Lesson learned. Lots of judges = lots of comments. This is very long, so make sure you dedicate some time to read this post. There are lots of great information to be gleaned – whether the judges are talking about your image or not. Each judge was asked to provide their 5 top picks. Some judges chose to write about more than five – sometimes out of frustration trying to hammer the list of 160 down to just 5 – some out of generosity. In most cases, the judges comments are not provided in any specific order. Rankings were kept private.

While presenting the pieces as thumbnails was less than idea. The length of the post was too long to use larger pieces. You can click-though to see full size pieces of each.

To see the entire line-up, go check out the Eowyn and the Nazgul Line-up post

John Jude Palencar

This is such a kewl thing. Great overall entries. I had about twenty+ favs… all for different reasons. It came down to my personal tastes. I preferred the simpler compositions. There were many entries that while outstanding were lacking appropriate style and technique choices. In the end I tried to balance my selections between what an AD would expect and then threw in a few curve balls with my other selections. So these are a mix of traditional solutions and slightly off-center solutions. There were many, many excellent entries. Everyone seemed to really put their heart into their entry. Out of the 160 entries there were at least twenty-five serious contenders. I wish we could have chosen more than five a piece. I would say congrats to all that entered – keep up the good work. Never give up, never surrender!

Don’t know if Dan mentioned that I’m donating a signed copy of “Origins”, my art book for one of the “awards”.
Just let me know where to send it.

These are in no particular order.

Federico Piatti
Nice paint handling and shape sense. Don’t know about the red eyes though or why I like this one so much.

Allen Douglas
I enjoyed the square-ish format. Decent line work and lighting. Then you notice the other subtle narrative elements occurring in the composition. This is what I call the “Onion Effect”.

Hemal Patel
I like this drawing. I enjoyed the intimate moment the characters share. The design has a nice swirl to it. Also liked the anonymity. Would like to see it created in paint (watercolor). Would work as an interior illustration.

David Brasgalla
I enjoyed the mood and old school approach in this entry. Although it lacks in high action and interaction, there’s something quietly foreboding and transitory in a slow-motion sense about this one.

Craig J Spearing
This one hits on all cylinders for a mass-market book cover. Good drawing, composition, lighting, action and narrative.

In conclusion – I would have liked to have seen more entries created with tradition materials. Many of the digital paintings began to look like one another – in essence canceling each-other out. Some of the Eowyn figures could have been more feminine. Also – more creative viewpoints would have helped some of the entries.

 

Justin Gerard

I cheated and gave a tie. So I am sneaking in an extra one…

Jeffrey Alan Love
I love this piece. It wins my award for “Best Poster for the Dramatic Reading of Eowyn & the Nazgul.” It is clear, simple, elegant and communicates the major ideas iconically in a stunningly beautiful arrangement.

Allen Douglas
The more I looked at this scene the more I realized how really well thought out it is. This wins for my favorite overall design. A truly good design can be simplified down for very simple colors and shapes, and yet can also be detailed up to highly baroque standards. This is just such a design and I applaud the artist for it.

Micah Farritor
Of all the pieces, this communicated the feeling of “uh-oh” the most to me.

David Brasgalla
This is another great example of a design that could be simplified down and be successful or could be detailed extremely and either way would be successful. The use of the cloud to knock out the shape of the Nazgul was a really great choice.

Talantyre

Andrew Ryan
These 2 pieces tie for the award for “Artists Who Just Don’t Care What Century They Are In.” I have a love for art that pre-dates popular cinema and I love seeing people bring it back today. Art that isn’t afraid to take weeks and weeks to painstakingly work through a narrative in a single image. Nobody told these guys that in this era we aren’t really supposed to dwell on any single image for more than a few seconds. And if they had, these artists just don’t care, they are going for it. I love it.

Cory Godbey
On a site note: I love this piece by Cory Godbey. It’s awesome. But my vote here shouldn’t really count since he is my neighbor and I worked in a studio with him for several years. I am way too biased. But this piece still rocks.

 

Matt Stewart

This is extremely difficult. To narrow it down to only 5 – I could do 15 or 20 and feel like I’m leaving someone out.

Jason Juta
This one jumped out at me right away. It has such a unique, ornamental quality to the composition that reminds me of somebody like Dulac or Northern Renaissance painting. Great gem-like detail. Gorgeous color palette. I love the leathery vulture like quality of the fell beast – terrifying without being too dragon-like.

Nick Deligaris
Spectacular! The great wings of the fell beast and the surrounding shadows gives this piece a great sweeping composition, giving it a tremendous epic quality, which this scene demands. Though it’s not mentioned in the book, I love the lightning! My only criticism is that I wish Eowyn was a little less bulky and a little more recognizably female.

Allen Douglas
Iconic. This is what I picture when I read this scene. Great bit of lighting to bring Eowyn out in the composition. All the elements of this scene are there, Theoden, Snowmane, Merry. Wonderful line quality in the rendering of the fell beast.

Sidharth Chaturvedi
Great demonstration of the power of a simple composition. The thumbnail of this one kept jumping out at me. I had to include it. There is no highly rendered bad ass armor or anything like that. Everything is minimally handled and yet is very powerful. I love how the wings of the dead fell beast frame Eowyn in the composition, instilling a sense of danger and entrapment.

Craig J Spearing
The Fell Beast has a great sense of movement. The vertical composition gives the Nazgul a sense of height, making him more formidable.
This sense of height is further strengthened by Minas Tirith looming in the background. I love seeing the fallen Theoden in the foreground.

 

Arnie Fenner

First, let me say that it was extremely difficult to narrow this challenge down to only a Top 5: there were many truly exceptional entries and, honestly, my favorites change with each viewing of the field. The #1 spot for me could easily alternate back and forth between one work and another. But nobody said the task would be easy, so my choices are…

Allen Douglas
Mood, color, composition, drama: this has it all. Particularly noteworthy is the slight bend in Eowyn’s upper torso and the position of her sword arm in preparation to swing.

Craig J Spearing
This started out as a dynamic sketch and ended as a dynamic finish. An especially lovely piece.

Adam Schumpert
Another entry that started out strong and only got better and better. Eowyn’s expression is especially compelling and her position, flesh tone, and blonde hair make her the perfect focal point (as well as making her the symbol of the forces of light surrounded by a sea of darkness).

Jason Juta
I think what sells this for me is the Fell Beast and looming position of the Witch King. Eowyn’s pose is typically heroic (though works very well for the scene), but the beast reminds me almost of a bloated, hovering insect while the Nazgul’s unnatural position in the saddle is not only threatening, but also reinforces his otherworldly powers.

Jeffrey Alan Love
Deceptively simple, slyly complex, nebulously nostalgic, this is a brilliant curveball. The concept, composition, and technique make this a memorable grand slam.

And my Honorable Mentions for the Eowyn Vs Nazgul Challenge…

Alejandro Dini
Frazetta drew Eowyn without pants; Alejandro has gone even further! But what a lovely work, very classical in its approach, almost as if one of the Renaissance painters had interpreted the scene.

Andrew Ryan
If Ray Harryhausen was making “The Return of the King,” this would be one of the concept drawings that would be presented to the producers to show what one of the film’s highlights would be (and to convince them to bankroll the project).

Andrew Silver A very powerful piece. Using the Fell Beast’s wing as a framing device is a particularly nice touch.

Erin Kelso
Beautifully designed, Erin’s entry would be absolutely perfect for a kids’ or tweens’ illustrated edition of the book. The steam from the beast’s wound enveloping and defining the Witch King is a great concept.

Jon Hodgson
I liked the WIP post, I like the finish even more. As I said, it’d make a great book cover or poster for an animated version of the film.

Eddie Sharam
A dramatic composition-and Eowyn’s pose and expression are very effective.

Nick Deligaris
I really like this for a number of reasons, but I particularly like the way Eowyn is standing in a virtual spotlight, again providing that symbol of good vs evil. The flowing red cape is an extra visual treat.

 

Greg Manchess

This was both easy and hard for me. Many I liked for single reasons, i.e., composition or color, technique, light….something. So I went back and tried to pick ones that worked on many levels.

I was surprised to find that the highly stylized ones spoke to me more. Clearly, most of the artists here have umpteen years of rendering and focused practice to engage in before they are even close to handling some of the setups they attempted. But three cheers for their efforts! Most of them fell short. Some were so close I’ll add a few “almosts” for you guys to have in case the other artists do the same thing.

Cory Godbey
Cory’s stylized version captures a storybook-like illustration. The line work coupled with the watercolor effect takes it to a level where one can dream and envision the scene, and thereby feel it. It doesn’t have to be realistic to capture a real mood.

Craig J Spearing
Craig’s piece started out well and is ending much better, on all levels: color, composition, light, and drama. I still think he’s missed the opportunity to come in close to the star character, to make us feel a part of the scene and of her. And swords, at random unequal spacing, should’ve been in the foreground to add depth. Still, it feeds my imagination to keep looking at it….

Erin Kelso
Erin’s final is just a gem. Every part is designed well. From the poses to the line work. Another stylized version of the scene, but one that keeps you looking and thinking. The color is spot on.

Jeffrey Alan Love
Jeffrey’s two pieces are both highly designed and both capture the characters as symbolic of the scene. Icons of elements. In one way, they avoid having to deal with too much detail; in another it allows us to think about the characters even more.

David Brasgalla
This should come off as dull and boring, but the light and shapes allow it to be special. Eowyn’s pose and head are just right, along with the values and color. Even though Frazetta and Jones covered this ground well, it still it has a good feeling to me.

These are near misses:

Abe Papakhian
After all of this effort, Abe’s piece doesn’t work. I really enjoy the work he’s put into the composition and setting up this huge scene, but the watercolor and his interest in showing every detail overwhelms the result. I love looking down the neck of the creature, and much of the watercolor is finely done, but he’ll have to work on learning what to leave in and what to leave out.

Ross Grams
So dang close. The color, the light, the composition. All feel right, but on closer inspection Ross’s technique gets clunky and in the way. Love that creature head. But overall, Eowyn needs to have a much more powerful and actionable stance to bring the moment off.

Ture Ekroos
Lastly, I still keep looking at so many parts of Ture’s painting. Light, color, value contrasts: excellent. The smoothed out shapes fascinate me, along with the color and light. All the elements work well in composition together and it’s intriguing to sort out. It looks almost effortless. But Eowyn is completely dull in character. She needs to be in dynamic pose, even in a moment of hesitation. She’s the hook to bring the full interest in the picture to bear. Again, just missed.

 

Donato Giancola

What can I say! The collection of art for this challenge has blown me away. I am truly impressed and wish to thank everyone for sharing their passion of art and Tolkien with me and the other visitors to the ArtOrder. I have tried to comment on as many entries as possible, and there are many others deserving as well… Keep up the excellent work!
May your paths be free from Shadow, Beneath the Light of the West.

Filip Burburan
Great action and movement in the beast and Eowyn Filip. Love the dust kicked-up. Your background is a bit too light and washed out, try hitting it with a deeper grey value to make your eye stay in the foreground.

Eric Braddock
Wonderful movement in the composition, and a good job bringing the background into play to place the narrative of the moment in the larger conflict. Awesome glow on Eowyn’s sword.

Jake Murray
Commanding use of the line in an etching style Jake. Lovely portrayal of Eowyn in movement with the arched back and flowing cape.

Dillon Yothers
Fascinating composition and color scheme to the piece Dillon. A bit more care to Eowyn and the grassy plain of The Pelennor Fields as well as toning down the read feet of the beast and you have a killer work here!

Allen Douglas
Beautiful Allen. Eowyn is just perfect in rendering, pose and light Bring that TLC into the rest of the Nazgul and the background and you will have a superb image. Watch the foreshortening on the neck of the beast, its head is not well-connected to the neck.

Sidharth Chaturvedi
A regal use of lighting and atmosphere to hit Eowyn in that morning dawn and keep the Nazgul in shadow! Great value control Sidharth. Spend a bit more time on Eowyn with secondary accoutrement and a few more hits of battle gear in the background and on the ground and you have me sold.

Andrew Silver
A grand use of backlighting to deliver an appropriate mood for the moment Andrew! Your excellent depiction of anatomy in the neck leaves me hoping for more in the wing. Revisit that and revise the mace and you have a breath-taking piece.

Anna Steinbauer
Nice face on Eowyn Anna. A good solution to presenting both figures forward, yet obviously engaged. Vary your grass masses a bit and more TLC to Theoden.

Cory Godbey
A fine piece of work Cory. Love the linear aspect of the style and the wispy nature to your background and smoke. The only weak part for me is in Eowyns anatomy, upper body is perfect, but the lower seems too elongated (upper leg too long) and I’m not sure how that back leg is turning.

Storn Cook
This should be a graphic novel Storn! Outstanding visual storytelling and pacing as well as camera angles and color choices. A bit of more mood lighting in the first panel would certainly help bring the focus on Eowyn better, as well as turning Snowmane’s barding to green.

Jason Juta
Outstanding Jason! You look like you studied with Jean Target, I would almost say you ‘had’ to! A remarkable composition and lighting focus putting us right at Eowyn. You must really love these books, from the barding on Snowmane to the rsaddle of the beast and costume on the Nazgul..it is a stunning amount of work. The only downer for me is her anatomy…get a model, fix that sword arm and leading leg and my heart would be in my throat in anticipation of the action.

Craig J Spearing
Wonderful lighting on the figures Craig. And I love the way the body of the beast hangs there, I can just feel the beat of the wing.s Try breaking up that grassy field a bit with varied tufts of grass and debris. Also your back lighting is awesome on the beast, but you left too much of the white in the background, save that for Eowyn and deepen that smoke.

David Vargo
Great use of paint here David! The illuminative glows on Eowyn are perfect and I love how your style helps to unify the surface of the composition.

Rebecca Yanovskaya
A sublime image Rebecca! That black darkness to the Nazgul takes my breath away….
A bit more use of the pattern of the grass in the foreground would be to your advantage as well as hinting at other debris in the battlefield in the background.

Milivoj Ceran
You are after my heart with the triptych Milivoj! The center is grand and heroic, well done. Two small changes might be to raise Eowyn’s head just a little off her shoulders, she appears a little devoid of a neck, and consider making the statues a little grayer, less green so they frame the middle better as a unified element.

Andrew Ryan
Love the epic sweep of the scene Andrew! Your rendering style helps hold many elements together, and the light adds a wonderful feel to the piece. But watch your narrative from the book, the winged beast was to alight on top of Snowmane (the Horse) before pouncing upon Eowyn…

Tarly Crowbridge
A fine framing to the scene Tarly, as well as noble use of the light to carve that shield in two. Give me more shadow s in the piece to drawn attention to that lighting issue and you will have a much more dramatic piece.

Talantyre
A distinguished use of an open border Talantyrel! Just lovely. A bit more use of blacks to frame out the center of the conflict and your piece would sing.

Ross Grams
You win the award for making the most ‘mass’ of a well proportioned riding beast Ross! Those wings with their shape and lighting, and color execution on the fellbeast, make me wish I had thought of this composition. Now get in there and fix up Eowyn. Consider not cropping her, to better be diminished in the face of the massive threat, and getting a full body to her just below the beasts head. Way to go!

Nick Deligaris
Superb action image Nick. The lighting on Minas Tirith and the lightning flash on the mace are to die for. Work on Eoywn a bit (legs too large/thick) and get rid of the oversized red cloak. NO CAPES! She doesn’t need such a highly saturated object to draw attention to her, you did that excellently with the light.

Immar
A capital rendering on the Nazgul Immar! He and the beast are perfect in that lighting. Now work on Eowyn, consider moving the shield to the left of her body and spend some more time of the rendering of light to better place her in the same color and atmospheric space as the Nazgul and beast.

Erin Kelso
An exalted portrayal of the moment Erin! How beautifully symbolic and impressively rendered in composition, detail, and color. This one strikes me to the core. One way to improve the piece could be to provide a bit more to subtlety in the variation in the white smoke, it is a bit too evenly white with no negative space breaks or transparency to see through to the other objects it floats in front of. Regardless, an accomplished piece.

Steve Palenica
You have created a wonderfully intimate scene here Steve. The placement of the figures large in the composition as well as the cropping of the beast make us feel like we are in battle with Eowyn. Excellent! Spend some more time on unifying the lights in the upper bodies and dropping the highlights in the lower legs to better serve the focus of the piece.

Sam Waulu
A remarkable interpretation of the death of the Nazgul Sam! The rendering style you have combines well with your design composition and color choices. I love the grayed feel to the piece.

Nate Furman
As usual, you deliver on the detail and narration Nate. The color and mood is perfect! Watch that body language on Eowyn, she is crouching a bit too much and not facing off against the beast.

 

Eric Fortune

Cory Godbey
I really love the wet on wet bleeding going on in this piece. There is an ethereal glow here that is gorgeous. The organic quality of the line work and the distinctive stylization really make this piece stand out.

Craig J Spearing
This piece is very solid. Great composition, well drawn, and a very refined level of finish.

David Brasgalla
This piece reads so well. It has a wonderful atmosphere. The drawing and style are outstanding. The iconic and simple composition is very strong. It says a lot without overwhelming you.

Erin Kelso
Beautifully drawn and rendered. It has a nice composition that makes good use of design elements to make the characters really stand out where needed while also providing some nuance. The stylization really makes this one stand out as well.

Jake Murray
A very dynamic piece. This piece has a lot of movement and energy. Great use of hierarchy. The main image grabs us but then our eyes are allowed to wander the piece and appreciate all the subtleties within. The drawing and technique are great.

Nick Deligaris
A very strong piece. Great atmosphere and focus. Also technically very impressive. The subtle exaggerations with the cape, the mace, and the massive wings work great.

Talantyre
Absolutely Beautiful. I love the elaborate line work and flowing, organic quality. I could stare at this for a long time. A very fresh interpretation on the theme.

 

Dan Dos Santos

I narrowed it down to eight pieces… one definite winner, and bunch of runner ups.
One 1st place, three 2nd places, and five 3rd places.

Cory Godbey
I had a really hard time narrowing the entries down to my favorite eight. But no matter how I broke it down, this image just kept coming out on top for me. It’s satisfyingly expressive, energetic, and narrative.

Allen Douglas
Refreshingly tactile for a digital piece, this image is just good composition and a confident line, through and through.

Jeffrey Alan Love
They say that good design is when you’ve taken away everything you can. This piece is a wonderful example of that sentiment.

Michael Byrne
Man, I wish this was full length film!

Jason Juta
I’m not in love with the head of either human, but there is SO much amazing stuff going on in here, that’s it’s hard to complain. It’s like finding a hair in the bottom of your ice-cream. It’s too late to matter… you already enjoyed it!

Milivoj Ceran
This is really ambitious and really well done. However, since everything is so well painted, tiny trouble areas stand out even more. The head of the figure on the left doesn’t look as dimensional as everything else. I also would consider breaking the edge of the column with the shield he is holding. Aside for those minor nit-picks, the piece is amazing.

Craig J Spearing
I think some of the foreground elements are a little small in scale, especially when you compare the head-size of the two humans. The shield on the ground also appears to be out of perspective. The more realistic your rendering becomes, the more problematic these small issues become.

Federico Piatti
This is one yummy painting.

 

Greg Hildebrandt

You asked me to choose five pieces and I have. But please extend my sincerest admiration to all the artists that entered your contest. Each of them was excellent in its own right. Each one had something unique about it. Each one showed the love and effort that was put into the art.

Nick Deligaris
Everything about this piece is excellent. It reads instantly. The composition, angle, light, action, values and color could not be better in my opinion. I’m jealous.

Craig J Spearing
I have this as # 2 on my list but it was a very close #1. It is classic composition. The lighting, color, action, storytelling are perfect in my opinion. You know instantly what is going on.

Andrew Ryan
This is a beautiful rendering. I love the obsessive detail in this piece. I have always loved detailed pencil work. While the composition is not as strong as the first two pieces it is a beautiful piece in its own right. And it instantly conveys the story.

Sidharth Chaturvedi
I love the point of view, the angle, composition in this piece. The dark against light in this piece is very well done. This coves a true sense that she can see the eyes of the rider even though they are not there. This is a very strong emotional piece.

Christopher West
While this is #5 on my list I feel it is extremely beautiful in its simplicity and storytelling. There is wonderful movement in this piece. Very good composition and the grayed down aspect of the coloring adds to the feeling and emotion of the scene.

 

Jesper Ejsing

Filip Burburan
This here is my favorite. And it is mostly because of the storytelling in the drawing and the untraditional design of the fell beast. The gestures of both Eowyn and the Witchking is greatly captured. The movement of her striking is great and the fact that the Nazguls tries to pull the beasts head away and turn him around is super cool: I really appreciate the details of the Fell beasts face and harness.

The whole watercolor technic strikes me as very John Howe ( which in no way could be a bad thing ). Only chritic I have is the cape of the Witch king. The shape of it looks too much like a wing: i would have made it more racky and tattered up to have a clearly distinguished difference between the texture of the cloth and skin of wing behind it.

Last thing is that I really dig the amount of work that went into this one. It is by no mean and easy task doing this huge a scene, with full figures interacting in a landscape. In watercolor it is even more impression.

Craig J Spearing
The image is just oozing of professionalism. It is a greatly executed composition and the reading of the image is crystal clear. Two things I am really impressed by is Theodens horse and the color in its shadow area. Second is the shadowy bluish light on the armor of the guy lying on the grass to the right. The only reason I did not have this one as my first is because it is a bit ”safe”. The figures are not interacting as much as they could have, which gives it a sense of being staged.

Nick Deligaris
The composition of this one just blows me away. It reads extremely clear even in thumb. It also strikes me as being very epic and comparing with my number 2 it has some of the movement and interaction that I missed. Eowyn is running towards the Nazgul and the fell beast is basking its wings to get away. Even the Witch king is doing something. ( Not something I remember reading though) . But the painting is just too dark for me. There is so much of it lost in pitch black. I really love the long cape of Eowyn. A mix of number 2 and 3 would have been a definitely winner in my eyes.

Christian Schwager
There is many things I love about this image. First of all it has all the elements. Beast, Eowyn, Witch King, hobbit, dead people, even some orcs and Minas Tirith in the background: i love the clouds in the sky and I love the way the silhouette of the Witchking stands out on the sky. The style is somewhat cartoony and that is the only thing I am not too keen on. I do really like that Eowyn seems to be shouting at or threatening the nazguls with words instead of just looking mean. In the story they do have some very memorable duels in words before the blades are crossed.

Andrew Ryan
Lastly I chose this pencil drawing because it has so much epic a feeling that I really think is the core of The Lord of the Rings. The scale of this illustration is breathtaking. The framing of the main figures with the black rocks is a nice trick. The little hobbit with the blade is fantastic and the city and battle background is very cool.

I just have a small problem with the wings of the Fell beast. They could have been more interesting in a foreshortening and not so stretch out as they are. It is too undynamic.

 

Petar Meseldzija

At the end, I would like to stress that this challenge has been a challenge for all of us. The biggest portion of 160 entries were , in one or another way, excellent. It was not an easy task for an inexperienced judge, as myself. There were many other good interpretations of the scene that I could put on my list, if I was allowed to choose more than 5 pieces. But the rules are to be obeyed, so I had to make my choice, which I eventually did, after a few days of thinking and reconsidering the pieces that I had initially selected.

Thank you all for entering this challenge, and may you be happy and successful in your creative and artistic pursuits. Good luck to all!

Craig J Spearing
This is a wonderful example of an “academic” approach to the depiction of the story. Everything is on the right place here. The composition is stable, all the elements are in a perfect relationship with each other, as well as with the whole. The golden rule is obviously present in this composition. The design of the elements is very pleasing and not overdone. The value arrangements are most optimal. The movements of the characters are natural and convincing. The lighting is beautiful and the colors are intelligently chosen. All in all, an excellent depiction of the scene from the book, and a remarkable painting.

Congratulation Craig!!!

Ross Grams
This is the most dramatic and the most scary depiction of the beast, the Witch-King’s flying stead, I have seen until now. The huge wings of the beast that are hovering above Eowyn, like an ominous dark cloud, makes this composition just stunning! I can almost hear the sound of the flapping, mighty wings. And those wings are indeed placed within the composition in an ingenious way. They add to the dramatic movement, as well as the depth of the picture.

The neck and the head of the beast are excellent. The angle of the sloping ground provides the extra movement and it emphasizes the movement of the beast’s wings, that are, in fact, the most important compositional element.

However, the tonal arrangements of the piece could be better. That dark cloud behind the Nazgul should be slightly lighter, for it sticks to the wings. Also the horse should be slightly darker, in any case darker than Eowyn’s hair. This tonal imperfection brings a little confusion into the piece.

Nevertheless, this is a great piece, Ross! Congratulations!!

Jeffrey Alan Love
I chose this painting because of two reasons. Firstly, Jeffrey dared to take a diametrically different approach to the depiction of the Eowyn’s fight with Nazgul, than most of the artists that entered this challenge. He dared to think differently and therefore produced, in my opinion, one of the most original depictions of the scene, as far as this challenge is concerned. Secondly, through the intelligent use of simple forms and a limited but essential palette, and thinking more like a designer than a usual fantasy illustrator, he created a composition that lucidly suggests the very essence of the scene. And this is perceived in a blink of the eye.

Everything here is clear and intelligent. One is entering the image through the middle of it , from Eowyn to Lord Nazgul. Than back to the beginning, or the lower part, that looks like a dark tail of the beast. Than one realizes that it is not a tail but the neck and the chopped head of the beast. I find the eyes of the lord Nazgul quite intriguing. It was quite daring to paint them “white on white” and still make the eyes burn with a soft cold glow. Masterfully conceived, master Jeffrey!

David Brasgalla
This is a very nice piece of a “classic” illustration, that reminds me of N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine School (nothing wrong with that, by the way). Although quite minimalistic in his depiction of the scene, and by using just three major elements (Lord Nazgul, Eowyn and the light), David sufficiently and tastefully suggested the essence of the moment! The Colors are very appropriate and pleasing, and the lighting has been used delicately and intelligently.

Excellent, David

Immar
This is a good, strong and stable image. The color arrangements are pretty good and the composition is not overloaded with the distracting details. The beast is nicely designed and it is painted in the appropriate muddy – green color scheme. The towers of Minas Tirith, subtly gleaming behind the Lord Nazgul, are beautifully lit. Very atmospheric.

The only aspect of this dynamic composition that I find a little weak, is the close up type of composition. Although I understand the reasons for such a compositional solution, that is reminiscent of a movie shot, I do think that this has partly deprived the picture of that epic dimension, which is quite desirable as far as this scene from the book is concerned.

However, excellent work, Immar!

 

John Howe

After having looked long and longer at all the submissions, I eventually managed to pare things down to a shortlist of 17, which became a final list of five…

I confess I eliminated all the imagery based more heavily on the movies than the books, and especially those who strayed from the actual event or the spirit of the books, despite many being truly accomplished technically and artistically otherwise.

The five following in no particular order other than alphabetical:

Christoffer Gertz-Bech
Very much admired the stark and sparing depiction, reminiscent of the Symbolists of Northern Europe, where there is no cleverness, simply a stripping back of the image to bare emotion. The figures are stiff and nearly naïve, but the imminence of the final encounter is contained in every simplified volume. Sometime the instant before the action can contain the action without recourse to other effects. Regrets: the unresolved saddle and the severed head of the creature, decidedly unnecessary, (and having to eliminate Tarly Crowbridge, a very similar piece.)

Craig J. Spearing
Very accomplished use of action, light, perspective and every perfectly acceptable trick in the book, a very professional piece. The looming ramparts of Minas Tirith are lovely. Regrets: the devil is in the details: the modern cowboy stirrups, the curious pennant attached to the mace, the ragged holes in the fell beast’s wings, the Witch King’s cloak.

Dagmara Matuzaki
Loved the simplicity, the graphic treatment and the bravery of using all that daring black. Regrets: that there was not a more original design to sword and shield.

David Brasgalia
Appreciated the painterly quality, the curious delicateness of the Nazgul’s silhouette, and the palette. Regret: the treatment of the space and the format chosen (but a very small regret).

Sidharth Chaturvedi
Loved the colour, which would not be out of place depeicting a Pre-Raphaelite pastoral. Appreciated the perspective and point of view, the judicious use of light and shadow. Regrets, the armour a little too reminiscent of the 17^th century, the anatomy of the horse and that severed fell beast head right in the middle.

My shortlist also included Allen Douglas, Carmen Clanelli, Chase Stone, Christopher West, Gabriel Robinson, Greg Emensdorp, Jason Juta, Ken Kvamme, Nick Delgaris, Panaglotis Vlamis, and Roger Seward. All of these could have easily deserved to be in the final five. Looking at them now, there is definitely a fondness and admiration for the more naïve pieces, often less “professional” but far more sincere and closer in spirit to the text. Also most gratifying was the vast array of styles and treatments, truly wonderful to see.

 

Final Judging

It was a slug fest. In the end, the voting was so tight for the top 5 judges choices that the individual ranking by each judge was used for tie-breaker decisions.

Craig J Spearing was out top winner, receiving recommendations from 10 judges
Nick Deligaris came in number two with nods from 6 judges
Allen Douglas came in number three – fighting tooth and nail for 6 judges as well
David Brasgalla came in number 4 with votes from 5 judges
Andrew Ryan came in number 5 with thumbs-up from 5 judges as well – just barely nudging out
Cory Godbey as the honorable mention

No matter the judging. The turn out was amazing, and I was honored to be involved with this challenge. I tip my hat to all the first time submissions. I hope that all of you continue to participate in the community and grow your skills.

 

Prizes

If you remember, we have a lovely selection of prizes that were to be awarded at random. All entrants that met the deadline were eligible.

• Donato Giancola has offered a large print of his ‘Eowyn fighting the Nazgul‘.
Winner: Jason Pruett
• Eric Fortune has also offered a limited A/P print (image to be announced)
Winner: JF Arsenault
• Dan dos Santos has offered a limited giclee on stretched canvas (image to be announced)
Winner: Alan Dyson
• Petar Meseldzija has offered a signed and numbered Giclee print “The Legend of Steel Bashaw – The Escape”
Winner: Craig Spearing
• John Jude Palencar donated a signed copy of “Origins”
Winner: Christian Schwager

Please contact me via email and supply me with your mailing address. If you are overseas, please provide the information exactly as required for delivery. I cannot not be responsible for translating the postal format correctly to insure delivery.

 

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