TLD Preview #3 - Concept Art

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Merlkir

The Last Days preview #3 - Concept Art

Because the northern expansion was kept secret, I haven't been posting almost any concept art that I've drawn or painted. It wasn't all related to the expansion, but I didn't post it anyway. Don't know why. :grin:
Now I'll show you most of the stuff I've drawn since I last posted in the Concept Art thread and comment a bit.
I'll be adding two or three new pictures a day until I run out. :wink: (this is just a start)

The Easterlings

not everything I draw gets made. That's an euphemism even :grin: 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. :smile:

I think the only thing used from this piece is the shoulder strapped buckler :grin:

http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs23/f/2007/321/e/9/Variags_of_Khand_by_Merlkir.jpg

Hm, this is an older one, a rhun dude with a khand mask. Again, some bits of the armour are somewhat in the game :wink:

http://fc98.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2007/343/2/5/Heavy_cavalry_of_Rhun_by_Merlkir.jpg

A 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.jpg

Another 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


Dale


Dale 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.jpg

Another early one. Illustration of some battle with Easterlings:

http://fc45.deviantart.com/fs26/f/2008/121/9/2/SketchBatch_3_by_Merlkir.jpg

And another! :grin:

http://fc46.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/072/b/3/Men_of_Dale_by_Merlkir.jpg

I 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.jpg

Of 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.jpg

OK, here's one :wink:

http://fc76.deviantart.com/fs26/f/2008/099/6/4/Dale_Infantrymen_by_Merlkir.jpg

and the newest version so far:

http://fc33.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/224/3/8/Dale_Helmet_concept_by_Merlkir.jpg

this guy..chmm...just an idea. Probably won't ever happen :wink:

http://fc47.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2007/341/8/8/Dale_Milites_by_Merlkir.jpg

I 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.jpg

TO BE CONTINUED...

PART 2

Some early warg riders revamp ideas...didn't use any of those I think :grin:

http://fc78.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/274/7/5/Warg_riders_2_by_Merlkir.jpg
http://fc40.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/274/8/e/Warg_riders_1_by_Merlkir.jpg
http://fc18.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/274/b/6/Warg_riders_3_by_Merlkir.jpg

We 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! :grin: not a pig.)

http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs34/f/2008/304/c/2/Dunnish_Tall_Helmets_by_Merlkir.jpg

Elves 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.jpg

Gondorians 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.jpg

Just 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.jpg

TO BE CONTINUED...


PART 3

and some corsair headgear :wink: Some of them are made I think..

http://fc40.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/205/7/e/Corsair_Helmets_by_Merlkir.jpg

two harad guys:

http://fc50.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/205/f/5/Harad_Tiger_Infantry_by_Merlkir.jpg
http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/041/7/c/Far_Harad_Youth_by_Merlkir.jpg

Dunedain 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.jpg
http://fc26.deviantart.com/fs39/f/2008/315/1/8/Knight_of_Arnor_by_Merlkir.jpg

and a completely unrelated Numenorean guard :grin:

http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs41/f/2009/008/4/a/Numenorean_Royal_Guard_by_Merlkir.jpg

Some swords for Gondor:

http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs44/f/2009/073/e/8/Dol_Amroth_swords_by_Merlkir.jpg
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs44/f/2009/073/7/5/Marine_Swords_by_Merlkir.jpg

that's all for today :wink: Tomorrow some more Haradrim and that'll be all for this preview.

TO BE CONTINUED


PART 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.jpg

AND THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! :smile:

(I'll post some more when I draw some more. :wink:)

This is really long so I added the spoiler tag.
 
Awesome drawings  :smile:. It's nice to see these previews and see how the factions is going to be like. I wish I could draw like you  :cry:
 
I think Dalemen are some kind of Northmen, like Nords from native M&B. With Dwarves and Silvan Elves' influences. Also language of Dalemen derived from Norse(source: "Treason Of Isengard").

Artworks are of course very nice.
 
HUtH said:
I think Dalemen are some kind of Northmen, like Nords from native M&B. With Dwarves and Silvan Elves' influences. Also language of Dalemen derived from Norse(source: "Treason Of Isengard").

Artworks are of course very nice.

It's more complicated. The names we are presented with sound Norse and some people therefore think they were Norse. But what Tolkien does with his languages is this:

common speech is "translated" into English. Rohirric language is translated as Old English and the language of Dale is translated as Norwegian.
That doesn't mean they were norwegian, just that the language was similarly connected to the common speech as Norwegian is to English. The same with the Rohirrim, people assume they were modeled after the Anglosaxons because of their names, but it's the same thing - Tolkien wanted to show that the Rohirrim language sounded somewhat archaic similarly to how old English sounds to us.

But I did indeed go along a similar path when designing their style. I took an archaic "proto-rohirrim" style and added hundreds of years of development under the dwarven and elven influence.
 
Arch3r said:
Awesome drawing, that's for sure.

The first Dale sketch with the horse also looks really nice, how long did that take for you?

An hour and half, two hours maybe. :smile:
 
Awesome concepts as always, Merlkir! I like the sound of new drawings every day. Posted a small bit about it all here.
 
The very fist Dale sketch i painted:
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/309/2/f/Dale_units_vs__Rhun_by_Merlkir.jpg
Smiley014.jpg


That is undescribably fantastic.
 
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