Fantasy Tolkien Duel Watercolour

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So this is one of the two promised large water colours. I am very pleased with how this has come out and has ended up.

The subject of the painting is a scene from one of the lesser known works of Tolkien, The Silmarillion. This covers the history before what is seen in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The scene is a confrontatio between the High King of the Elves, Fingolfin, and the Valar(god) of Darkness, Morgoth (Sauron was his lieutenant). So quite epic stuff. The text follows:

"Thus he came to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth in open combat. And Morgoth came....

...And he issued forth in clad in black armour; and he stood before the King like a tower, iron-crowned, and his vast shield, sable unblazoned, cast a shadow over him like a stormcloud. But Fingolfin gleamed beneath it as a star; for his mail was overlaid with silver, and his blue shield was set with crystals; and he drew his sword Ringil, that glittered like ice.

 Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, and swung it down like a bolt of thunder. But Fingolfin sprang aside, and Grond rent a mighty pit in the earth, whence smoke and fire darted. Many times Morgoth essayed to smite him, each time Fingolfin leaped away, as lightning shoots from under a dark cloud; and he wounded Morgoth with seven wounds, and seven times Morgoth gave a cry of anguish, whereat the hosts of Angband fell upon their faces with dismay, and the cries echoed in the Northlands.

   But at the last the King grew weary, and Morgoth bore down his shield upon him. Thrice he was crushed to his knees, and thrice arose again and bore up his broken shield and stricken helm. But the earth was all rent and pitted about him, and he stumbled and fell backward before the feet of Morgoth; and Morgoth set his left foot upon his neck, and the weight of it was like a fallen hill. Yet with his last and desperate stroke Fingolfin hewed the foot with Ringil, and the blood gushed forth black and smoking and filled the pits of Grond.

   Thus died Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor, most proud and valiant of the Elven-king of old"

So good dark climactic stuff. Anyway the working pictures for this are below if you are interested, thanks.