In today's article we celebrate two decades of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™. Dan Entwisle highlights the handiwork of just a few of the many talented hobbyists in the community.
Dan: We scoured the plains of Rohan, battled through the streets of Osgiliath and marched through the ancient forests of Fangorn in search of the best the Middle-earth community had to offer – and they did not disappoint!
First off, Sean Clarke has absolutely nailed a diorama! Éowyn’s cool-blue dress makes her stand out vividly against the warm browns used for the wooden structure and pillars around her, making the Shieldmaiden of Rohan the focal point. All the metallic details on the wooden elements of the diorama, such as the hinges, handles and nails, have been carefully picked out – a small, easily missed, yet crucial detail.
Louis Vanhecke has delivered once again with his wonderful Éomer. The level of detail he has brought out on Éomer’s face is particularly impressive, and has really captured the stern Marshal of the Riddermark. Louis has also added a dappled texture to the horse's neck and hindquarters, enhancing the individuality and character of Éomer’s mount.
Jakub Morawiński has painted this classic Gimli on dead Uruk-hai miniature, capturing one of the extended scenes from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™. By using more traditional techniques to paint the metallic areas of the model such as Gimli’s axe, Jakub has achieved a more battleworn appearance. He has included an appealing variety of materials on the base, with scattered leaves and scorched grass adding further contrast.
Paweł Wilk shows us a stunning example of non-metallic metal (NMM) with his Théoden, King of Rohan. NMM is a technique which uses a series of bright, near-white, highlights and deep shadows that allows painters to mimic the effects of a highly reflective surface without using paints that contain any metallic flecks. The effect has been used to give the blade a mirror-like finish as if it were polished steel.
With some expertly placed object source lighting (OSL), Jey Paas has given his Quickbeam an otherworldly feel. By using a range of reds, oranges and yellows for the leaves, he has created a striking autumnal scene. This pairs nicely with the lighter bark tones and contrasts against the green glow from the OSL, helping to create a pleasing transition between the underside of the miniature and the autumnal hues at the top.
Grishnákh and Snaga have been brought to life by Matthew Butler using a muted palette of blacks and greys combined with sharp highlights. For example, the highlights across Grishnákh’s cheekbones emphasise his sunken cheeks and sallow face, and Snaga’s cruel grimace looks even more frightening thanks to the intensity of the highlights.
Next we have this stunning Aldor painted by Amy Bearman. She has added additional textures by applying the highlight colours to the raised areas using short brush strokes, creating the appearance of stitched fabric. This helps to make the cloth more distinct from the other elements of the miniature, such as the smooth leather armour. This difference is then taken a step further by making the quiver on his back a darker, cooler brown.
Finally, we have this spectacular Boromir, Captain of the White Tower, painted by Maciek Banasik. There is some incredible freehand work on the banner – with both the White Tree of Gondor and the patterns close to the banner pole painstakingly painted by hand.
This was just a taste of the beautiful projects that the community has been working on. There will be more in the future, so keep working and make sure to share your wonderful work with us on social media.