Will The Hobbit do damage to the books?

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Rhod the Red

Also inspired a lot of art. I recommend deviantart.com

On the flipside what with the saturation of imagery from the films in our culture it can be very difficult to find book-inspired art on deviantart! It's always a nice surprise to find something which hews a bit more closely to the original text and its implied aesthetics.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

On the flipside what with the saturation of imagery from the films in our culture it can be very difficult to find book-inspired art on devianart!

It can be very difficult to find art on deviantArt...

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

On the flipside what with the saturation of imagery from the films in our culture it can be very difficult to find book-inspired art on deviantart! It's always a nice surprise to find something which hews a bit more closely to the original text and its implied aesthetics.

It saddens me when I see images that so clearly represent Viggo Mortensen or any of the other actors from the movies.

The joy of drawing Tolkien is to use one's own imagination from the words to create a unique visual image, rather than to replicate another image.

[Lalwendë]

To be fair, deviantart is used by a heck of a lot of young people, especially teens, to show off their work, and I remember spending a lot of time copying other images either outright or adapting them when I was learning to draw.

And then of course, there is slash art

[Bêthberry]

True enough. I remember when we saw the students copying the masterpieces at the Louvre--my kids were very small but they insisted they had to draw too. So my guidebook to the Louvre has their pencil sketches in it too, as I had no other paper.

But what really sparked my reply, and the mention of Viggo, was a picture I saw passed around on FB. It had exquisite technique but it was of a movie shot and it broke my heart that such talent was spent on a movie image rather than an original interpretation. It is true that we take our inspiration wherever we find it, and that everyone has the right of interpretation. Yet that does not mean we cannot also comment upon things. One does not cancel out the other.

[Rhod the Red]

There are variations, including non-film drawings. Like search Gandalf, Saruman & Radagast. Maybe half the results are non-film

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

True enough. I remember when we saw the students copying the masterpieces at the Louvre--my kids were very small but they insisted they had to draw too. So my guidebook to the Louvre has their pencil sketches in it too, as I had no other paper.

But what really sparked my reply, and the mention of Viggo, was a picture I saw passed around on FB. It had exquisite technique but it was of a movie shot and it broke my heart that such talent was spent on a movie image rather than an original interpretation. It is true that we take our inspiration wherever we find it, and that everyone has the right of interpretation. Yet that does not mean we cannot also comment upon things. One does not cancel out the other.

If someone has done their drawing practise by copying something they may be justly proud of the results - my Art teacher used to tell me off for copying pictures when I was drawing but I argued it was good practise, especially as life models aren't something you get in schools.

I often worry though, whether these exquisite drawings are genuine or done on one of these computer packages that turn your photos into sketches...and I'm not that impressed by pure skill if there's no originality behind it. It's nice, but is it Art?

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

I saw the film over the hols and thoroughly enjoyed it -- sure, it wasn't the book, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much of the 'added' material was actually true to Tolkien's other writings and I also very much enjoyed how the 'tone' of the movie was more in keeping with how Tolkien himself wanted to revision the book after having written LotR. I could have done without several of the scenes (which were really just Jackson being self-indulgent and nobody having the authority or balls to tell him that they really needed to be cut -- the dwarves tidying Bilbo's table, Radagast nursing the hedgehog (I mean, really!) and about half the Council-scene at Rivendell) but for the rest it was very well done. I am quite excited about the sequels.

Oh, and for the people who have been complaining that the 48 fps makes it look 'fake'...it isn't real to begin with...

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle

I saw the film over the hols and thoroughly enjoyed it -- sure, it wasn't the book, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much of the 'added' material was actually true to Tolkien's other writings and I also very much enjoyed how the 'tone' of the movie was more in keeping with how Tolkien himself wanted to revision the book after having written LotR. I could have done without several of the scenes (which were really just Jackson being self-indulgent and nobody having the authority or balls to tell him that they really needed to be cut -- the dwarves tidying Bilbo's table, Radagast nursing the hedgehog (I mean, really!) and about half the Council-scene at Rivendell) but for the rest it was very well done. I am quite excited about the sequels.

Oh, and for the people who have been complaining that the 48 fps makes it look 'fake'...it isn't real to begin with...

Am I seeing things? Is that really Fordim Hedgethistle back on the Downs? and using British slang?

Welcome back, Fordy.

Originally Posted by Lal

I often worry though, whether these exquisite drawings are genuine or done on one of these computer packages that turn your photos into sketches...and I'm not that impressed by pure skill if there's no originality behind it. It's nice, but is it Art?

There are computer packages that can do that?

But then Renaissance artists often had students finish their paintings or work on small areas, if I am not mistaken, so I suppose there have always been apps for artists.