Sunday, October 4, 2009

Balor of the Evil Eye


I was selecting some images for an article in Fantasy Art Magazine, a Chinese print and on-line publication.
Here's one of Balor of the Evil Eye from "The Names upon the Harp" that I hope they will use. It is my favourite illustration from that book and, of all my book illustrations, I feel that this is one where I got the technical balance between tight descriptive painting and atmospheric mark-making just right.

7 comments:

Susan at Stony River said...

I like your Balor--especially how you managed his lethal eye; you gave it such a presence for all that it's hidden for the moment.

Thank you for the link to Fantasy Art Magazine; my daughter loves Imagine FX but it's incredibly expensive now that she's living in West Virginia. I'll send her the link to this one and see what she thinks.

Kendra Melton said...

That piece is super nice. All the wrinkles in the faces, the softness of the hair, and the folds in the fabric. Yeah you Nailed this, it's so awesome. :D

PJ Lynch said...

Many thanks for those kind comments, Susan and Kendra,
Best wishes
PJ

Unknown said...

I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month and one of my characters is Balor. I love the colors that you chose and especially the cape. I loved the pattern, almost like a tartan. Very nice. I'll use this for a little inspiration. I'm writing about Lugh; in my story he's a 12 year old misfit. Cliche, yes, but fun to write.

Anyway, well done!

PJ said...

Hi Chris D
Thanks for the great comments.
I'm delighted that you like my Balor and hope that he might inspire you to great things.
Don't worry about clichés, they are pretty useful I find.
Best of luck with your novel
PJ

Amanda said...

I was incredibly excited to find this blog, and this picture especially. You illustrated my two favorite storybooks and it's been so great to see some other stuff! This picture simultaneously fascinated and terrified me from the moment I opened that book at six years old. I've had it for a decade and this picture is still a favorite of mine, because the character comes across so well. I think having this site and sharing some insight into your work is lovely- hopefully it's let a wider audience appreciate your talents.

Mandy

PJ Lynch said...

Thanks so much for that great comment, Mandy.
This Balor picture is still one of my favourites ever.
I'm so glad you like it too, even though he's pretty vile looking.
All the best
PJ