The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Artwork

[MountainMan]

I'm sure this question has come up for discussion before, but I'm still new to this great site and haven't had a chance to explore every nook and cranny yet! Actually, this is more of a wish than a question... Over the years, I've enjoyed some of the fantastic Tolkien-based artwork created by talented artists like Ted Nasmith and Alan Lee. I believe these works have greatly added to the whole Tolkien experience - Wouldn't it be awesome if artists like these would create works based on The Land? I've enjoyed the member's work here on this site and I know we have had different cover art over the years, but I think so much more could be done! I've always wanted to do some works myself, but IMO I just couldn't do the justice to SRD's creation that it truly deserves. How's everyone else feel?

[Rocksister]

I agree, Mountain Man. I also like the artwork that Todd Lockwood has done for the R. A. Salvatore books. And for some really "out there" stuff, John Jude Palencar is hard to beat. Both of these guys have their own web sites; if you want to get blown away, check them out. I think JJP should do a rendering of Foul and the ur-viles. I think he has the right "bend" to his work. Another name that comes to mind is Warren Flannagan. He does movies and such, but I saw some artwork he did for an album and it was unbelievable. He does not have his own site, sadly, but you can see that album's artwork by going to symphonyx.com. It was their album Paradise Lost that he did the artwork. Too bad it doesn't show what was inside the CD case; that is only the front cover.

[Blackhawk]

there is another gallery besides the members artwork on the main KW page, its the link at the top "Album" then "Watch History" alot of members artwork, and I'm Also working on some landscapes..im in the middle of doing Seareach/Coerci and a scene with TC with Santonin Na Mhoram which you can see as my Picture/avatar to the left.

i asked the same thing in the artist renditions of urviles etc thread..hoping more artists would get inspired towards the TCTC.

also heres a few other things ive done. also i Updated the map again because after re listening to the books I found alot of Geographical Errors on my part...hey ..they werent listed on the original map in the book so what can i do? most changes are around Foul's Creche and Revelstone..and i Replaced Grimmerdhore forrest...along with some additions to the Sarangrave...Still in progress..im adding hills to the Last Hills in Trothguard and more canyons/small desert outcrops for the southron wastes and Cliffs for Seareach.

you can see it at my site if your interested. and im going to post it here but it will be a smaller file so the quality may be lower. I printed a large scale version of the map and im having it framed....its about 42 x 32 so by request im going to post a pic of that and myself for perspective on the print size. as soon as the frame is ready.

anyway heres my site and I'll post updates when i have them ready.

mysite.verizon.net/reswzwrs/billytiffbackgrounds/

[MountainMan]

Thanks for the websites, Rocksister! Some amazing artwork!

I've recently read here on this site that SRD said he didn't really want artwork depicting his characters or landscapes because he wanted everyone to form those images in their own minds... I agree with his philosophy on one hand because whenever I read his stories or any others which deeply affect me, its a very personal experience for me and those images which are created in my mind are my own and no one else's - not to mention the fact that he single-handedly created this unparalleled world and richly deserves to have his wishes respected!!

On the other hand, once SRD gave his works to the world, they became the world's. This site is just one example of that - the people who love his work celebrate it in their own way every day here. Some of the posts I've read here have blown me away - things I've missed or misinterpreted were shown to me by someone else's unique perspective or insight. The same can be said for the imagery that comes to mind when experiencing his story. Those talented folks who can visualize those fantastic images in their own unique perspective and then bring them to life for all to share - that I think is the ultimate way to honor his work and share it with the world.

Blackhawk: Great work!! Your map of The Land Kicks Ass!!

[Vain]

Bah !! I want visuals. Blackhawak has done, and is doing, some really cool stuff.

There's quite a few SRD fans at the cgi forum and if only they'd also turn their hand towards SRD's works

[Blackhawk]

Thanks Mountain man, ... and thanks Vain..

hehe.. theres a CGI forum??

I rarely scroll down past the TCTC forums..

yeah....with all the CGI artists out there it blows me away that i havent seen more done towards TCTC. as far as my contributions ive got alot of ideas and have some of them already started....I'm trying not to just whip out half assed renderings for the landscapes so alot of deleting recreating and experimenting and it seems to be coming together so far. I have the Images in my head and more keep coming... not likely i will be able to make things that everyone or even 5% of the people will say ..thats exactly how i pictured it... but..im going to try...mostly for myself but if others enjoy it then its even that much better for me.

Im trying animation now too ..mostly just Moving clouds and wind sounds added to the Soutron Range/wastes rendering for now...but could be applied to any of my landscapes. ..now all i need is a room full of computers to render all of this in a decent amount of time...LOL.

[Cagliostro]

Actually, Sweet did some LOTR art too, and those are still the defining covers for me. I know Donaldson hates them, but despite little weirdnesses here and there, those are the ones that defined the characters for me, to a small degree.

[Relayer]

Yep. Sweet's covers were the ones I had my first time through and they're the definitive covers for me too. (although TOT is a bit twee)

[Blackhawk]

I found another version of the lands map out there...not really recreated but someone colored it ...just another version I found out there.

fantasymaps.wordpress.com/category/thomas-covenant/

[Fist and Faith]

Hey, I just saw this thread and checked out your stuff, Blackhawk. I love it! Keep it coming!!

And I'm always wanting to see more versions of the "Lord Mhoram's Victory" painting described in TIW.

[Blackhawk]

Hey, I just saw this thread and checked out your stuff, Blackhawk. I love it! Keep it coming!!

And I'm always wanting to see more versions of the "Lord Mhoram's Victory" painting described in TIW.

Thanks Fist and Faith I have a pretty detailed 3d city of Coerci with the Seareach coast going right now still some stuff im Ironing out but if it turns out well(looks great so far) i will have a bunch of perspective shots of seareach..from the light tower, from the ocean ..view north of the cliffs, ariel perspectives to view the terrain from coast to the climbs, also views from inside the city and the docks, bridges. Seareach 3d is what i had originally intended for the entire land but it was a Massive job so now that im pretty much done with the map im going to do 3d regions of the land. so far the Southern Wastes (Done)...Seareach(In progress) Sarangrave,(in progress) and hopefully alot more to come.

...Lord Mhorams battle in the shattered hills has always been in my head so that will be one of the character scenes i do in the future. also Hyrims & the Bloodguards defeat of Kinslaughterer, which will be easier now because i have Coerci almost done. In progress i have the scene with Santonin and Covenant. and i really want to make a sandgorgon especially the scene of Nom hammering through the dungeon door or the battle between Hergrom Ceer and the Sandgorgon,.

theres enough to keep me busy for a lifetime with these books alone and i have never really had any interest in any of the other landscapes or people i have read about (Dark tower is an exception but it has so many animators and artists dedicated to it already...same with LOTR.

[Rocksister]

Awesome stuff, Blackhawk. I am looking forward to seeing more of it. You have a talent, dude.

[Blackhawk]

Awesome stuff, Blackhawk. I am looking forward to seeing more of it. You have a talent, dude.

Thanks Rocksister! I appreciate that.

[FantasyCartographer]

I found another version of the lands map out there...not really recreated but someone colored it ...just another version I found out there.

fantasymaps.wordpress.com/category/thomas-covenant/

Just wanted to do a quick join and thank Blackhawk for the link.

His "The Land" map is now featured on my Fantasy Cartography blog:

fantasymaps.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/thomas-covenant-the-land-user-submission-billy-springer/

What a fantastic map! Keep up the good work.

[Menolly]

Be Welcome to the Watch, FC. Be Well Come and True.

[Blackhawk]

thanks for the add and the comment Fantasy Cartographer

and thanks to you too Menolly for the comment you left at my webpage

[Menolly]

*blushing*

You're welcome, Blackhawk.

[Ur Dead]

There was one thing about the maps. Revelstone with Furls falls and the upper part where Glimmermere is, give me the impression that it a Plateau instead of a moutain region. With a quality of a mesa. (an upper rolling hills on top but flat with a sharp face)

But the drawn maps show it as a moutainious area. Maybe there wasn't enough info to give a clear prespective of what it was.

Can somebody point me in the direction where it gives detail how Revelstone stood?

[Blackhawk]

heres a few descriptions of Revelstone and Glimmermere

from Runes: Here, at the apex of the promontory, the peaks dropped
to form an upland plateau pointing east and sweeping north.
All the walls of the plateau were sheer, as effective as battle-
ments; and in the center of the upland lay Glimmermere, the
eldritch tarn with its waters untouched by the Sunbane until
they cascaded down Furl Falls in the long south face of the
promontory and passed beyond the sources of their potency.
But the Keep itself stood to the east of Glimmermere and
Furl Falls. The Unhomed had wrought the city of the Lords
into the eastward wedge of the plateau, filling that outcrop
of the Earth's hard gutrock with habitations and defenses.

Power that Preserves:

Some of the farmers-people whose lifework had been taken from them by the winter-crept out
to the upland hills around Glimmermere, sneaking as if they were ashamed to be caught planting
futile rows of seeds in the frozen earth.

After a time, he found himself standing cold in the wind on a hill above Glimmermere. Below
him, the rare, potent waters of the lake lay unruffled despite the buffeting of the wind. Though
the skies above it were as gray as the ashes of the world's end, it seemed to shine with
remembered sunlight. It reflected cleanly the hills and the distant mountains,

but at last the Ranyhyn reached the hills around
Glimmermere,

Mhoram had one hell of an arm
"he lifted the krill and tossed it high into the air. It arced glinting through
the sunlight, struck water in the center of Glimmermere. I was under the impression that Glimmermere was a lake not a pond. I was thinking it was at least half a mile in diameter.



here is the best description of the upland plateau i could find.

After two sharp switchbacks, the passage ended, and he
found himself out in the open, standing on thick grass under the roofless heavens. A league or two
west of him were the mountains.
A cool breeze hinting a fall crispness touched him through the late morning sunlight-a low blowing
as full of ripe earth and harvests as if it were clairvoyant, foretelling bundled crops and full
fruit and seeds ready for rest. But the trees on the plateau and the upland hills were
predominantly evergreens, feathery mimosas and tall pines and wide cedars with no turning of
leaves. And the hardy grass made no concessions to the changing season.
The hills of the upland were Revelstone's secret strength. They were protected by -sheer cliffs on
the east and south, by mountains on the north and west; and so they were virtually inaccessible
except through Lord's Keep itself.

She
turned away from it, and led him northward along the curve of the upland.
In this direction, the plateau rose into rumpled hills; and soon, on their left, away from the
cliff, they began to pass herds of grazing cattle. Cattleherds saluted the High Lord
ceremoniously, and she responded with quiet bows. Later, she and Covenant crossed a hilltop from
which they could see westward across the width of the upland. There, beyond the swift river that
ran south toward the bead of Furl Falls, were fields where crops of wheat and maize rippled in the
breeze. And a league behind the grazeland and the river and the fields stood the mountains, rising
rugged and grand out of the hills. The peaks were snow-clad, and their white bemantling made them
look hoary and aloof-sheer, wild, and irreproachable. The Haruchai lived west and south in this
same range.

they crossed the rise of a high hill, and she announced
that they had arrived. "Ah," she said with a sigh of gladness, "Glimmermere! Lakespring and
riverhead-hail, clean pool! It pleases my heart to see you again."
They were looking down on a mountain lake, the headwater of the river which ran to Furl Falls. For
all the swiftness of the current rushing from it, it was a still pool, with no inflowing streams;
all its water came from springs within it. And its surface was as flat, clear, and reflective as
polished glass. It echoed the mountains and the sky with flawless fidelity, imaging the world in
every detail.



alot of detail....on my map unfortunately i had to sacrifice detail on things i thought would be too small to actually view , even the full scale version of the map the detail is still small...I may re add them to the map as i make the detailed versions but it might not look right..(blur perspective on distant images to make it more realistic) on the larger scale landscapes im adding alot more details, I am working on Seareach and the Grieve(Coerci) and actually im uploading right now a coastline perspective of Seareach the main piece is still in progress ..more mountains and cliff homes and alot of detail bridges walkways. and a more realistic sky.

oh..the coastline of seareach is in the watch history album.

[spoonchicken]

Only one small complaint...the location names are kinda hard to read. Hopefully they're easier to behold (!) on the full-sized finished product. I'll buy one and proudly hang it on the living room wall. Please keep us posted