Horse-lords of Rohan Preview - Cover!

[Falenthal]

Jon, couldn't you open a sticky thread with a compilation of this explanations about your works? You could attach a picture to each post and describe your inspirations, what problems you did find with older pictures of the same location/culture, real world places and works that catched your eye,...

I know it would be additional work on you, but it's really impressive not only to look at your drawings, but also to know what's behind them. A thread or a personal blog about this would be amazing. How I would have liked to read this kind of thoughts from Angus McBride, and we have a unique opportunity to get some from you.

[Ghal Maraz]

It's truly a thing of wonder, and one of the joys of the job, how people can interpret the same text in different ways.

The Pukel-men like statues (though clearly we're not at Dunharrow here, and it's a fair assumption that there are other statues in Rohan of a similar if not identical type, made by similar cultural groups) in this painting were based on a mixture of the Boa Island figures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boa_Island#Stone_figures and the Venus of Willendorf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf and some La Tène stuff like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celts#/med ... c_hero.jpg which seem very likely candidates for, or at least representatives of, Tolkien's inspirations.

Personally I think it would be a mistake to take what a hobbit remembers of a statue, and how the appearance of a person reminded him of that statue, and render that statue too directly or literally, without any further thought on what Tolkien means about the secondary world when he speaks through Merry. I think you have to work backwards from the lens of Hobbit recollection and a Hobbit's view of the world. And of course work in your own lens for some consistency. It is remarkably effective prose for that process - it's one of the things I love about Tolkien - he rarely describes directly, it's all layers of inference and reference. Once we dig into these references we can start to expand outward a little and broaden our depiction of the world he's describing with his hints and similes.

Tolkien's method of writing also means it's very hard to argue that one interpretation is the correct one and another is incorrect - all you can do is make the most well considered interpretation for the purpose you intend it for. And any interpretation is just that - an interpretation. It's a lasting frustration to me, especially with locations like Rivendell, that we're forced to pin them down into a single interpretation, when in my head my imagination makes them far more fluid.

We can't say "That isn't what statues of Pukel men look like". All we can say is "That isn't how I imagined them, for these reasons" and if we're intelligent people something interesting comes out of comparing our interpretations. Which is great!

This post is wonderful, insighful and full of marvel.
I was already amazed by your previous posts in this same thread, but this last one really explains a lot to me how your art, in its very own particular style, always talks to me and really oozes character, declining itself according to the particularity of the setting, the mood, and the subject.

[Arthadan]

Thanks for your answer Jon!

It's very kind of you to take the time to explain your creative process and very interesting. I agree Tolkien descriptions of Middle-earth and are very evocative and of course different visions are enriching. Apologies if I sounded too categoric.

My interpretation comes mainly from the the story of "The Faithful Stone" in the Unfinished Tales. In this tale, a farmer befriends a Wose and his house is overlooked by a Watch-stone. The farmer suffers an Orc raid and the statue comes to life defending him from the orcs and the next day the Wose has suffered similar wounds to the statue:

"I will speak, when I have looked and thought longer," said Aghan; and then he went hither and thither scanning the ground, and Barach followed him. At length Aghan led him to a thicket at the edge of the clearing in which the house stood. There the watch-stone was, sitting on a dead Orc; but its legs were all blackened and cracked, and one of its feet had split off and lay loose at its side. Aghan looked grieved; but he said: "Ah well! He did what be could. And better that his legs should trample Orc-fire than mine."
Then he sat down and unlaced his buskins, and Barach saw that under them there were bandages on his legs. Aghan undid them. "They are healing already," he said'. "I had kept vigil by my brother for two nights, and last night I slept. I woke before morning came, and I was in pain, and found my legs blistered. Then I guessed what had happened. Alas! If some power passes from you to a thing that you have made, then you must take a share in its hurts."

Thus I've always imagined púkel-men roughly the shape and size of a living Wose (and certainly with legs!).

Edit: Something along this line, although this is a monkey:Link

[Glorelendil]

I would imagine they are made in a variety of sizes. And if a Wose is planning to imbue one with some of his own power (which I suspect would be the rare exception, not the rule) then he would probably make one more life-sized.

Although now I am envisioning a scene, a la Spinal Tap, where a 5" high Pukel-man is running around trying to fight orcs.

Anyway, I agree with Falenthal's idea but I think it should be a coffee-table book. Jon's art with these sorts of explanations on each page. EDIT: and photographs of his inspirational sources.

[Falenthal]

Anyway, I agree with Falenthal's idea but I think it should be a coffee-table book. Jon's art with these sorts of explanations on each page. EDIT: and photographs of his inspirational sources.

+1

And pipeweed or a bag of tea in the inside, to enjoy the reading even more.

[Arthadan]

+ 1

I'd totally get such a book!

[Ghal Maraz]

+ 1

I'd totally get such a book!

If you'll ever get a permission to print such a book from your licensor, I would totally buy it.

[StuartJ]

+ 1

I'd totally get such a book!

If you'll ever get a permission to print such a book from your licensor, I would totally buy it.

Jon,

I'll join the chorus of appreciation for you explaining the background and insight behind your creative work, with the recognition that a literal book may not be possible at the moment. I've suddenly got a new sense of depth perspective looking into the TOR illustrations, a sort of visual analogue to the first time I began to appreciate the philological references and play at work in Tolkien's writing.

Still, I hope you might consider Falenthal's original suggestion: if you were e.g. to blog about your creative approach and the art direction in TOR, it might drive traffic to

thanks again for sharing,

Stuart

[Jon Hodgson]

I truly wish I had time to write a blog about our design thoughts and processes. Sadly it's not something I could fit in right now. I'll post what I can hereabouts though!

[buddhax]

This cover is amazing but was is more amazing for me is to know all the thinking each creative decision has. I have to say I don't think it will be a LotR theme RPG as good as this again in a looong long time if ever. Thanks, Jon and thanks Cubicle7 developer team for this gift to us: fans and players.