The Voice of Isengard

The Voice of Isengard

oil on panel, 20" x 40"

©Fantasy Flight Games

A covetous Saruman the White and Grima Wormtongue standing in the foothills above the Wizards Vale, looking out towards Rohan. I've been waiting to show this one for a while. The Voice of Isengard was done for box of the latest expansion set of The Lord of the Rings -The Card Game, published by Fantasy Flight Games. 

Where they're standing. The client wanted Fangorn to be seen on the extreme right, and the tower of Orthanc  had to be a bit more prominent so that it would show up on the box, so the geography was condensed a bit.

Digital sketches of my initial idea, which focused more on the view of Rohan. I tried to work in a rainbow somewhere in the image to hint at Saruman's eventual transformation into Saruman of Many Colours. In the final image, it's in the prism on the end of his staff. 

A view from Conor Pass, on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. I find myself constantly recalling the trip my wife and I took there a couple years ago as inspiration for many of the imaginary locales I've been painting since.