Numenorean design motifs

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caedmon
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by caedmon »

Ok, after much disembling and a change of course.... My first Numenorean design step by step...

I had threatened to do nautical motifs, but as I spent more time working on the patterns I realized that the I need to deal with the basic form.

Many semi-codified artistic styles base their work on a set of basic shapes. LaTene celts specialized in spirals, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in animal interlace, North-West Coast Art in formlines, and Art Noveau in organic shapes. The Numenorean art we have overwhelmingly uses built up arcs. (To a lesser extent they also use scrollwork) So rather than start with the Nautical motifs I started with the Lozenges which really showcase that buildup well.

Green lines denote the first in a series of repeated shapes, red are continuations.

lozenge-1.ai.png
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-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Greg »

Holy freaking cow.

Jack, you've outdone yourself. Do we have carte blanche to run amok with this(these) on our own projects?
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by caedmon »

Greg wrote:Holy freaking cow.

Jack, you've outdone yourself. Do we have carte blanche to run amok with this(these) on our own projects?

Absolutely, that's the whole point.


I should have another today.
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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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caedmon
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by caedmon »

ok, here's another. One of the more complex borders, one that doesn't initially seem to be arcs until you break it down.
border_1.png
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-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Elleth
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Elleth »

Hunh... I wonder if there was a Numenorean Pythagoras playing with things like this once upon a time? It's all very mathematical.
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Udwin »

Oh man, we really need a 'jaw dropping' emoticon - I'm speechless, that is Too Cool. Well, I know what I'll be doodling in the margins for the next long while!
Looking at your broken-down border compared to Tolkien's original pencil design, it really feels like you're reconstructing the frescoes of Knossos or something like that. (Mediterranean mother culture, makes sense).
Very exciting.
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caedmon
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

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Elleth wrote:Hunh... I wonder if there was a Numenorean Pythagoras playing with things like this once upon a time? It's all very mathematical.
Oddly enough I keep thinking along the same lines. Tar-Meneldur is who I keep coming back to, but he was born over 500 years after the founding of Numenor, so that feels a bit late.
Udwin wrote:Oh man, we really need a 'jaw dropping' emoticon - I'm speechless, that is Too Cool. Well, I know what I'll be doodling in the margins for the next long while!
Looking at your broken-down border compared to Tolkien's original pencil design, it really feels like you're reconstructing the frescoes of Knossos or something like that. (Mediterranean mother culture, makes sense).
Very exciting.
Thank you I am flattered. As for Knossos, wait for the wavy lozenge and border. They really have that Minoan feel.
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by caedmon »

The value of decoding an artistic system.


-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Elleth
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Elleth »

Hah! You've given me visions of ignoring my chemistry teacher to doodle Celtic knotwork and tengwar in my notebook.. memory lane!

Anyhow, these are lovely! Thank you caedmon!

I confess a lot Tolkien's drawings don't appeal to me on the page, but realized in craft they do take on a nice look.
I've fallen in love with that "flower in a square" corner tile he made, and find it lovely on trinkets.
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by caedmon »

Found another...
crownofgondor.png
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-Jack Horner

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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by caedmon »

Ok, one more. Before I jump into plant motifs, here's another lozenge. This is an important one, I call it the bat-wing, and it comes from the flowering plant in the Numenorean carpet. The importance is that it is one of the major motifs picked up by other Numenorean imspired artists, for example Turner Mohan uses it as an armour detail in some of his illustrations.

I initially do it in the same aspect ration as my other lozenge, and then re do it as Tolkien drew it, as a corner motif.
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-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Kortoso »

Very nice.

I adore the Art Nouveau approach, and I appreciate seeing a path to making "fractal"-like designs.
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caedmon
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

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-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Elleth
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Elleth »

OH MY GOD SOMEONE ACTUALLY MADE THE CARPET!!!!!
norbu-rugs-numenorean-carpet.jpg
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https://twitter.com/NorbuRugs/status/508495861983088640

Honestly, it looks a lot better than I would have expected. I fear I'd always thought the drawing itself a nice collection of motifs, but rather chaotic and unpleasant in total composition. As we're seeing with so many of the Professor's drawings though, once rendered into the real world it looks quite nice!
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Re: Numenorean design motifs

Post by Udwin »

wow Wow WOW! That is amazing! I hear you on the chaos of the original...while the rug-maker did simplify some of the elements (borders mostly), it came out incredible. I'd be scared to think about how much the client paid for it.
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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