Quite recently I was very lucky to get the opportunity to paint a few cards for the Fantasy Flight Games’s The Lord of the Rings; the card game. As I’ve always had an interest in the books of J. R. R. Tolkien I was more than happy to do so!
Since this card ‘The Highlands’ is in publication I’ve added a smaller copy of the original image to my gallery, which you can view right here on my blog.
The scene depicts a daunting view of the Emyn Muil and is appropriately part of the encounter set – The hills of Emyn Muil (available from Fantasy Flight Games).
The lord of the rings is a special trilogy for me, I first read it when I was around elven/twelve years old. Unfortunately I am not a fan of the Peter Jackson films but that does not diminish my love of the works of other artists who have interprited Tolkien themselves.
I recently managed to watch the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. It was a real pleasure to watch a TV show that follows in the spirit of the original books by George R. R. Martin, especially after the personal disappointment of the antipodean Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Great locations, excellent acting especially from Sean Bean as Eddard Stark and Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister , also worth mentioning that Peter Dinklage does a good job as Tyrion Lannister. There are lots of great performances in the show just too many to list here!
It reminded me of the Game of Thrones artwork I did for Fantasy Flight Games quite a while back. I’ve never played with collectable card games so I don’t really understand them to be honest, but having the chance to illustrate from something you’ve read is quite a frill. My own personal favorite from the bunch was the very first one I did for Fantasy Flight Games called Summer. I enjoyed doing that one the most.
Now I’m looking forward to the second season of Game of Thrones, I really do hope that HBO keep up the excellent work they’ve done with the series so far..
Not too long ago a friend of mine asked me if I could do something for what he called a “Reem” Party! He told me what he was looking for and I created a painting of a dancing girl for him to use for his companies marketing.
It so happens that my friend works for the Sugar Hut Village night club in Brentwood Essex, and the very same club is heavily featured on the ITV show “The only way is Essex” a pseudo reality program.
I’ve never actually watched the program, but I’ve heard enough about it to ensure that I continue on that course! However I wont object if my picture appears on TV sometime (someone will have to tell me if it does).
Bill Corbett’s artwork on TV! That hasn’t happened since Blue Peter in 1978!! Shutuuuuppppp!!!
Checkout the Brentwood nightclub at the given link above..
A few months ago I was asked if I would paint a mural for Winchester House Care Home in Rochester Kent. My wife is a carer on one of the dementia units at the home and recommended me to the activities team. The mural was needed to serve as a backdrop to a sensory garden for the residents at the home so I was glad to volunteer my help.
You may recall that I posted a digital painting of how the mural would possibly look in an early post here. It was a typical spring rapeseed landscape, very typical for this part of Kent.
I can proudly announce that I’ve finished the mural!
For those of you interested in the details: The mural covered three main walls and a small archway. It took 25 hours approximately to paint and the vast majority was painted using masonry paint. I used a little acrylic mixed with masonry paint in some of the mural, especially where a richer tone was required.
I’ve posted photos of the three main walls for you to see for yourselves.
Checkout the Art Class is this months ImagineFX magazine (issue 70). I was fortunate enough to mentor a very talented young artist from Brazil by the name of Luisa Rafida. We corresponded over her fantasy painting and I provided help in the form of advice and technical know how. It was really fun to do and Luisa was a great student. You can see the final result on Luisa’s Deviantart art page here
