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To the Tower Comes Roland

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"Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a poem by English author Robert Browning which inspired Stephen King's Dark Tower series which in turn inspired me to do this.

I started yesterday, and did a sort of mixed matte painting background. (First time I've done anything 'matte') . And today I painted my interpretation of Roland, The Gunslinger.
But i'm really pleased with this for a first attempt at something worth doing aka not a half-assed attempt of something shitty.

The only real trouble I had was the fact that my colour sight is REALLY POOR.
And so it's meant to be a desert, and I have no idea if it's the right color for a desert. My flatmate said it looked more like the seaside to him. Black sodding damn. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO YOU GUYS?

Anyone with any tips for improvement will have an avid audience in me. I have only recently started drawing and painting, and am always looking for ways to improve!

Enjoy!

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At first I couldn't tell where Roland had ended up, since the towers in the background are certainly not the Dark Tower! I'd guess somewhere along the fringes of the Mohaine desert, the apotheosis of all deserts....

The detail on Roland is fabulous, especially his upper coat. The background itself is fine, but the structures, especially the near/foreground tree, could've done with a bit more clarity. I don't recall reading about a tilting spire like the one on the left... where has Roland gone, I wonder ;)

Trollfriend responds:

Thanks for the review - I really appreciate it!
To answer your question, no, it's nothing like the dark tower as it was described in the book, or as it is on the book cover. Instead it is sort of how I imagined it might look, when I first started reading the books. A main part of the wonder of the story is ultimately the mystery of the destination, the dark tower - what it is, what it looks like, where it is, and what it will signify.
So although my version of the books had an impression of the tower on the cover, my mind conjured a more sinister and twisted construction, amidst the asymmetry of that strange apocalyptic world (this was before the final book)! Hope that clears things up! Thanks again!
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amazing series...amazing work

Trollfriend responds:

Agreed! And thank you! :)

This is your best work yet.

this is very good just the colors are a little off but that makes it sorta unique
I love dark tower and I think you should make a combat scene

Trollfriend responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it! I was expecting that the colour would be an issue, due to my colour sight problems. Nothing I ever do seems to be the right colour/tone, but i've given up trying in the hopes that I can still portray the scene well enough. I would also love to do a gunfight scene, but I'm not sure my abilities would give it justice! I don't think I can get across just how epic Roland is to someone who's never read the books! Haha.

Credits & Info

Artist
Views
1,190
Faves:
2
Votes
5
Score
4.89 / 5.00

Uploaded
Jul 15, 2013
11:19 PM EDT
Category
Illustration

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