A few people recommended Daniel Smith watercolours to me when I posted my last blog post. I got curious and found a place to order them online in Germany. I got myself Shadow Violet, Quinacridone Deep Gold and Indian Red (which I’d run out of anyway). The owner of the shop very kindly also included a couple of “dot cards”, watercolour paper with dried paint dots on it, which you can try out for yourself. And wow – am I hooked! Especially the Quinacridone hues are amazing – completely transparent, light-fast and wonderfully vibrant and alive.
In the corner, I tried some Shadow Violet (with masking technique). The hues you see there are for real. Just wow.
I also got myself some Fabriano paper, as I was running out of Montval. Fabriano, for me, is a real discovery – as grainy and cottony as Arches, but without the latter’s setbacks (I could never get dark colours on Arches). Together with a new watercolour technique book by Roland Roycraft, I suddenly found myself wanting to try it all out at once – new technique with masking fluid, my new Daniel Smith colours, my new Fabriano paper, and leave out lineart and paint loosely, while we’re at it.
With all those novelties, it was clear who’d be my guinea pig.
I still managed to totally warp the proportions (no lineart! Heeeelp!), so thanks for the miracles of Photoshop’ liquefy tool. :D
The colours are 100% original. Let’s just pretend the face looks like this too.
Jenny Dolfen Art 
Great colors.
The result is just incredible ! I can’t way to see all this on your next illustration.
Wow very bright and pigmented! They look wonderful! Have fun!
Today I’ve buyed my first watercolour palette, so I’m trying them out a bit, too… I’m in awe of your precision, my results for now look just like Maedhros ‘ violet side of hair, just… It is unintentional. And it looks like this in the tiniest details too. Oh well…
However, I supposed Maedhros was quite used to play Guinea pig, with a father and a mother who were both artists… Lots of modelling,I bet :)
Vielleicht gibt es dort wieder ein fantastisches Türkis! Ich schaue mich mal um :)
Gibt es, diverse! Sei aber vorsichtig mit allem, wo “genuine” hintersteht. Das sind tatsächlich echte Mineralien (Lapis Lazuli, Türkis etc) und sie kommen extrem dünn raus. Auch “Cobalt Teal Blue” ist etwas schwach auf der Brust. Wenn du gern pastellig malst, sind die kein Problem, aber ich habe gern die Vielseitigkeit – unverdünnt müssen sie knallen. Runterdünnen kann ich sie immer noch. :)
“Phtalo Turquoise” sieht ziemlich gut aus.
Dankeschön! Und dieses Shadow violet ist wirklich so zweifarbig? Da sahen ja einige Farben (in der Liste auf der Webseite) aus wie quasi Effektfarben und das finde ich wirklich spannend.
Ja, das sieht tatsächlich genauso aus wie auf der Website! Ich war auch überrascht.
Danke für die Antwort! Da werde ich jetzt sparen und in einiger Zeit bestellen.
Jenny this is so exciting! Roland Roycraft is who reinvigorated my painting after a long pause. Unlike you, I did not maintain a work/life/art balance as a high school teacher and stopped painting. When I picked up watercolors again it was because of Roycraft’s work! I’d say a couple of years ago I found your work, and it has been equally inspirational!
His techniques are gorgeous, aren’t they? It’s not often that I learn something fundamentally new from a book, let alone several things!
just as an fyi he has two books (some fundamental stuff but other just inspirational) while i own a ton of art books, these books i actually have taken out and painted with. composition wise, color scheme wise, and inspiration wise his work is stunning. my carpet does not appreciate the pour methods he uses though. i was saddened that he passed in 2011 but he did leave behind such tremendous beauty (and books for people like me to learn from). i’m excited to see your artwork evolve with his influence. i prefer your subject matter greatly after all!
p.s. daniel smith pthalo colors are drool worthy as well.
He looks gorgeous, as always!! Great job Jenny!
Sorry, I tried to comment on Deviant-Art but it doesn’t recognize my e-mail, so…
Your galllery is truly beautiful, you are definitely my prefered Tolkien’s artist (juste before Alan Lee and Tom Loback). And looking to your olders drawing it’s possible to see how yours skills have evolved constantly, making me believe that the best is still incoming.
By the way I want to “correct” an “error” of yours about the beard of the Numenoreans. There is two bearded charcaters in the Lord of the Rings of Numenoreans descent :
– Theoden, half-gondorian by his mother, got a long beard (various chapters) even if his mother is from the Princes of Dol Amroth lineage.
– May be more relevant : the statue of the gondorian king at the Cross-Roads (Book IV, chapter 7). Of course the Anarion bloodline is less direct than Aragorn’s and the last kings were mixed with northmen but still…
Given to that my point of view (of course it’s nothing more than my own vision) is that the unbearded members of an half-elven lineage are only the direct descendants and the first-born bloodline (so the Kings of Numenor yes but the Lords of Andunie may be not).
And to conclude, even if it’s really personnal, I always imagined Aragorn with a stubble beard cause an “apparently-shaved” person will not seems as wild and creepy, even for Hobbits.
This was my contribution to your knowledge of the different hair in Middle-Earth ;) I learnt a lot from your drawings (not the dark hair of Fingolfin but the hair of Amrod and Amras for example) so I’m glad I can return a little bit.
Long life to the Feanorians and forgive my broken english (not my mother-language and practicing it since a short time only).
This is a nice picture! Well done!
I recently finished reading the Silmarillion and have only just discovered your work. I’ve already fallen in love and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Keep up the amazing work! :)
I have a terrible (terribly convoluted) sense of humour. Ever since you mentioned those “Daniel Smith” watercolours, I’ve been grinning like a madwoman. See, there’s this guy who’s come up with a way of mapping Tengwar on modern keyboards (the one used by TengScribe or YATT, if you’ve ever used either of those) and created a couple of Tengwar fonts for the PC – anyway, his name is Daniel Smith. And it’s always amused me that a guy who’d do that sort of stuff would have the last name of, of all things, “Smith”, because Fëanor, right? So “Daniel Smith” is totally a code name for Fëanor (or Maglor at least :P). And now he’s selling watercolours, too?
And then you buy them and first thing you do is… paint Maedhros. It all fits beautifully!
…
… I know, I know. Only in my mind. But I had to share!
That fits too perfectly… great connection. I also love “With all those novelties, it was clear who’d be my guinea pig.” Maedhros is definitely my fav Feanorian… though Maglor comes pretty close too, and then Amrod and Amras.