Tavern's Member Picture Gallery.

I've been meaning to do a bit of research now the weather is picking up a bit. I woke up this morning, to clear skies and sunshine. Looks like spring has sprung. (Although it would do me well to remember the old saying: Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out.)

This is Carrickfergus Castle. It was built in 1178, and is of Norman design. It actually was assaulted by King John. (He of the Magna Carta.)

 

It's really pretty @obsidian_cicatrix . Would it have been surrounded by water at that time?

 

No...not entirely, about 3/4, but there was a gully so that once the drawbridge was up it had the same effect. If it was breached from the front before that happened, there's a 'murder hole' where they would channel boiling oil and flaming pitch to give the soldiers inside a chance to form ranks.

 

Yikes! Such brutal times. Yes, that makes sense.

 

My son and I hiking in Reimer's Ranch Park in Travis County, Texas, last October:

 

Emilia Clark, from Game of Thrones?

 

@jannert

Face is the right shape. I'm a bit thrown by the incisors, but at this skeletal stage I wouldn't rule her out because of it.

I even snuck (not sneaked) over to @Lae's page on Deviant Art to see if a update had been posted, but no. Yes...I'm aware that's cheating. I was just dying to see if any progress had been made.

You have amazing technique when it comes to skin tone, btw Lae. I'm really very envious.

 

Do you know if that staircase handrail is there for tourists, or would that have been there during the days when the castle was lived-in? By the way, I'm really impressed. This is one hell of an old and well-preserved castle. Really gives an idea of what they were like.

 

Nice! well done, it is Miss Clark. Good eye.

You are right about the incisors, they are off. The problem i had was that my first sketch made the gap a little too wide, i will sort it out when i add my next layer.

And thank you for the compliment

 

I used to draw portraits myself ...not to your standard, but with reasonable competence. You do acquire a 'feel' for faces if you draw them a lot. I mentally shut her mouth, and the pout made me think 'Danerys.' I googled her pictures, and was about 80% sure, although I couldn't find an exact duplicate. And yes, the incisors did throw me a bit, too. But once I saw a few photos of her nose, I was pretty sure. You really are good, you know.

 

Many thanks for the compliment, do you have any examples of your old work? i'm always interested.

 

I wondered that myself. I'm thinking, not, but rather it was an addition made a while later. But... I could be wrong. By that point there wasn't anyone close by to ask.

I love this castle, but it's been renovated on the interior to give an idea of what it would have looked like way back when—walls whitewashed, boards replaced, that kind of thing.

My favourite castle in Ireland is Trim Castle in County Meath. It's the biggest in the Norman style. It hasn't been hardly touched at all. Interesting to note was that it was used as a primary location for Braveheart. In fact, the vast majority of filming of exterior and interior shots and the battlescenes were shot at Trim and The Glens of Antrim, respectively. So for those who think: Oh... that Scotland's a nice looking place, that wasn't Scotland, that was Ireland. (But yes, the Highlands are gorgeous too.)

Film Companies get tax write offs when they film here. That's why HBO shot their Westeros stuff here.
Trim Castle.

 

A well deserved compliment. The detailing is incredible. I was allowing for the teeth... that's why I made a point of saying I would not rule Jannert's guess out because of it. I had considered it might be her by the nose and jawline but Jannert saying so made me think it even more of a possibility. I'm glad you put me out of my misery.

 

Oh, I'm not really up to your standard, as regards portraits, and it's been quite a while. I consider myself a landscape artist actually, although I've pretty much stopped doing that, too. Eyesight. However, here's a sample of what I did a few years back, since moving to Scotland. It's Balnakiel Beach, up on the north coast near Durness:

 

@jannert

Love the pinkish hues along the tide line. Did you work from a pic or in situ? The colours remind me of when I'm in Donegal camping in high summer, just as the light is about to start fading. It has that warmth to it.

 

Just a quick drawing on the spot, using basic colors (pencils), then a couple of supplementary photos to take back home. I worked it at home in oil pastel. It's actually pretty big, done on A1 sheet of orange pastel paper. It was actually springtime, and the light was mid-late afternoon, if memory serves me right. It's an absolutely stunning part of Scotland. In fact, the whole north coast is a trip indeed. Love it.

 

I like it, its not what i picture when i think of scotland but it's very good. I'm next to useless with colours, so i have great respect for those that use them. I've only ever used graphite and practically see the world in shades of grey!

I've wanted to do landscapes for a while ive just never sat down with an idea, i love sci fi so i wanted to do a landscape with a sci fi theme. I did try one a while back but i'm quite the perfectionist when it comes to drawing so its quite frustrating to get stuck on one insignificant area when there's so much more to do.

 

I used to do a lot of drawing with graphite sticks rather than pencils. And then I'd spray-fix them with matt fixative, which made them look like charcoal drawings. Loved doing that, but then the manufacturers stopped making the matt fixative, and I just didn't like the shiny-shiny graphite marks on the paper, so I stopped making these drawings. For many years I didn't use color either. But once I got started, I loved using it. It's fun doing odd things with color, like making a blue-toned drawing on a piece of orange paper, letting some of the paper show through. I love vibrant color.

As for your sci-fi scenery? I imagine you'd produce some pretty amazing stuff, which could certainly provide your book cover, if not a few interior illustrations as well. Do you work from your imagination, or from photos, or what?

 

@Lae I got it, Eva Mendes. It's the moles that gave it away.

 

Its been guessed, Jannert got it. Mendes has one mole and its slightly closer to the nose, its a decent guess though.

My portraits are from photos, in fact most of my stuff is from refs. I have a problem with my imagination overloading me with too much detail if that makes sense.

I will do some sci fi scenery at some point, im sure ill post it on here. I will probably relate it to my story so it might help me describe it better with my wordy things.

 

At least he's not on your keyboard.

 

sigh... Unless I'm working on the iMac that's to the left of the laptop, not in the picture. My desk only has that keyboard tray for the one side, on the other side I have to have the keyboard up on the surface, and yes, there Carlos feels the need to touch every wittle key he can get his paws on.

 

Awwww how cute you named him after Carlos Mencia.

 

Um... no. His full name is Don Carlos Alberto Quejón.

 

My cat usually just sleeps in my chair, so I'm sitting on the edge, trying very hard to get into the writing mood, all the while my butt is going numb from sitting half on/half off.