Eomer faces the Mumakil

Eomer faces the Mumakil. Being hugely inspired since the age of eleven by Tolkien after reading the books, the scenes in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King describing the battle of the Pelennor Field have captivated me. While the movie version had me reliving my younger years with teared up eyes, it is the drama in the books that lives in my head. The fall of Théoden, Eomer finding his sister, presumed dead and then going on his epic fatalistic charge with 'nothing left to lose' (Ride now! Ride for ruin and the worlds ending! Death!), it still gives me chills. I struggled with the composition in this scene and will probably do a second iteration of it in the future, it is dear to me because of it's emotional bagage.

Photoshop + Huion 24"4k pen display.

I struggled. I had a first setup relatively quick. I think all that remains of that is Eomers head, with which I was quite satisfied from the beginning. After plenty of hours I abandoned the project. It took me over a year and fresh eyes to get back to it. New energy and a drive to make this scene happen helped me finish it. While I love it for what it became and what it represents, the execution lacks. I feel it is somewhat cobbled together, over rendered in places, maybe losing it's dynamics.

This very early compositional sketch has the right mood (yet no references for the Mumakil used as is plain). The vagueness of the background speaks to me though.