"The Ride Of The Rohirrim"

"The Ride of the Rohirrim"

2023

And straightaway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains. 

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", by J.R.R. Tolkien

Not much that I can say about this scene that hasn't been said already. One of the most powerful, enduring moments of hope not just in Lord of the Rings, but in the whole of cinema history, made all the more so by the fact that it's not coming from a magical, supernatural source, but from Men showing up for other Men. An epic, beautiful, cathartic scene.

I remember seeing the film for the first time, I was so immersed in this battle I had quite forgotten that help was on its way. The horns blew, and I didn't know what that meant; the silhouettes appeared in the horizon, and I still didn't know what was going on. Only when the iconic, beautiful Rohan soundtrack started to slowly roll in, I finally realized what was happening, and felt my heart swelling to twice its size. It still does to this day. 

"Groovin'"

2023

Strangely, cel shading takes a lot more effort and time from me than when I do a more rendered piece. But this came out quite well.

"Pride"

2023

The dude from the photo I referenced this from was cute as hell, but his face was a pain to draw. Took me almost a week to get right. 

"Free Palestine"

2023

(Artwork and caption made on the first week of the genocidal aggression on Gaza)

I oppose war and violence on general principle. Yet when the root of that violence lies in oppression, colonialism, and apartheid, then it isn't my place, nor anybody else's, to tell an oppressed people that they should not resist and fight back against their tyrants. 

Every single day my social media feed is filled with stories of Palestinian people being shot by Israeli soldiers; and if not that, then it is a kid being strip-searched, or beaten, or arrested without charge, or an elderly person being shoved to the ground; and if not that, then it is a town, or a market place, or a refugee camp, or a mosque being raided by the Israeli military, and the people inside being harassed and threatened by Israeli settlers. It is infuriating to me to see supposedly liberal/progressive people in the West suddenly care, to see them become outraged at the loss of Israeli civilians, however regrettable and tragic that may be, without having ever said a word about all the systemic, state-sponsored violence against Palestinians that preceded it, and then claim that those that do are being insensitive, or mean, or propagandized. 

I thought we had learned to recognize systems of oppression, no? That to take a neutral stance was to side with the oppressor? I now ask, who is the oppressor here? Who's the powerful country in this circumstance? Who has the nuclear arsenal, the top-grade weapons, control over most of the land and resources, and political and economic backing of the most powerful countries on Earth? I have the answer for you: it is not the Palestinians. 

*be advised: any zionist trolls, colonial apologists, right wing nutters, etc, will get their comments deleted and accounts blocked.

"Chiaroscuro"

2023

This came out amazing, if I do say so myself. Not how I initially intended it, but as Bob Ross would say, happy accidents occurred.

"Smaug the Golden"

2023

This December marked 10 years since Desolation of Smaug was released; 10 years since the greatest dragon to be ever put to screen first delighted our senses. Whatever may be said about the Hobbit Trilogy, Smaug was and will forever be its crowning achievement.