Bag End - New Zealand

My entire life, I dreamed of visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand. In the summer of 2024, I finally got to do it.  I captured a shot of Bag End that had amazing colors, and naturally, I couldn’t resist painting it while I was in New Zealand. I started with a sketch, of course. This one required much more precision than usual. The structure and angle of the Hobbit hole were unlike anything I’d worked with before, so it was definitely a challenge.

Gouache on Arches Watercolor Paper - 6”x10”

Next, I started blocking in the colors and gradually adding details. Sketching wasn’t the only tricky part of creating the Hobbit home—painting it also turned out to be quite a challenge. To preserve the sketch for reference, I focused on one section at a time.

Creating depth in the greenery, especially around the sign, was tricky. That part ended up taking up most of my time in this painting.