shaimaislamking-of-the-mirkwood_framed_close_shaimaislam

Some works in progress shots for this drawing.

 

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51 thoughts on “Silver and Berries”

  9. This is so beautiful! I like your art! I am also a big fan of Tolkien,Lord of the rings.I always wanted to draw this kind of stuff but I never had the chance. I am an artist too. Do you have an Instagram account? So I can see more of your amazing work

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  18. When I look at art, I not only admire the finished work, I also try to understand the creative process. For me, the creative process is as valuable as the finished work. It is performative and illuminating as the work itself. From sketch to finished work, it is clear that a lot of thought went into the creative process. King of the Mirkwood and the ornamentation around him are somewhat reminders of art nouveau. I love the way you linked the background and the dominant image using designs. The character of King of the Mirkwood is also fascinating. His gaze shows seriousness and determination. Great work. http://artcentron.com/

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  21. Decided last month to start reading the whole of JRR Tolkeins works again and delighted to find the local library fully stocked. Will be keeping an eye on your art works.

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  23. I’m not sure why, but I really love the circles in this art piece. It’s captivating and almost entrancing! Great work Shaima! Definitely captivating and you certainly know how to get the viewer’s eyes to move towards the center!

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    1. Thankyou! Since this was an older piece, looking back at it now I feel like I’m way more critical looking at the errors I’ve made in the drawing, compared to all the lovely comments I’ve received for it. lol. ^^0

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