Easterling by alarie-tano

Pencil

Concept art for a Tolkien-based movie project.

TurnerMohan Featured By Owner Jul 31, 2013 Professional General Artist

pretty cool design (are those "tiger stripes" painted/tatooed on his back?) since you mention that this is an easterling from the first age, I take it this is one of bor/ulfang/brodda's people. you might want to try more clothing, as beleriand, and especially up around hithlum and dorthonion seem like cold-weather, northern european climates. just a thought.

BTW, this film project sounds very interesting, what's the story? is it being made in america? europe? do you have a website for it? do you need more people involved?

alarie-tano Featured By Owner Jul 31, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

Yes we have other designs with more clothes bc of the consideration. Just making a wide range of options we can choose from. Yes they are tiger stripes

There is a website: www.stormovergondolin.com/

I don't know if we need more people, but responsible for the project is www.facebook.com/dimitri.frank… so you can just ask him

TurnerMohan Featured By Owner Jul 31, 2013 Professional General Artist

Thanks, I checked out the website, really cool looking project, and is that john howe-looking orc on the site yours? it's terrific

alarie-tano Featured By Owner Jul 31, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

Ahh no sadly it isn't

Zeonista Featured By Owner Jun 27, 2013

Hmm, the design motifs seem more Haradic than Rhunnic, but the physiognomy is not Haradan. So I really cannot call this figure representative of an Easterling. Maybe one of the men of Khand?

alarie-tano Featured By Owner Jun 27, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

I should have mentioned this is movie is set in the first age, so they are meant to be quite different from the 3rd age. Also it is not meant to be too much alike Peter Jacksons versions. Thus inspiration came from a mixture of siberian (patterns) and persian/arabic (helmet, weapons) cultures and not from PJs.

Zeonista Featured By Owner Jun 28, 2013

Well, in that case, it might well work! The Easterlings of the First Age have a fuzzily defined culture, but if these are the servants of Morgoth, they haven't gotten very developed yet, or gained distinction other than they are not the Edain or a similar people. (Nor are they likely to gain such under the first Dark Lord's rule!) As a conceptual sketch then it has some potential. Be sure to post when you do additions or revisions.

alarie-tano Featured By Owner Jul 12, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

I have some more actually. Perhaps I'll upload them later.
I'm curious: Do you have any source that tells that they haven't gotten very developed? I kind of imagined that Morgoth would have supported them with (war) technologies. Also, I think as all we know about them comes from their enemies (elves, men), I think the way those woulf have described them would be rather biased. (Don't misunderstand this as an attack, really just really wondering so I can read up on it

)

Sirielle Featured By Owner Jul 31, 2013 Digital Artist

I think there are clues in The Tale of Adanel tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Tale_o… that Morgoth had impact on their development. At least I would imagine it this way.

Zeonista Featured By Owner Jul 14, 2013

The two Easterling tribes who initially joined the Elves would have been exposed to the same cultural and technological influences as the Edain. One of them seems to have absorbed everything and remained true to the Noldor, while the others retained their loyalty to Morgoth and betrayed them. It is possible from our own history and current world that a culture may adapt technology and equipment from another culture, yet resist the lifestyle and associated cultural trappings that might otherwise accompany it. It is possible that the Easterlings who had betrayed the Elves and were given the uplands of the House of Hador would be Easterlings, but with Elf-derived items and crafting techniques. (Is that possibly why they received the highlands instead of the pasturelands near Doriath as their payment?) The unidentified Easterlings mentioned in the War of Wrath (to my mind anyway) would seem to be the more typical Hunnic style of barbarian horde suborned by Morgoth. Anything more would take some more detailed reading on my own part.