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The completed Ring Verses illuminated calligraphy scroll. Romanesque style vesica illumination of Sauron as "Annatar", the Lord of Gifts, as he appeared to the Elves in the 2nd Age.

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Framed print of one of my LOTR illuminations, Romanesque style, available at https://tamburnbindery.etsy.com

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Gimli, Son of Gloin

The Lord of the Rings

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Finally starting in on Middle Earth. It wasn't easy and I have a lot of discarded attempts, discarded colour palettes, discarded ideas.

I love Middle Earth and especially the Middle Earth that Peter Jackson and all the amazing artists at Weta created, so I wanted to get it right, but oh man, was it hard. I took some chances I would have otherwise and maybe in the future I shall think differently, but for now I am quite happy with my choices.

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Gandalf the Grey, some close-ups

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🍃 Flora of Middle-Earth 🍃 by rosecatillustration

Seregon was a plant that grew in rocky soil and produced blood-red flowers, which gave it its name. Seregon was noted as the one plant that mantled the otherwise barren head of Amon Rûdh.

Aeglos was a tall, thorny plant, similar to a gorse, but somewhat larger than that. Its sweet-smelling flowers were white, and from them it took its name: aeglos is Sindarin for “snow-thorn”. It was found on the lower slopes of Amon Rûdh, upon the surrounding moors, in West Beleriand and perhaps elsewhere.

Brambles of Mordor were ugly with foot-long thorns, which were sharp as the knives of the orcs that came from Mordor. Some of the thorns were long and sharp, meaning that they could puncture very deeply, while others were barbed, making them suited for rending the flesh if one tried to walk through them. They sprawled over the land like coils of steel wire. As Samwise Gamgee remarked, he hadn’t thought that any plants actually grew in Mordor, though had he been told that some do, the brambles were exactly what he would have expected of Mordor.

Lissuin was a fragrant flower of Tol Eressëa, and was said to bring the heart ease. It was one of the types of flowers brought by a ship of the Eldar to Númenor to grace the wedding of Aldarion and Erendis.

Elanor was a golden, star-shaped flower that grew in abundance in the forest of Lórien. Samwise Gamgee thought highly of the flower and, at Frodo’s suggestion, named his eldest daughter, Elanor Gardner, from it.

It was like “a pimpernel (perhaps a little enlarged) growing sun-golden flowers and star-silver ones on the same plant, and sometimes the two combined”.

They grew in sheltered places twisted tree-forms and stunted grey grasses grew. The leaves were shrivelled with Sulphur vapour and maggot hatchlings. They were the only plantlife that seemed to maintain more than a tenuous foothold.

Athelas, also known as Kingsfoil or asëa aranion, was a sweet-smelling herb with healing powers, such as curing wounds, poison and counteracting evil influence such as the Black Breath.

Niphredil was a small white flower that grew first at the moment of Lúthien’s birth in Doriath. It was also found among the golden trees of Lothlórien, thickest on Cerin Amroth, where some pale green varieties could be seen.

It was like “a delicate kin of a snowdrop.”

Simbelmynë was a small white flower that grew in particular abundance on graves and tombs, like the Barrowfield of the Kings of Rohan beneath the walls of Edoras; and most thickly on the grave of Helm Hammerhand. It was referred to as uilos when Tuor saw these flowers in the great ravine between the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Writhen Iron, and the Fifth Gate that was made of white marble, when he was making his way to Gondolin. Another Elven name for this flower was alfirin, which grew on the low mound that was the tomb of Elendil upon the summit of Amon Anwar.

It grew in turf but small and white like the wood anemone. Though the plant bloomed at all seasons, its flowers were not ‘immortelles’.

Mallos was a flower that grew in the vales of Lebennin in Gondor, described as having the shape and colour of a golden bell.

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The Edel-Silmarillion, created by Benjamin Harff, is a hand-illuminated version of JRR Tolkien’s Silmarillion based on medieval calligraphy. Harff, who designed this book for his exam at the Academy of Arts, Berlin, planned the calligraphy and illustrations for six months before completing the project over the course of another six months. There is only one copy of this book, making it truly unique. (x)

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aragorn my beloved, the original fictional man to have a crush on

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Gandalf the Grey in celtic style

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Celtic bird. My artwork

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just found your page and i love your art! may i ask what materials (brands specifically) you use?

Hello! Thank you very much!

When I work traditionally I mostly use watercolors «White Nights». This is a Russian brand, but I know that it is on sale in many countries. This watercolor produces vibrant, rich colors, many of which are fade-resistant.

For golden elements I use  Finetec by Coliro.

When I need a waterproof outline, I use Koh-I-Noor ink.

For my calligraphy I use metal flat nibs, it doesn’t really matter what brand, and also PILOT Parallel Pen for more precise lines.

To draw contours and small details, I use regular thin synthetic manicure brushes, or, sometimes, a point nib.

When I work digitally, I use CLIP Studio Paint and Wacom graphic tablet (very old actually, but still works fine).

Thanks for question!

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My illustration in the style of a medieval tapestry

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Some Tolkien-inspired embroidery

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My copy from the Book of Kells, illuminated manuscript created in the 9th century in Ireland

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Ecthelion and Glorfindel

Elvish lords of Gondolin

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Théoden's Battle Cry before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

My art in celtic style. Watercolor and ink

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The Lay of the Children of Húrin

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