The first Eclipse issue of Talks with Tolkien artists is with saphir93. To be honest, I had no intention to continue the interviews in Eclipse, because it's terrible for making journals, and I'll probably be looking for an alternate site to host them. So I'll not be asking people to talk with them anymore, but if someone would like to talk with me and be featured here, you're welcome to approach me, like saphir93 did. You can find her gallery here:
(https://www.deviantart.com/saphir93)
Hello! For the beginning, could you tell us something about yourself?
My name is Giulia Bernardini and I'm an Italian fantasy illustrator. I love fantasy genre and natural landscapes. I like forests, mountains and countryside. Nature has always given me a sense of peace and tranquility and to inspire me creatively, it's marvelous for my eyes. I love to look tree barks, leaves and roots, I love oaks in particular. Another literary genre that I like, even is not on the same level as fantasy, is science fiction, not for technology but for astronomy. In fact, I really like observing the universe with its planets, stars, galaxies and nebulae. It's a show of unique and wonderful lights and colors, something immense and beautiful.
What brought you to deviantArt and how did you pick your username?
When I was a adolescent, I started surfing the internet and I got to know the site, but I didn't register immediately and so I waited. I remember that I was very impressed by Deviantart, which was in its heyday, and there had been the first graphic tablets for digital drawing and illustration for quite some time now. The network was full of artists and the best place they concentrated was this site. It were my first years of high school in 2007/2008. My school friend (now she is an illustrator too), recommended me DeviantArt 'cause she used it herself and she was very happy with it. I didn't feel ready to show my works and yet at a certain point I took courage and signed up too. At the time we both thought about comics. Deviantart's enrollment period (2010/2011) coincides with that of Facebook and the beginning of my third year of artistic high school: Graphic-visual arts address. The nickname Saphir93 was born thanks to my love for dragons and this name I chose because of the dragon of Eragon: Saphira. I'm not a fan of this saga, I don't like it very much, but I was struck by Saphira and thus this name was born. Number 93 is my year of birth.
How did you enter Tolkien's world for the first time, and what impression did it leave in you?
As I said, I've been passionate about fantasy genre ever since I was a child and my first fantasy movie was 1986's "Labyrinth" directed by Jim Henson. In elementary school I saw many others including: Willow, Conan the Barbarian, Dragonheart, Legend, Ladyhawke, The Fantastic Story, Highlander, The Neverending Story, etc. in these movies there were elements and characters of Folklore, myths and legends, which I loved as dragons, elves, fairies, gnomes, goblins, dwarves, warriors, witches, wizards, ancient gods, etc. I met The Lord of the Rings with Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated movie and when I received the VHS I fell in love even though I still didn't know anything about Tolkien. I was impressed with some characters such as : Legolas, Galadriel, Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Sauron, and places like Imladris and The Shire. In this way Tolkien's work broke into my heart. Growing up, I also watched Peter Jackson movies. The first I saw on VHS while the second and third I saw them in the cinema. My grandfather was a big fan of Tolkien's works and he was very satisfied with Jackson's cinematic representation, in fact he had a red box in his library that contained all of Tolkien's main works, those considered canon: The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . I was twelve when he tried to persuade me to read the Silmarillion, advising me not to read The Lord of the Rings yet, since I had seen the movies. He begged me to read it but I was still too young for such a complex text. My grandfather died later and I tried to open the Silmarillion to start reading it but still found it difficult for my taste. During high school I looked at Jackson's film trilogy several times (extended version of course) and I was struck by some of the names mentioned in the film, namely : Valar and Morgoth. I did a search on Wikipedia and met the Valar and Melkor, a character who struck me a lot for his name and the story of him. I loved him right away. I thought that little information found online was not enough for me and that I had to read the Silmarillion immediately. Melkor soon appeared in Ainulindalë and as I was reading the chapter I got excited like a child. My love and curiosity for this character have been a guide while reading this work. The Silmarillion is the first book I read about Tolkien and it is also the one that is dearest to me because of my grandfather because his memory lives on through Tolkien's writings and my love for him. It took years of maturation for reading but like many I started from the various cinematic representations.
What creates the image of Middle-earth in your mind? Is it more influenced by the books or movies, or maybe other artists, and did it change over time or remained the same?
Definitely from the books, especially from the Silmarillion which, after the films, changed and expanded my vision of Arda. Mainly the Tolkien artists who inspired me the most are John Howe (www.john-howe.com/blog/) and Phobs (www.deviantart.com/phobs). Phobs impressed me with his now iconic representations of Melkor, represented as a handsome young man with very long black hair and pale skin. Differences : One difference, apart from my stylistic trait, is the ears. My ears for Melkor are like those of many represent as elven, this is because it is correct that the Valar identified with the elves as their physical aspects and forms and not with humans, men came long after the elves. But this does not detract from Phobs and his skill in reporting the works of Tolkien, since it remains the greatest source of inspiration for all, as I said, they are all concordant in colors and aspects, and Melkor and the Phobs's Sauron are quite iconic.
Some of Tolkien's books can be hard to read, being more of history annals than fiction. Do you enjoy the scholarly side of studying Tolkien's world as well?
I don't particularly like the academic side, I'm sincere, but I recognize its importance. It is important to approach English literature to understand and learn more about Tolkien's works, certainly this helped me to better understand the Silmarillion and the various tales. One of my favorites is The Fall of Gondolin, edited by Christopher and first developed by Tolkien in 1917, having participated in World War I during the Battle of the Somme.
Who is your favourite Tolkien character and why?
Melkor. Thanks to Melkor I began to read the Silmarillion and to appreciate the work. Melkor is a wonderful character that I love and that I'm very fond of, he is a figure particularly close to me. From Melkor everything started, from him all the history and all the events of the Silmarillion originate. He is an important and profound character, despite being the antagonist, he has many interesting nuances and character qualities. He is able to peer into souls and minds and can hardly be fooled, he is fascinating and intriguing, very intelligent, proud, strong, resourceful, majestic, curious, always eager to learn and explore. Having traveled to the Void he developed a whole thought of himself, very different from that of the other Valar. In Melkor I see myself a lot, we have in common the persistence to achieve goals, the stubbornness, not giving up even in the most difficult and desperate moments, being lonely and ultimately pride in one's work. Melkor is also the father and creator of my favorite race, the dragons, his only true creation compared to others such as orcs, trolls and various, which are corruptions and disfigurements of races already existing in Arda. Dragons are splendid and proud creatures, like their creator Melkor. They are very intelligent, beautiful, proud and know how to penetrate the minds of others and are attracted to all precious objects and treasures. Melkor was very brave in recruiting Ungoliant (giant spider, I hate spiders) to take his revenge. He knew very well that she was a disgusting, terrible and dangerous thing, but he took the risk.
Now, could you tell us something about you and art? Are you a professional artist, or is art just your hobby? When did you start doing it, and who or what influenced your style?
I followed a course of artistic studies, and I have a three-year degree in illustration. I'm an artist also as for passion but, first of all, I consider myself a professional illustrator, drawing is my work and, if you want, you can ask me for commissions and projects. I’m also currently working on a project, an illustrated artbook, which I hope will also be sold abroad in the future. The first great artists who pushed me to want to illustrate and become an illustrator were : Paolo Barbieri, Brian Froud, Yoshitaka Amano, Alphonse Mucha, Alan Lee, Arthur Rackhamm, John Howe and Aubrey Beardsley.
How do you decide what to draw and what's your creative process from picking the theme to finishing a picture?
The theme depends a lot on the moment, if it is a project, a free tribute / dedication illustration or a paid job or commission (those are very important). I always start from a pencil draft / sketch on paper, then depending on the subject / style I decide whether to continue stylistically in traditional pencil or digitally, it depends. Generally I tend to use little ink, I only do it for comics. When I illustrate, on the other hand, I mainly use pencils and I often apply a texture, created by me by hand, which recalls ancient parchment paper while with digital I prefer dark tones and gray scales. Still for digital, I review the pencil sketch with transparency (digital inking or line review) and then fill with the grayscale on another layer with multiply.
What other book or movies (or anything else) inspire you to create fanart, and why?
Everything that is fantasy inspires me, especially Tolkien's works, but also other particular authors of cinema, comics, films, series, video games, etc. For other writers other than Tolkien there are: HP Lovecraft, Michael Moorcock, R. A. Salvatore, Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman. Instead for cinema, comics, movies, series and video games there are the series of The Legend of Zelda, Guillermo del Toro, Jim Henson and the series of Final Fantasy. Because I love everything that is fantasy or dark fantasy, I love strange and peculiar things, folklore, myths and legends. Another great love of mine and source of inspiration as for Tolkien is Norse mythology.
What art technique is your favourite? Do you rather keep to the art techniques and styles you are familiar with, or do you experiment with new ones as well?
My style is semi-realistic, so it's not realistic and it's not a simplified comic/cartoon, it's a half-way style that favors the details of the realistic but doesn't take them completely, so it's also simplified, but not like the cartoon, in fact. I prefer to use pencils and traditional art because they suit my style well and I love the gray scale. Lately I have developed digital art, it took a while to adapt my elaborate style and refine it, I would like to improve, also because with digital I have the opportunity to play more light and shadow with the gray scale. However, I'm really satisfied with the progress made so far.
Do you have some tips and tricks you would like to share with the other artists?
Each artist develops in his own way following the style he intends to follow. What I can say is that, for any artistic training, it is necessary to study human anatomy and have a basic classical training. I started with the structure of the felines and the female figures. At first I did more animal structures, animal anatomy is good for learning the fluidity of the stroke and movement, then I moved on to human anatomy with female figures and finally with the more complex male one. Observation in drawing is essential, you have to observe and learn, nature is perfect for this and I have always learned from it, observing even the most common things such as trees and leaves. In elementary school I used the little material I had, I redesigned the cartoons they did on TV and the comic book characters I had. In middle school and high school I learned by force to study and copy human anatomy from art books. Finally, there are always the details, after having mastered the structure and anatomy well, there are volumes, lights and shadows. The search for an artistic style and obtaining it is the last stage of the process.
Could you tell us which
- Tolkien illustration you are most proud of?
Melkor made during the period of the first lockdown in my country, I put all of myself into this illustration and besides being satisfied I love it very much.
Ancalagon the Black. Ancalagon the Black he was the most beautiful and greatest of the dragons of Melkor. I’m thinking to doing this again in digitally.
- original picture or picture from other fandom you are most proud of?
The Ancient Magus Bride : Chise Hatori and Elias Ainsworth.
I'm very proud of this, of this I love colors and how I made the environment of the space behind him that recalled a violet nebula.
Aaravos - The Dragon Prince :
- picture fits your current mood?
- picture was hardest to paint?
All the digital illustrations that took me a month to work on, many are elaborated with lights and shadows. Others have rather complex scenarios and details. Tobias - commision. My first digital commission, I'm very proud of it, it took me a month to make it.
This illustration showing a setting and more characters was a big challenge for me. LOTR - The end of all things :
- other picture you would like to share with us and why?
Melkor's awakening. The beginning of my comic on the Silmarillion, the birth of Melkor (this table always moves me). I’m thinking to doing this again in digitally as more like a cinematic storyboard for the start of a movie :
I was really saddened by the death of Bowie, a huge loss for the music and cinema world, I grew up with the songs of Bowie, he was great, along with Queen's Freddie Mercury. Labyrinth - Jareth and Sarah. This is a my tribute to David Bowie. I’m thinking to doing this again in digitally.
Would you like to thank somebody here? What key people in your life, (on or off of dA) have been inspirations to you, or has supported you, as an artist? You can also tell us why, if you want.
First of all, even if he is no longer there, I thank and always hold my grandfather in my heart. He was the first to let me discover Tolkien's writings, and he shared with me his love and passion for nature and the fantasy genre, and I treasured these teachings in my art as well. Thanks to Chiara Berrugi, here on DA: SmallNaughtyOrc, thank you for being close to me as a friend and in difficult times, thank you for your precious artistic and non-artistic advice and for your great support and support both moral and artistic. Thanks to my friend Sara Oakenshield Morgan, for believing in me and in my abilities, but also in my art and always ready to push me for the better in everything and to support me in every situation, even the most emotionally difficult. To my dearest Simona Brunilde Jero, great Tolkenian art companion. Thanks to Stephanie Matsuzaki, Azukiel on DA (www.deviantart.com/azukiel), for his precious support and having believed in my art and my works. Thanks to my mother, for her patience, but above all for the love and support she always gives me in everything. Finally, thanks to Diego Trapuzzano, who also supports me morally and artistically. Thank you all for the laughter, the support and the many wonderful moments of joy and love that you have been able to give me and that we have shared together. Thank you all.
Would you like to use this space to give a feature to someone? Is there some artist(s) at dA you know, who doesn't have as much attention as they would deserve? If yes, could you give us some thumbnails from their gallery?
Cycloprax-Tinj, SmallNaughtyOrc, Eva-Batora, LauraPanico1987, foxleycrow, Onirismi
foxleycrow link : www.deviantart.com/foxleycrow
Cycloprax-Tinj link : www.deviantart.com/cycloprax-t…
LauraPanico1987 link : www.deviantart.com/laurapanico…
SmallNaughtyOrc link : www.deviantart.com/smallnaught…
Eva-Batora link : www.deviantart.com/eva-batora
Onirismi link : www.deviantart.com/onirismi
Is there something else you would like to tell to the fans of Tolkien and your art?
If Melkor of the Silmarillion is a character that interests you and that you like, I work a lot on him and I will never stop doing it, as the various works of Tolkien obviously, and fantasy genre lovers are always very welcome. I’m also working on a comic series that tells the story of the Silmarillion, for now I have published some parts, and I am continuing it, if you want you can follow it and support the project in my various artistic pages that I will put with the various links in description, you will find them all, so you can follow me and like and share around, in short, not only follow the project but spread the word. The series is obviously free (in full respect of copyright, for a possible representation to be brought back to those who love this work) in fact it can be read for free and without problems, it is my way to grant a representation. My aim is to bring back the work that many love and to please the fans who would like a representation of the Silmarillion. For other artistic projects or commissions I’m always available. For commissions I'm available both for original characters and for those of Tolkien's stories. So if you want a Tolkien's characters I will gladly do it for you. Here I leave all my contacts, my sites where you can follow me artistically and follow the comic project on the Silmarillion and my price list to request illustrated commissions. Hope we share my project, and support my art and works.
I put the links :
FB page : www.facebook.com/giuliabernard…
Part of comic in FB :
Chapter one – Ainulindalë : www.facebook.com/media/set/?va…
Chapter two - Arrival in Arda : www.facebook.com/media/set/?va…
Chapter Four - Laurelin and Telperion : www.facebook.com/media/set/?va…
Deviantart : www.deviantart.com/saphir93
Part of comic on DA :
The music of the Ainur : www.deviantart.com/saphir93/ga…
Melkor and the dragons : www.deviantart.com/saphir93/ga…
Telperion and Laurelin : www.deviantart.com/saphir93/ga…
For the commissions :
Link gallery : www.deviantart.com/saphir93/ga…
Digital commissions prices : www.deviantart.com/saphir93/ar…
Traditional art commissions prices : www.deviantart.com/saphir93/ar…
Twitter : twitter.com/GiuliaBern93
Artstation : www.artstation.com/saphir93
Tumblr : tolkienfantasy.tumblr.com/
