I have properly caught the painting bug, and because I have very little time I have really enjoyed doing these quick exercises that can be done in a few hours or over a couple of evenings.

Here is my latest effort – an unfinished portrait of Gandalf the Grey.

It’s based on a portrait of the writer George MacDonald by an artist called George Reid (see below – borrowed from Art UK). George MacDonald was an influence on Tolkien and he seemed to have a slightly Gandalfish quality about him.

I know there is a lot more to do to this to complete it (he currently feels more Gimli that Gandalf, perhaps) and he is certainly more cartoonish than I would like, but for now at least I am happy to abandon it in the state it’s in. It’s all a learning curve, right?

Here is the making of Gandalf the Grey.