tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46300637250125862622024-03-05T16:51:17.862-05:00Running with PaintbrushesRunning with Paintbrusheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590422278727336196noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-27129785326588694752013-12-11T22:45:00.001-05:002013-12-11T22:51:28.447-05:00New Portfolio Piece for Lis: The First NightHi All!<br />
<br />
I just completed this painting, likely my last one of 2013! I'd been working on it since May off and on in between illustration jobs. I'm pretty pleased with it as I tried to be more ambitious with size (12.5 x 17.5... big for me) and detail.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.albaillustration.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/arabian-nights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.albaillustration.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/arabian-nights.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<br />The title is "The First Night" and it's from <i>One Thousand and One Nights</i>;<i> </i>the very beginning... as Scheherazade begins telling tales to the Sultan in order to keep her head! Painted with watercolor and acryla gouache. I've got some progress shots if anyone is interested over on my personal blog: <a href="http://www.albaillustration.com/blog/?p=594" target="_blank">http://www.albaillustration.com/blog/?p=594</a>. Also, I now have a Facebook art page where I have posted more progress shots and other fun things. Check it out! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/albaillustration" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/albaillustration</a>Elisabeth Albahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594760257037917951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-90042855705191695552013-05-31T14:55:00.000-04:002013-05-31T14:55:06.951-04:00Gondorian Shield<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQtb5v2r-GcvOB7AXd2nU0n4LaL5tDHbpk0MBtDF8yh9Qrl6W7xnk5MNztuUFpOmdO2WaBNn0kKmMKm4ZxP_PdmVkQJizdb0H8bE-YHC7lmwb-2IAVXg-oLJD-ZRGzCmfnHg3bVK_4FA/s1600/gondorianshield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQtb5v2r-GcvOB7AXd2nU0n4LaL5tDHbpk0MBtDF8yh9Qrl6W7xnk5MNztuUFpOmdO2WaBNn0kKmMKm4ZxP_PdmVkQJizdb0H8bE-YHC7lmwb-2IAVXg-oLJD-ZRGzCmfnHg3bVK_4FA/s400/gondorianshield.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px;"><i>Gondorian Shield, Oil on paper on Masonite, 13" x 11", 2012. ©Fantasy Flight Games</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I finished this piece for Fantasy Flight Games way back in January of 2012. The project just kept getting pushed back. Now it has finally come out in the Lord of the Rings: The Steward's Fear deck. I really loved doing this piece, I felt like I really loosened up my brush strokes and the palette was exactly as I envisioned it in my head. This was the first Lord of the Rings piece I've ever done. I've always thought that I was never worthy or that I wouldn't be able to paint a more interesting image than any of the great artists that have made Lord of the Rings imagery. But when I got this assignment, it was almost a relief that I wouldn't be depicting some climactic scene from the novels. I can do Gondorian Shields. And I'm very happy with how I depicted this item for the game.</span>Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-67849041098647957402013-05-24T17:55:00.000-04:002013-05-24T17:55:23.417-04:00The Silent Deal<br />
For the past month or so, I had been working on a commission for a book cover for a self-published book called "The Silent Deal". The author, Levi Stack, got in touch with me because he enjoyed my "Save the Date" image from my wedding so much. I had used Vladislav Erko's playing cards as inspiration for the Save the Date, and Levi was looking for a similar style for his cover. He wanted the two main characters to be shown on the king of spades card. Levi had wonderful descriptions for the way the characters looked and how the personalities differed. He was a great help, and made making the image an extremely painless experience. I hope "The Silent Deal" is a success and we can work together again on the next book in the series.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is an image of the finished painting:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w5tTm5FBolcRfwwvZ-twEieuIHywNFj57EQsYCYfGSE5IZZv3gVkHe2pb_6HNWbqC0fQwkV7XdFtB2t_icnEH-GICTzyMyBMsX9rW1UNOMTcGABOHq94vVRCSK17RxcfuZ1XeikGnQA/s1600/the_silent_deal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w5tTm5FBolcRfwwvZ-twEieuIHywNFj57EQsYCYfGSE5IZZv3gVkHe2pb_6HNWbqC0fQwkV7XdFtB2t_icnEH-GICTzyMyBMsX9rW1UNOMTcGABOHq94vVRCSK17RxcfuZ1XeikGnQA/s400/the_silent_deal.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>The Silent Deal, 13.25" x 20", Oil on Paper on Masonite, 2013. ©Owen William Weber</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And here is the final cover image. I personally think this looks awesome, and I'm very happy this came out looking so tasteful. So please pick this book up when it is released, I will add a link when you can order it.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85BYcH2ZPs4VJRNR0VekrS2p1S2N0u0par-w8uXSLQ0v_8xQLGcqH42NJ5sxoaRdRQbls0Is83L-mFrrBTs2ggcWJ9lLf5Sf5H2GwFOsspfF-w1kSm6NlrQFvxPPnr9wX_2gY46tGt7Y/s1600/coverpreview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85BYcH2ZPs4VJRNR0VekrS2p1S2N0u0par-w8uXSLQ0v_8xQLGcqH42NJ5sxoaRdRQbls0Is83L-mFrrBTs2ggcWJ9lLf5Sf5H2GwFOsspfF-w1kSm6NlrQFvxPPnr9wX_2gY46tGt7Y/s400/coverpreview.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-61984524990145082612013-04-12T16:28:00.000-04:002013-04-12T16:28:00.856-04:00Mantra 1 <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is a piece I just finished the other day, it's called "Mantra 1". It's 12 5/8"x 18" in size and oil on masonite. This was an extremely different type of painting that I was used to doing. I hadn't painted in a while, and was feeling that itch, so I just took a piece of masonite I had lying around, coated it with matte medium, and just started painting a springbok antler I own. No drawing, just paint. I can't think of the last time I did that, possibly never. It came out looking pretty good, and I then started turning the painting into, what I thought was a cool concept. A couple days later I looked at it after a particularly hard day at the workplace. I realized why I was in such a bad mood, the painting I had been staring at for the past few days was awful. It was really stupid. I was taking the life out of the antler that I had so lovingly painted. So I took up a mixture of burnt umber, ultramarine, payne's grey, and alizarin, and painted out everything except the antler. As I was doing this I started gently brushing over the edges of the antler and it started getting nicely smokey, as I did it more, it truly transformed the painting into something of which I am extremely proud. I can't wait to get started on pursuing this subject matter further. It reminds me of what my thoughts look like when I concentrate very hard and focus on a subject, hence the title. I hope you all like it, cause I'm very excited by it, and will be delving into this subject matter further.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1GxZ_HkDr5sOzk5htgNhAafDULQb7HO76mL1z4j47yqTFVz1JLD0OAR41lL05h6_n5qkpaSWikVa9lb2Ihj-h2HW5KM0EHHMqHAjYrp8FRs-S_kTg4NEVp5aFpeRww8wUtlYUxXBKQ/s1600/mantra1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1GxZ_HkDr5sOzk5htgNhAafDULQb7HO76mL1z4j47yqTFVz1JLD0OAR41lL05h6_n5qkpaSWikVa9lb2Ihj-h2HW5KM0EHHMqHAjYrp8FRs-S_kTg4NEVp5aFpeRww8wUtlYUxXBKQ/s320/mantra1.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<div>
<br /></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-67475046629540674632013-01-25T14:36:00.000-05:002013-01-25T14:36:43.081-05:00Fægår the Fearless<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
This piece has a bit of an interesting history. I was given a commission to do a dwarf piece, where a dwarf king was kind of contemplating his past and thinking of where he went wrong. So I did a really nice drawing of this; it was right up my alley(and I will eventually paint it also). The art director loved it, but his bosses weren't quite on board. So the art director asked for a dwarf in action. So, while I was away for a wedding, I spent any second at the hotel sketching this image. When I got back home, I sent the image to the art director, but because this back and forth had gone so slowly, mostly between the time of the first drawing and the decline from his bosses, this piece was in no way going to meet the deadline. The piece was cancelled, and I was not compensated, because I had not started painting it yet, as stipulated in the contract. Whatever, I was angry initially, not because I wouldn't get the money, but because I was happy with both images and they would not be published. But that's how it goes sometimes, I think most illustrators have these types of stories. </div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
Anyway, I put this all behind me, and went ahead and painted the piece anyway. Dwarves are awesome! And I'm not gonna just not paint one because I didn't get paid. This is Fægår, (pronounced fay-go) a dwarf warrior that will inevitably walk away from this image, and in the future I will paint him in that throne, looking quite weary and old. I wanted this piece to kind of have that feeling of old sepia toned photos, so when I paint the image of him as an older man, it will seem like he is looking back into his past. Hope you all like it, I will try to finish the other one before Gen-Con.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMRnL6VgTlvjw0eJINTo6sutHExp0mR-r5LISf7bDERgHwdwtVQaQJ1Q-XnXkY8rRvjoCpYmzDq7_0nJWeAZ8oXN2QLherkG36l35Mqd7UT6NYgkk-JCO6BWrPteaIVfLdOxteyT7JQ/s1600/faegaar_the_fearless100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMRnL6VgTlvjw0eJINTo6sutHExp0mR-r5LISf7bDERgHwdwtVQaQJ1Q-XnXkY8rRvjoCpYmzDq7_0nJWeAZ8oXN2QLherkG36l35Mqd7UT6NYgkk-JCO6BWrPteaIVfLdOxteyT7JQ/s400/faegaar_the_fearless100.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fægår the Fearless, 11"x11", Oil on Paper on Masonite, 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-28541425902219925452013-01-04T11:42:00.000-05:002013-01-04T11:42:40.722-05:00Wolves of Winterfell - Ghost<br />
Finally, wrapping this series up is, personally, my favorite direwolf, Ghost. Ghost is the runt, sort of. He's the odd man out. He's albino, and a perfect companion to Jon Snow. He makes Jon more terrifying to his opponents, and he makes Jon look like a leader to his brothers in Black. Ghost is one of the only animals in "A Song of Ice and Fire," that moves the story along. He finds dead bodies in the snow, he brings Jon to save Commander Mormont, and much more. <br />
Here I have tried to show Ghost at his most ghostly. In a snowstorm north of the wall, his body blending in with the landscape, and all you can see is his deep red eyes. <br />
So here concludes this series, hope you have all enjoyed it. I will put these images on my <a href="http://www.oweber.com/">website</a> soon and then put prints and originals on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/RagnarokShop">etsy</a>. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_Wzjeb1r6A1w3J752HhPSIZFnv3yVRwvL035JBtarxc1DkITzaNFZki6Ze21vLY2sA8G-ZI9BY3n-LsGJRUFbWC6jtKV7kjtRYM6wsrqWSM1GZ1A6xzMOY5mj9Sb5YJ0_pC-q-9evA/s1600/WolvesofWinterfell_Ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_Wzjeb1r6A1w3J752HhPSIZFnv3yVRwvL035JBtarxc1DkITzaNFZki6Ze21vLY2sA8G-ZI9BY3n-LsGJRUFbWC6jtKV7kjtRYM6wsrqWSM1GZ1A6xzMOY5mj9Sb5YJ0_pC-q-9evA/s400/WolvesofWinterfell_Ghost.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-3982166554018132762013-01-03T09:13:00.001-05:002013-01-03T10:21:13.211-05:00Wolves of Winterfell - GreywindToday's wolf is arguably the most ruthless of all the Direwolves. Robb has trained Greywind to be a warrior and all of Westeros knows this. Greywind is known as being Robb's right hand and a force that has to be dealt with in order to defeat Robb.<br />
Here I have shown him in the middle of the battlefield, looking his angriest. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvy_-20ln1NScCxY8RFN3wkM-_FHrPUtPNsyJ6YHABx7TYI4j3BQOnuDuLrH5g-EwjcW97Q8X2dXV7sctv4zkOhtpcPnNHH2JEfq-JW6BdHF5jLCO577JjDOJ2OU8YKJaOBiqsalKEA/s640/blogger-image-1947842785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvy_-20ln1NScCxY8RFN3wkM-_FHrPUtPNsyJ6YHABx7TYI4j3BQOnuDuLrH5g-EwjcW97Q8X2dXV7sctv4zkOhtpcPnNHH2JEfq-JW6BdHF5jLCO577JjDOJ2OU8YKJaOBiqsalKEA/s640/blogger-image-1947842785.jpg" /></a></div>Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-65242809748462880312013-01-02T09:13:00.001-05:002013-01-03T07:45:01.166-05:00Wolves of Winterfell- SummerToday's wolf is Summer. Here I show him when he was still in Winterfell under a weirwood tree. Summer is a wolf that I really loved from the beginning when he killed Bran's assassin. I love how protective he has been and how connected he and Bran have been from the start. Now they have almost become the same character. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyvkCoYtsZXs_57WzYjzKolVzrhZAQClGbDMIbKhCrc5siUqg2ObWsc50wIIzh3cMSjWRrWuWv3wNkvYE8Sjk3ZKtyAHUG7agrjkOAtWS6rjUP9vfz5Ys6nQ4n4JRMwERIM9Y40gncA/s640/blogger-image-1395736053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyvkCoYtsZXs_57WzYjzKolVzrhZAQClGbDMIbKhCrc5siUqg2ObWsc50wIIzh3cMSjWRrWuWv3wNkvYE8Sjk3ZKtyAHUG7agrjkOAtWS6rjUP9vfz5Ys6nQ4n4JRMwERIM9Y40gncA/s400/blogger-image-1395736053.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-44861932786037445812013-01-01T12:32:00.001-05:002013-01-01T12:32:22.679-05:00Wolves of Winterfell - LadyToday's wolf is Lady. She was the first one to die and so we never quite knew what role she would have played in Sansa's life and how things would have been had she stayed in the story. Would Sansa have been a fiercer character? Would Lady have played a part in killing any main characters? Or would she have been the lamest of the Direwolves and been kept in a life of ribbons in her hair and had a vegetarian diet? We'll never know. I like to think she would have made Sansa stronger and made Joffrey fear torturing Sansa so much.<br />
Here we see Lady just a few moments before her impending doom.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fGpw5t4lZhxIpIlW2GZ10T61bOqcLA7sDURJj7CWiMXAn9ftlPbJZCLPxXua-48zSbksronHKuXUXCeHuR6rcg1899PjbJ-BkrD3AydRLPopnvxuJoy-8yc92WJbOP-R3N9dHI_6yw/s1600/WolvesofWinterfell_Lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fGpw5t4lZhxIpIlW2GZ10T61bOqcLA7sDURJj7CWiMXAn9ftlPbJZCLPxXua-48zSbksronHKuXUXCeHuR6rcg1899PjbJ-BkrD3AydRLPopnvxuJoy-8yc92WJbOP-R3N9dHI_6yw/s320/WolvesofWinterfell_Lady.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And a Happy New Year Everyone! Last year was the Best Year of my life, so I'm hope this year will be only slightly less good.</div>
<br />Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-16125769456395579712012-12-31T09:04:00.001-05:002013-01-01T12:17:22.423-05:00Wolves of Winterfell - ShaggydogThis is my second of six posts showing my series of the Direwolves from the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books.<br />
This is Shaggydog, Rickon's wolf. He is quite a fierce protective pet, but I wanted to show him in a calmer state, wandering the snowy terrain. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJja_HlkEwVGMdZmMoZZobDR8BPhFrEbZmioA-FFXb78qlQtMar7Z5EBKhm-p1m5Qd__qJ4GBYa9qwWbEdVuhkt4EK-K_FjJvnCOO54c7bce4v029xGcsikbwA2-v61OBBXFiHNonV3w/s640/blogger-image--783399715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJja_HlkEwVGMdZmMoZZobDR8BPhFrEbZmioA-FFXb78qlQtMar7Z5EBKhm-p1m5Qd__qJ4GBYa9qwWbEdVuhkt4EK-K_FjJvnCOO54c7bce4v029xGcsikbwA2-v61OBBXFiHNonV3w/s400/blogger-image--783399715.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-6222885963331266202012-12-30T19:04:00.001-05:002013-01-01T12:17:34.018-05:00Wolves of Winterfell - NymeriaThis is the first of the series of Direwolves portraits from the " A Song of Ice and Fire" series of books by George R.R. Martin. These are meant to be seen as portraits of the characters but also they can be seen as just portraits of wolves, coinciding with my series of other portraits of mammals. Here you can see Nymeria with her pack roaming through the woods.<br />
Each of these paintings are only 5" x 5". <br />
Everyday this week I will unveil another wolf, and once that is done I will put them on my etsy page for purchase as an original or as prints. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb-FaALHNA6B9MANtAZ4-uYMBQ5zRepZb4G6lwFnfdDXi-S1U0RJ5fHH7lyA38huyt-pgTrQ0YQL-CsyxZkmjRdtCUk3mP4jltbiymDZeJcdHb7IdZz3mxAlbfDo9j3rGnW9wujt5mw/s640/blogger-image-359320026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb-FaALHNA6B9MANtAZ4-uYMBQ5zRepZb4G6lwFnfdDXi-S1U0RJ5fHH7lyA38huyt-pgTrQ0YQL-CsyxZkmjRdtCUk3mP4jltbiymDZeJcdHb7IdZz3mxAlbfDo9j3rGnW9wujt5mw/s400/blogger-image-359320026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-66812498295993336472012-12-02T15:42:00.001-05:002012-12-03T09:17:55.623-05:00The Nisse or Glaedelig Jul 2012This year I am fully immersed in Danish culture. Sarah and I are talking a Danish language course at NYU, we are reading all about Danes in the Xenophobes guide to Denmark, and we are planning our trip to Denmark next year. So, it only naturally feels like our Yule holiday card should be based on a Danish Christmas folklore.<br />
The Nisse is a very small gnome-like character who tends to the farm when the farmers are asleep. But he is also very mischievous if you are not kind to him and he will upset your favorite animal or play tricks on you in the night. He is also know to bring the presents on Christmas Eve.<br />
In Denmark, this is a very lovable character and most people decorate their trees or houses with his likeness.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mXWiPvYagzfDOhMSod6rXR17iqVjzf9m4gTEOnJC7D59-loSwi-WFhHBHRSwYoyZ4ADP65wESwFt-OsI6w7to04YXPYA_pthUIkFi5zHLGuo-ePKfHVx7YarUo_9eJh3QyVXuf2SbQ/s1600/nisse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mXWiPvYagzfDOhMSod6rXR17iqVjzf9m4gTEOnJC7D59-loSwi-WFhHBHRSwYoyZ4ADP65wESwFt-OsI6w7to04YXPYA_pthUIkFi5zHLGuo-ePKfHVx7YarUo_9eJh3QyVXuf2SbQ/s400/nisse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nisse, 17" x 12", Oil on Paper on Masonite, 2012.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-42577089485526516862012-11-26T15:07:00.002-05:002012-11-26T15:07:57.263-05:00Etsy Shop<br />
Owen's Etsy shop: RagnarokShop is now open! Please take a look around, we have cards and prints of all your favorite paintings!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/RagnarokShop?ref=top_trail">http://www.etsy.com/shop/RagnarokShop?ref=top_trail</a><br />
<br />
Hope you all like it and if you want any other images for me to make prints let me know!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-18205164891461514472012-10-01T23:54:00.000-04:002012-10-01T23:55:35.261-04:00Amylee Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMlJp9u0Mag1iWx3xcgI5R0lzFScRKycH28reBwYeCbZeMLM0nF408EA5jQVzT9mGX9Tf5Kd1D98kvAeHeKOXCxinzi_gYir0WuNbM3kcqs5gBOfXnl_EI89u-MgY0kPqOnuJVhuFM-c/s1600/Craig_Maher_Amylee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Craig Maher Amylee The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMlJp9u0Mag1iWx3xcgI5R0lzFScRKycH28reBwYeCbZeMLM0nF408EA5jQVzT9mGX9Tf5Kd1D98kvAeHeKOXCxinzi_gYir0WuNbM3kcqs5gBOfXnl_EI89u-MgY0kPqOnuJVhuFM-c/s400/Craig_Maher_Amylee2.jpg" title="Craig Maher Amylee Painting" width="296" /></a></div>
<br />
"Amylee" based on the song by The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library. Oil on board 18" x 24"Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-41462082892876535232012-10-01T23:50:00.000-04:002012-10-01T23:55:45.574-04:00Amylee Finished Drawing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_Bt8e12BneQonyFFhDZTuib7ZIlgglAWUR-7sRgLSkmyaEIccCJhgy2vO_LIpCbw5SdX9LjO-_ZQk8a39MnXhvfT9E9hMuUtU4f8QW6jC9uccCtR8-JRQSKdgGR5hfj1sGfD_9bCgTc/s1600/drawing01b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Craig Maher Amylee The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_Bt8e12BneQonyFFhDZTuib7ZIlgglAWUR-7sRgLSkmyaEIccCJhgy2vO_LIpCbw5SdX9LjO-_ZQk8a39MnXhvfT9E9hMuUtU4f8QW6jC9uccCtR8-JRQSKdgGR5hfj1sGfD_9bCgTc/s400/drawing01b.jpg" title="Craig Maher Amylee Finished Drawing" width="305" /></a></div>
<br />
Posing a model and gathering reference pictures carry the image farther and suggest details. The railing came much later on and really helped frame the figure. It's also just a little more environment for the character.Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-90647239903014468752012-10-01T23:39:00.002-04:002012-10-01T23:56:02.249-04:00Amylee Drawing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVq4mBaDXlrC2N5XRqM_8QfnlF2bFNAp9yy69MDFqcrxlL2PFetRFpT1m66YiX8GzAUb80Sr0Lnd_8cSI-Obs70EBmUz3DoePLU_7G80m_Hr1FiUBHkHZbNCoHkEHEwFQJzadwrXp9b5E/s1600/sketch7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Craig Maher Amylee The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVq4mBaDXlrC2N5XRqM_8QfnlF2bFNAp9yy69MDFqcrxlL2PFetRFpT1m66YiX8GzAUb80Sr0Lnd_8cSI-Obs70EBmUz3DoePLU_7G80m_Hr1FiUBHkHZbNCoHkEHEwFQJzadwrXp9b5E/s400/sketch7b.jpg" title="Craig Maher Amylee Drawing" width="311" /></a></div>
<br />
A larger drawing helped me define the image further and figure out what I needed from my reference.Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-59190215647772242722012-10-01T23:36:00.003-04:002012-10-01T23:56:13.608-04:00Amylee Thumbnails 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCUaSAK9y44KpuwNwt2iiAUBuo2rCZ6ZTvUJM9HiyqbSDAzjx7D9Dvnul7P6n70hWq3Bxx5SNFbQf0nSddFvpn-7NcmE4dzgfdXHqv9J-TzvP0qqv_qpWoHHR3-u0aZCvZSZ9_nmqQFs/s1600/sketch04b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Craig Maher Amylee The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library" border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCUaSAK9y44KpuwNwt2iiAUBuo2rCZ6ZTvUJM9HiyqbSDAzjx7D9Dvnul7P6n70hWq3Bxx5SNFbQf0nSddFvpn-7NcmE4dzgfdXHqv9J-TzvP0qqv_qpWoHHR3-u0aZCvZSZ9_nmqQFs/s400/sketch04b.jpg" title="Craig Maher Amylee Thumbnails 2" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
An idea came forward and I brought it through stages, trying variations and evolving the image.Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-28648742402855969082012-10-01T23:31:00.001-04:002012-10-01T23:31:34.147-04:00Amylee Thumbnails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DhgxmoDl5o-Lr4l8q_vKP_5_qRIQT2HeokKHnLBwrivERu8zGrCDu3HgtO4KjIfjJRS3oeWBKxFhkZoTB9x_aJ_pJLe_HRlShy2rosVe3VBg8HfaLYUHineD3tz_ot_taNRplnnDuII/s1600/sketch2b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Craig Maher Amylee Michael J Epstein Memorial Library" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DhgxmoDl5o-Lr4l8q_vKP_5_qRIQT2HeokKHnLBwrivERu8zGrCDu3HgtO4KjIfjJRS3oeWBKxFhkZoTB9x_aJ_pJLe_HRlShy2rosVe3VBg8HfaLYUHineD3tz_ot_taNRplnnDuII/s640/sketch2b.jpg" title="Craig Maher Amylee Thumbnails" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I recently created an illustration for the song Amylee by my friends The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library. With the image wide open and up to me you can imagine I started with pages of pre-thumbnail sketches.Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-12972119181549844632012-08-23T09:07:00.002-04:002012-08-23T09:08:43.196-04:00Riding Hood Final<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, the crickets over here are nearly deafening! I know myself and my fellow RWP crew have been working feverishly on both personal and freelance commissions. But that's good! Hopefully we can get something going on here again in the near future, but I won't make any promises because if everyone else's schedule looks like mine...it will be tough.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In any case I finally managed to finish up the Riding Hood piece that I posted the drawing for so long ago. I think I managed to solve most of the problems with it....at least I hope I did.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvwCIwTvCmREHPvDCE7ZIKMEe3I3UW0ENFFOmKBOtLyyIpwYNqXK916tiBrsCJClHQrBLefkw7M5o-Prrd2thJuToivAERWgcWeyIR_K7oBYgDg-6b5OLUrxIXBS7enTHjn4lgBW7Uudo/s1600/Riding+Hood+Final+Small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvwCIwTvCmREHPvDCE7ZIKMEe3I3UW0ENFFOmKBOtLyyIpwYNqXK916tiBrsCJClHQrBLefkw7M5o-Prrd2thJuToivAERWgcWeyIR_K7oBYgDg-6b5OLUrxIXBS7enTHjn4lgBW7Uudo/s400/Riding+Hood+Final+Small.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16"x22" Oil on board</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Scott Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09837800237796856385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-73710748527307096912012-05-07T17:25:00.000-04:002012-05-07T18:18:37.370-04:00New drawing: Riding Hood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it's been quite a while since anything's going on around here. We've all been busy as ever and unfortunately not had any time for RWP projects. We're hoping that will change real soon. For now, here's a drawing that I've been working on. Just about ready to paint. Any last minute suggestions?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9MRGFdx4ggQjJ3y7xw_9bF5YRrI2bmT0vW__C1HHnhNpQHWTlf283PlSbkkR4wN0Uu11AdjlggLIg7r3jO4VyE-GOI2lu0JE1ZlfbGzrluJ7BvMuncOUhaKiy6cOttpkPZsDCij8vmTs/s1600/Riding+Hood+drawing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9MRGFdx4ggQjJ3y7xw_9bF5YRrI2bmT0vW__C1HHnhNpQHWTlf283PlSbkkR4wN0Uu11AdjlggLIg7r3jO4VyE-GOI2lu0JE1ZlfbGzrluJ7BvMuncOUhaKiy6cOttpkPZsDCij8vmTs/s400/Riding+Hood+drawing.png" width="290" /></a></div>
</div>Scott Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09837800237796856385noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-49197695120646287192012-04-13T17:25:00.004-04:002012-04-13T17:26:47.794-04:00Ragnarok: Fenrir Swallows Odin Whole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggszoxdBY98vs4fU3uWbMI8FlqlkKSjMl58GBuZvcprpcwogfCIHZxeLJiLujuSvhqIthpGOiqwjBMLK5RImssTv4apx81M6X6q6yRVaUoYyFWINDvIh_RHTekv6aiIYGUuD9J9_QRgg/s1600/ragnarok_fenrirswallowsodinwhole72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggszoxdBY98vs4fU3uWbMI8FlqlkKSjMl58GBuZvcprpcwogfCIHZxeLJiLujuSvhqIthpGOiqwjBMLK5RImssTv4apx81M6X6q6yRVaUoYyFWINDvIh_RHTekv6aiIYGUuD9J9_QRgg/s320/ragnarok_fenrirswallowsodinwhole72.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Yay! I FINALLY FINISHED! Sorry folks, that took way too long. If memory serves we started this project back in november? Awful, simply terrible. But I have been doing a couple commissions and arranging my wedding preparations, which include a bit of design work. But I have finished. This is my depiction of a small event that happens during Ragnarok, the Norse Armageddon, where Fenrir, a giant wolf, swallows Odin, the Norse Zeus, whole. Don't worry, because later one of Odin's sons,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Víðarr, cuts Fenrir's belly open, freeing Odin. I love Odin, he's got one eye, carries a spear, has wolves and ravens at his bidding, and has a great big bushy beard! I painted a portrait of my professor, Dennis Nolan, as Odin back in college. I am Danish, so I have Viking blood in me, or at least I tell myself that every night before I sleep, so I loved doing this piece. I had been a little while since I had done something so big, 18" x 24", which I thought this painting deserved. Hope you all like it!</span></span>Owen William Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10133898289261394088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-69159686746226944082012-04-06T01:14:00.000-04:002012-04-06T01:14:29.024-04:00Craig's Viking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pJYc6m-MzmophXr87PDPnYprQ6wwBAv8H5_W4rfFc75_9WNB5RusTgXOVKQ4Sa1k9i6o1fZOg6tuJnSbEIoXf_XUYpbPvuBZpcGtSXZpALdfaU0jKqPpQV445C528YkdrC_Z2iqwIh4/s1600/Viking201204bweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pJYc6m-MzmophXr87PDPnYprQ6wwBAv8H5_W4rfFc75_9WNB5RusTgXOVKQ4Sa1k9i6o1fZOg6tuJnSbEIoXf_XUYpbPvuBZpcGtSXZpALdfaU0jKqPpQV445C528YkdrC_Z2iqwIh4/s400/Viking201204bweb.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Here is my not yet a viking youth and his vision of Valkyries. My grey underpainting pulled me towards a subdued color scheme with cool blue light.Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-37340841886464067822012-03-10T15:37:00.004-05:002012-03-10T16:15:03.704-05:00Hartford Art School Low Residency MFA in Illustration<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEyy5kgKH4tTzldp7K4KnokBESQS2v8VfB1vjh_ytsMlEpUFopLaBqy-8PKKA1HZIX8bhH6MICncBT46_dxPMnCgoHJA-tPbAnf1crMx-S9Vmi49aye2R7FjGpqi5SC9xVqBh9d6yLlg/s1600/hasmfasite.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEyy5kgKH4tTzldp7K4KnokBESQS2v8VfB1vjh_ytsMlEpUFopLaBqy-8PKKA1HZIX8bhH6MICncBT46_dxPMnCgoHJA-tPbAnf1crMx-S9Vmi49aye2R7FjGpqi5SC9xVqBh9d6yLlg/s400/hasmfasite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718372810964383890" border="0" /></a><br />Have you ever thought about getting your MFA in Illustration, but were worried about the time commitment, the cost, having to move, etc? Well, I just want to take a moment to put in a plug for the Low Residency MFA in Illustration at the Hartford Art School. I am in the midst of my first year in the program, and fellow RWP-er Scott Murphy will be joining the program this summer. Since beginning the program last July I have my first two children's book proposals under review, I have gotten work from a dream client, I have had my work re-energized, my understanding of the history of the field of illustration has deepened, and my circle of illustration contacts and friends has expanded to include folks from across the country who work not only in the children's and fantasy markets, but who do concept work, editorial, licensing, and more.<br /><br />For me, the best part about the program is that my classmates and the faculty are ALL working illustrators. Many of my classmates are mid-career, so have quite a lot of experience in the field, and at least half of them are already teaching on a college level. Every single person involved in the program, whether faculty or student, is a great resource for information and feedback.<br /><br />The program is structured so that its students can continue to live their lives, so that it won't disrupt their freelance or teaching careers, or their other full or part-time jobs. Those that have families don't have to move, or be limited to only what is offered nearby. We are technically full-time students, but only meet for a total of four weeks out of the year for two years (three summers). These one or two-week intensives are exactly that - intense! I always come away from them full of inspiration and new ideas. In-between the intensives we work on some small assignments, and most importantly we develop our thesis projects. For a lot of students, the thesis is something that they have been wanting to work on for a while, but needed some motivation and guidance to make it happen. I have been working on my thesis for 7 months now, and have over a year to go, and I am incredibly excited about it. I'm sure I'll do some posting about it in the months to come.<br /><br />So that's my little pitch for this fabulous program. If you are thinking about getting your MFA and the low residency format sounds right for you, you can read more about it on the website here - <a href="http://hartfordillustrationmfa.org/about/index.php">Hartford Art School MFA in Illustration</a>. Be sure to check out the mind-blowingly amazing list of faculty, and links to the work of current students.R Solowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578895072074865656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-39531381935942329132012-01-25T00:28:00.005-05:002012-01-25T00:40:28.356-05:00Lis's Viking Final - "Rán's Embrace"Here is my final piece! Watercolor/acryla gouache/digital - I want to make the corrections in the painting that I made digitally. I just did them digitally first because it's easier to see what I'm right and wrong. Submitting it to Spectrum tomorrow along with two others!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.albaillustration.com/blogfiles/ransembrace.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fsExD90gzK6A-MxH-1U_pJEzAk7U0lf3JW3k9Rnx4_PEFnMuEt8YU7dNBdo626jbNmRuCIDngXal4FZuzbziMUyyJpTLBFHi-YXaRwBxmqi3TU9YqW-NVRwix3F7kGt0e9HUnetfBr8o/s200/ransembrace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701438718184521810" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I found some more great information about Rán here - <a href="http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/2010/03/ran-norse-goddess-of-sea.html">http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/2010/03/ran-norse-goddess-of-sea.html</a><br /><br />From the link:<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"She has been called cruel, greedy and insatiable. She reigns over the the Underworld found at the bottom of the sea. Ran mated with Her brother, Aegir, the sea god, and they had nine beautiful daughters, the Waves... Her name means "robbery", and She could often be found lurking on the dangerous cliffs and, with the help of Her daughters, enticing mariners to approach; once within Her reach, She spread Her fishing net over them and calmly draws them down into Her realm.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">"The Norse people believed that drowning victims were not admitted into Valhalla; instead, they went to Ran's realm of the dark. She was, therefore, also considered to be a Goddess of the Dead. If the dead had gold, they were treated well within Her deep sea abode, and the mead would flow freely.</span><span style="font-size:85%;">.. Ran represents water; and, as such, She controls the life force of all the creatures on Earth."</span></div>Elisabeth Albahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594760257037917951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630063725012586262.post-77685899656400117372012-01-20T09:48:00.000-05:002012-01-20T09:48:15.779-05:00Craig's Viking Underpainting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuNU86hp2aeoXbSMV9uLRTeRmFDzAAD4YsGd-f7ZGP7VpJLZZg1wqv8bdkftKiKbM4djvqCXpE6jlpgpA36dJZfDL1KhXkotSs4ArhB1Gu7USi0qRIJMBvKYZpfd5tBz0HHNRCovKfbM/s1600/VikingUnderpaintingCraigWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuNU86hp2aeoXbSMV9uLRTeRmFDzAAD4YsGd-f7ZGP7VpJLZZg1wqv8bdkftKiKbM4djvqCXpE6jlpgpA36dJZfDL1KhXkotSs4ArhB1Gu7USi0qRIJMBvKYZpfd5tBz0HHNRCovKfbM/s320/VikingUnderpaintingCraigWeb.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YpABgcPkWIYpBnl5zzX22vRAsWLNOKvYrBuaryoxIjw-DzbhKOVvZD3hMgYTkzsnmkEIUib1qm_l6cdKdNKI8epQpa0UH12qA-udy3z9LUFDbbw87pMLjL7FKlZ5-__Z4YQ4g6LzSW0/s1600/VikingUnderpaintingDetailCraig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YpABgcPkWIYpBnl5zzX22vRAsWLNOKvYrBuaryoxIjw-DzbhKOVvZD3hMgYTkzsnmkEIUib1qm_l6cdKdNKI8epQpa0UH12qA-udy3z9LUFDbbw87pMLjL7FKlZ5-__Z4YQ4g6LzSW0/s320/VikingUnderpaintingDetailCraig.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<br />
Inspired by Petar Meseldzija I decided to do an underpainting for this piece.<br />
<br />
http://petarmeseldzija.blogspot.com/2011/12/conan-commission-part-2.html <br />
<br />
He, of course, has a lot of experience and I'm sure his handling of the thinness of the paint sets up a better underlayer than I've created here. Also I know a warm underpainting can set up some great contrasts and warm shadows but I simply used a grey palette made of Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. This was an experiment in planning tone for me. I spent too much time blending the background instead of just laying it in but I'm happy with the way I simply blocked in the forms on the rest.<br />
<br />
P.S. I had a family friend pose for the face and made my viking even younger. This will also contribute to a better expression on his face. I added a bundle of sticks on his back for a little storytelling ... "I was out collecting firewood when suddenly ..."<br />
<br />
Lots of painting still to go!<br />
<br />Craig Maherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942366845132843332noreply@blogger.com4