The Easterlingsnot everything I draw gets made. That's an euphemism even
very little from what I draw gets made. So it's quite awesome when something does get made. The concept of easterlings has evolved a lot. Sometimes they were more easternish, sometimes more barbaric. AW likes Conan the Barbarian so there's a lot of influence from there in Rhun for instance. Brutus did an awesome job on both Variags and men of Rhun and they're gonna kick ASS.
I think the only thing used from this piece is the shoulder strapped buckler
http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs23/f/2007/321/e/9/Variags_of_Khand_by_Merlkir.jpgHm, this is an older one, a rhun dude with a khand mask. Again, some bits of the armour are somewhat in the game
http://fc98.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2007/343/2/5/Heavy_cavalry_of_Rhun_by_Merlkir.jpgA very recent one. Various headgear, some of the helmets are already modeled by Llew I think.
http://fc25.deviantart.com/fs39/f/2009/001/0/f/Easterling_Tribes_from_Khand_by_Merlkir.jpgAnother one from that batch, tribal light cavalry. Very persian/siberian scythian inspired.
http://fc12.deviantart.com/fs38/f/2009/001/5/6/Tribal_Light_Cavalry_by_Merlkir.jpg
DaleDale is still haunting my dreams. It has changed styles more often than I change my underpants. I've spent bloody hours trying to figure just the right style and what these dudes are about. And I still haven't.
The very fist Dale sketch i painted:
http://fc80.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/309/2/f/Dale_units_vs__Rhun_by_Merlkir.jpgAnother early one. Illustration of some battle with Easterlings:
http://fc45.deviantart.com/fs26/f/2008/121/9/2/SketchBatch_3_by_Merlkir.jpgAnd another!
http://fc46.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/072/b/3/Men_of_Dale_by_Merlkir.jpgI like this guy. Definitely one of my favourite Dale concepts.
http://fc81.deviantart.com/fs22/f/2007/311/b/1/Bardian_Archer_Color_by_Merlkir.jpgOf this I'm quite proud. Many hours went into this helmet. I won't show the crappy sketches that came before this, but there were many.
http://fc66.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/099/6/a/Dale_Infantry_Helm_by_Merlkir.jpgOK, here's one
http://fc76.deviantart.com/fs26/f/2008/099/6/4/Dale_Infantrymen_by_Merlkir.jpgand the newest version so far:
http://fc33.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/224/3/8/Dale_Helmet_concept_by_Merlkir.jpgthis guy..chmm...just an idea. Probably won't ever happen
http://fc47.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2007/341/8/8/Dale_Milites_by_Merlkir.jpgI really like how this armour turned out, but since we kinda have a totally different style set, we won't use anything like it probably.
http://fc33.deviantart.com/fs26/f/2008/099/b/9/Dale_Dismounted_Noble_by_Merlkir.jpgTO BE CONTINUED...PART 2Some early warg riders revamp ideas...didn't use any of those I think
http://fc78.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/274/7/5/Warg_riders_2_by_Merlkir.jpghttp://fc40.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/274/8/e/Warg_riders_1_by_Merlkir.jpghttp://fc18.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/274/b/6/Warg_riders_3_by_Merlkir.jpgWe have quite nice leather/bronze helmets for the Dunlendings, but I've always wanted to draw their "tall helmets" (a quote I couldn't get out of my head, I've always wondered what they'd look like). Maybe for some chieftains they'd fit, sort of like signs of their status - ancient armor. (they use similar design with the metal stripes over a felt cap as some vendel helmets. And that's a wolf on the top!
not a pig.)
http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs34/f/2008/304/c/2/Dunnish_Tall_Helmets_by_Merlkir.jpgElves always need more stuff..I always draw elves when I run out of things to concept.
http://fc31.deviantart.com/fs35/f/2008/304/a/a/Elven_Helmet_Evolution_by_Merlkir.jpgGondorians got some major loving in Triglav's revamp so I did some of those too:
http://fc89.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/231/8/3/Gondorian_Heavy_Marine_by_Merlkir.jpgJust an idea I had. The cap is a remnant of the use of karmas - the fish-like shaped helmets among the Numenorians. It can be worn as a cap (1), as a scarf/muffler (2) or as a plume (3) to distinguish friend from foe or different families maybe.
The helmet is based on a simple yet ellegant byzantine helmet. It's nice that it's composed of metal stripes, that reminds of the karma segment composition.
http://fc29.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/043/e/e/Sailor_headgear_by_Merlkir.jpgTO BE CONTINUED...PART 3and some corsair headgear
Some of them are made I think..
http://fc40.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/205/7/e/Corsair_Helmets_by_Merlkir.jpgtwo harad guys:
http://fc50.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/205/f/5/Harad_Tiger_Infantry_by_Merlkir.jpghttp://fc06.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/041/7/c/Far_Harad_Youth_by_Merlkir.jpgDunedain and Arnor are getting a facelift as well so I drew some concepts for them.
http://fc72.deviantart.com/fs39/f/2008/315/6/4/Dunedain_Sketch_by_Merlkir.jpghttp://fc26.deviantart.com/fs39/f/2008/315/1/8/Knight_of_Arnor_by_Merlkir.jpgand a completely unrelated Numenorean guard
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/008/4/a/Numenorean_Royal_Guard_by_Merlkir.jpgSome swords for Gondor:
http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs44/f/2009/073/e/8/Dol_Amroth_swords_by_Merlkir.jpghttp://fc05.deviantart.com/fs44/f/2009/073/7/5/Marine_Swords_by_Merlkir.jpgthat's all for today
Tomorrow some more Haradrim and that'll be all for this preview.
TO BE CONTINUEDPART 4 - HARAD- some Harad swords.
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs43/f/2009/093/8/6/Harad_swords_by_Merlkir.jpg- Harondor standard-bearer
http://fc07.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/055/4/c/Black_Snake_by_Merlkir.jpg- archaic light infantry
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs43/f/2009/073/e/7/Archaic_Light_Infantry_by_Merlkir.jpg- archaic medium infantry
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs42/f/2009/059/4/4/Medium_archaic_infantry_by_Merlkir.jpg- archaic heavy infantry
http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs42/f/2009/059/a/7/Heavy_archaic_infantry_by_Merlkir.jpg- 1. Young Haradrim noble probably just arrived from a hunt, because he's wearing a hunting skirt. He quickly put on the ceremonial coat to honor the occasion.
2. A companion of the young noble - probably one of his elite guard - presents a feather from a helmet plume of a defeated enemy. He's just arrived from the battlefield so he still wears a cuirass, but he put on a tiara with the household knot instead of a helmet.
http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs43/f/2009/093/d/8/Harad_victory_celebration_by_Merlkir.jpg- 1. Young cavalry commander. - his rank is obvious from the officer battle kilt. He bears a typical archaic straight sword, but his helmet is tall with a horsehair plume. Yet it has the engraving depicting an ear and hair - a typical archaic decoration. That means he had it made to look a bit like helmets of the Haradrim from Harondor, but still kept the old style decorations.
2. This heavy cavalryman uses an infantry helmet with feather plume. It's not uncommon, because it's covered in white cloth to prevent heating up from the sun. He bears a straight sword and his legs are protected by leather greaves.
3. Light cavalryman in the back uses a combination of a scale skirt and padded-leather cuirass. Beside a spear he bears a battleaxe for a sidearm. He wears a leather glove on his right hand so he might be an archer as well.
4. This elite rider carrying his saddle is easily recognizable as a former member of the Lion regiment - he's wearing a parade helmet in the shape of a lion's head with a heavy plume as a mane. (there are rumors that the manes were made from hair of their defeated enemies)
Another sign of his veteran status is the sword - a curved scimitar he probably had made while serving in Harondor.
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs42/f/2009/076/4/a/Archaic_Cavalry_by_Merlkir.jpg- 1. helm of a noble with a cloth cover
2. veteran royal guard helm (+cloth cap over it)
3. traditional cloth cap with a family/household knot
http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs43/f/2009/093/5/0/Harad_headgear_by_Merlkir.jpgAND THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! (I'll post some more when I draw some more.
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