I Remade Monsters EXACTLY as described in the book...
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- čas přidán 12. 02. 2023
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Hi jazza
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Hello jazza
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That balrog is phenomenal. It honestly feels even more like something vast and powerful than the movie version. It feels like something primordial, wrought from shadow and hellfire, that stalks out from the darkness. Very potent stuff.
I agree, it feels more like an ancient spirit who was the servant of Morgoth.
The movie balrog looks more like a devil from Christian mythology.
It does look very cool, agreed.
There is still the age old debate about Balrog wings. But overall the shadow and flame in a humanoid shape IS what a Balrog should theoretically look like.
They're Maiar like Gandalf and Saruman. But ones that have fallen to serve Morgoth.
Sauron is actually a Balrog too. Morgoth's chief Balrog. Only Morgoth is a higher level being. The rest are all of the same kind.
Which goes to show how significant their "raiment" is in terms of how they appear to others.
Yea I definitely feel like this smokey version is a much more accurate look than the movie and it feels more imposing too, and it makes it more significant that Gandalf fought it with light
@@QueenMonny Sauron is a Maiar but not a Balrog, Gothmog is the chief Balrog.
as a lifelong Tolkien fan, your Balrog is honestly the most faithful depiction I've ever seen. The one you showed of the silhouette always felt too anime to me for some reason. Yours is just too big, they are Man-like, after all. Dark, shadow-Men who exude fog and mist, and burn with a hidden fire, all wrapped in an almost tangible sheet of shadow. One of the coolest concepts out there, and one of my first favourite characters in any story just for the imagery.
Given Tolkien heavy use of Nordic sagas as an inspiration I always felt a Balrog was closer to a fire giant of Muspelheim rather than the christianised demon form that artists interpreted it as even before the movies
The thing I think most forget about the Balrogs is that they were/are Maiar. And more based on Christian mythology around angels. Rather than the Nordic mythology which were more used to style of narrative linguistics And lets not forget the Celtic influence upon Tolkien as he was big fan of the Welsh/Gaelic languages for they melodic cadence.
I always imagined it like a guy inside an exoskeleton made of shadow. Wrapped in it and a animating it.
Can I be your friend all of you
I really like Jazza's way of depicting the Balrog.
My "favourite" Balrog is still the one from the animated LOTR Movie from 1978 though.
It's actually pretty far from the original description in the book - but it has such a unique and surprising appearance,
while the Balrog from the LOTR Trilogy disappointed me, since it looked "impressive" but also somehow very "standard" and unimaginative...
I think that Jazza's interpretation (especially after being "perfected" by Alicia) would have been much cooler and even more impressive in the Trilogy.
Since instead of really exploring the elements of darkness and fire they just went with a "giant lava monster" with massive horns, wings and flames around it - actually much more a creature of light & fire than of shadows.
@Glorfindel Thank you for pointing out that Balrogs are actually only the size of humans.
Which means that they should actually be much more similar to a Nazgul than any "beastlike monster"...
Your Balrog gives such a different vibe from the one in the movie, in the movie while it is scary, its a big monster, you can imagine how someone might fight a big monster. But with your version, with all the smoke and shadow and flame, it just invokes a feeling of 'how do you even fight this thing?'
Which is what its supposed to invoke
For me, the movie version just looks cool and badass, but not really terrifying and creepy like his design
@@keepitsecret-dl1pr I'm inclined to think a combination of technological, time, and budgetary limitations landed them with the kind of Balrog we saw in Peter Jackson's movie. I'm sure it's much easier to render a solid shadowy humanoid-demon with the only smoke coming from its flames, rather than smoke and shadow constantly wrapping a humanoid figure while it's simultaneously on fire.
I think you should watch the movie again mate 😅
@@iPlayOnSpicauntil all those scenes when Frodo had the ring on and everything around him was whispy and distorted the whole time he wore it... I'd have agreed with you until this, lol
That interpretation of Cathulu being a jacked hound squid with wings was amazing
Right!? it felt so much more terrifying and closer to the element that Lovecraft thought of, rather than most drawings/interpretations that are seen in modern media (Just my opinion tho lol-)
Cthulhu
Hound squid?
Reminds me of nightstalker from dota 2
I think the shape was something he misinterpreted though, although I can't blame him since H.P. Lovecraft used the term: “like a Mountain walking”. Since mountains usually have arches due to them having peaks. I think he was saying it was as big as a mountain… which is what surprised our guy here lol. Although the arched back is indeed cool
Sometimes with all the wonderful goofiness of this channel I forget how insanely good an artist jazza is. Keep up the good work!
This is literally what I commented before I saw yours
wow it seems Im not the only one that thought so. Like when he stick to his style I'm like nah, but then there are those videos where he is showing his skills.
I always knew Jazza is a wonderful artist. Even his playing around is still excellent art work.
A
Was about to say the same thing. He usually does such cartoony art that I forget he’s such a legitimately incredible artist.
The thing I really love about your Balrog is that it actually fits incredibly well with the lore of what Balrogs are. They're supposed to be fallen Maiar, basically fallen angels. It makes a ton of sense for them to be incorporeal and mysterious, and the way the shadow and flame contrast in your drawing brings out the dualities of their origin. And it's also more imposing, as its lack of physicality drives home how impossible it would have been for the Fellowship to even have tried to fight it.
As a Tolkien purist I too am quite impressed with that Balrog depiction, for the most part. It still suffers from gigantism. He never really says how big they are exactly but I’m pretty sure that’s way too big.
@@birdymcpig I ever thought he can change his size, he's made by shadow and flames, both incorporeal and without a stable size and shape.
@@birdymcpig I thought this too at first but after going back and reading that chapter, Tolkien talks about “man shaped, yet greater”. So he should be significantly bigger. Also, just in my mind they should be bigger than trolls but not quite as big as Melkor has been imagined in artwork. Somewhere in between, which this seems to be.
@@danielmyers76 “greater” is relative, it does not necessarily mean way bigger or gigantic or even taller. Man shape but greater could easily mean only 8’ tall. To reiterate, Tolkien’s descriptions of Balrogs are not very specific. Even so, the roughly 30’ tall depiction here is a bit of a stretch (pun intended). There’s also an essay he wrote suggesting that they couldn’t change form.
@@birdymcpig this is true. He did leave many things vague intentionally. Many things completely mysterious, and for good reason. It’s hard for me to imagine something that is supposed to be one of the most terrifying things in all the legendarium not be at the very least larger than trolls. I understand as well that the shadows about them are part of what is supposed to make them seem “greater” as well. After reading the descriptions from fellowship many times I don’t see man size or even just a foot or two taller. If part of the terror is them being “greater”, I see something in my mind very close to the scale here. Maybe a little bit smaller but not much. A chasm so large that the stones being laid down have to be laid down by trolls, yet the Balrog leaps over it? That’s a fairly big thing.
I gotta say I really like how the balrog just doesn't have a face. There's a shadow amidst the burning mane implying the presence of a head, but that's it. It just makes it feel that much more inhuman. It almost feels like a mockery, a being of shadow and flame twisted into this uncanny resemblance of man.
Unless I missremember, the book never sais it has a face.
Only fiery eyes and bull horns.
Thats it.
@@ethribin4188 The book doesn't mention horns or eyes
Your version of the Balrog is the COOOLEST one I ever seen. Well done, you are so freaking talented!
A part 2 with lesser known monsters would be nice. "Lesser known" as in "Monsters that you don't actually know or can't really guess" to remove the influencing that you have with the others.
Man, that would be awesome! The Dunwich Horror comes to mind but there are lots of things out there.
Yes! Like the monster from Hyperion books. would be amazing to see his version!
@@supaGfunk69 I was thinking the same thing! Would love to see his Version of the Shrike.
Monsters from the Final Fantasy series could be fun too. They have some really obscure ones, especially from the older games
Folklore monsters imdediately comes to mind, would be interesting to see how he does. Monsters also from Monster hunter would be interesting too to see how close he gets.
I want that Balrog as a print, omg, it's so good - That final colorized version was just... astounding
Yes please, I would purchase that in a heartbeat!
I agree!!
It is without a doubt a work of art and better than I could do in my wildest dreams, but with SHADOW being emphasized three times in the description, the rendering just seems too bright. It looks like fire and smoke rather than a shadow monster. It looked better without the coloring in my opinion. But as a monster and drawing all on it's own, I would definitely hang it on my wall!
Also this.
This
I appreciate that he doesn't pretend he doesn't know what they are from the prompts when it's obvious. It makes it more sincere to me.
Your pages of cthulhu (both the sketches and final art) feel like they could literally just be part of one of the cursed books like the necronomicon or malleus monstrorum. Itd be really cool to see more iconic lovecraft monsters like hastur and the shambler.
You made me think of the South Park episode
Except little thing that it was completely different from the book description
yeah it doesnt have 6 eyes as lovecraft himself drew it and wrote cthulhu had@@averax9875
That balrog design is such a badass and eerie take, I love it. Your imagination when it comes to creating horrifying monsters and creatures is insane. I’d love to see your designs end up in a book or movie someday 😂
Looks like a darksouls boss
@@psysloth1728 already envisioning another fight against shitty camera position, rather than boss itself.
It’s cause he’s an aussie
The thing I really love about books is how much they leave for your imagination to fulfill what YOU the reader really thinks.
Yep
yep
Yep
Yep
Yep
I would love to see you draw a Griever from the "Maze Runner", the movie created it's own creature, it is absolutely nothing like the book's very specific and descriptive monster.
FAX
I just finished the books a few months ago
I think I like your interpretation of the Balrog more than the one in the movie. It really feels scarier, maybe because it doesn't seem like it's trying to be scary, but merely exists as a being of burning shadow. It really drives home that Balrogs are actual demons whereas the Peter Jackson balrog could easily be mistaken for just some kind of powerful monster that exists in Middle Earth.
I actually loved your original Cthulhu design with the feelers and the webbing-like wings. It gave him a very different silhouette and made him even more otherworldly with the fact that you can't really place where his gaze is pointed. Instead of an angry looking face it was a more detached, emotionless one that fits so well with cosmic horror!
It also fits Lovecraft's own drawings of him. More empty eyes, less angry just more.. terrifyingly apathetic of your existence.
Yeah honestly the fact that it feels disconnected, illogical, misshapen feels more at home with Lovecraft
It's awesome! I need to know what kind of supplements they've got down in Ryleh. Eons of sleep and the guy's still yolked
Yeah, the thing is, nobody really knows what Cthulhu looks like because anyone who sets eyes upon any of HP's works instantly go insane because it's literally impossible for our brains to process what we are looking at when beholding The Old Ones. So imagine every rendition of Cthulhu as just fanart.
Even our pronunciation of his name is wrong. It's just the closest we can get to pronouncing it. Wild stuff. HP is truly the father of cosmic horror, and horror would not be what it is today without him.
@@rish1656 Could you imagine being in a storm on a boat, and becoming shipwrecked, but thankfully you're on an island. You decide to look around and you come across a large stone palace like structure. You and your crew decide to explore it and you come to a huge stone door with odd runes adorning it. It suddenly begins to open and Cthulhu walks out, 1,000+ ft tall.... I would instantly shoot myself in the head lol
Your balrog would bring a tear to one of my favorite high school teachers. Its been years, but I still remember how passionate she got about the Balrog not having wings despite what the movie portrayed. She would get on a soapbox any chance she got to go over the description in the book and how it didn't say that it had actual wings.
It is funny, because people have been discussing this for ages and there technically just is no clear answer.
@@FrenkieWest32 Haha oh I'm aware, but she was an English teacher who latched on to "LIKE two vast wings" and she would die on the hill of using the word like clearly means it doesn't actually have wings. I just had the mentality of its a fictional creature and the movie version looked dope, but so does what this guy drew.
@@davidmoore2279 Yeah that makes sense. I think there is also a line in Tolkien's other writings where multiple balrogs ''flew'', but as this can also be an analogy for making haste it is still debatable.
nah those type of people are super annoying. to be so obsessed that their interpretation is correct over a fictional being in a book she didn't write.
@@FrenkieWest32 I think that you are referring to this quote from the Silmarillion: "Swiftly they arose, and they passed with winged speed over Hithlum, and they came to Lammoth as a tempest of fire." However, as you say, that is also ambiguous and can either just be a metaphor or it can be a result of shapechanging and "shadow wings".
Your balrog is fantastic! Love the films version too, but that is certainly much closer to how Tolkien described them.
Not true, people who personally knew Tolkien worked on that movie too, Bcs of accurancy.
@@Gil-galad22 Well, Christopher Tolkien, whose editing and curating of his father's texts and manuscripts was instrumental to our understanding of Tolkien's mythology, famously didn't like the films. He dismissed them as just another action movie. So, maybe they weren't as accurate as you think.
Don't get me wrong, they're great movies and I rewatch their extended versions twice a year. I'm just saying that they are still an artistic interpretation of the source text. One the first Tolkien scholar, his son, didn't particularly enjoy.
Your Balrog is very much more in keeping with what I feel Tolkien intended with his descriptions. I understand that the visual impact of the film version was probably a necessary adjustment, but that looming darkness you captured in yours is really great. The movie version was bright.
Especially due to the Balrog boiling down to being technically an angle type thing, it really makes it so much more faithful to the monster and all of that
Your Balrog is AWESOME! I've never seen an illustration that renders my feelings while reading through the book as well as yours. What you drew is almost exactly how I imagined it! Besides, it's the most lore accurate depiction of a Balrog I've ever seen. Truly, kudos to you.
yes!! i’m reading the books right now and recently have been longing to see a good interpretation and this came at the perfect time
THISSSS! Especially in the simarillion when tolkien describes the balrog as one of the first demons it kinda brought the one in LOTR into another light and I totally imagined it like the one he drew rather than the movie version
So good.
It would also be nice to do 'slightly' less-known creatures so that we don't guess them immediately, but still figure it out eventually. Those 3 were stunning though! Honestly, I'd forgotten Cthulhu had wings, and I have a flipping bronze statue of him next to me on the bookcase, complete with wings (albeit folded). More of this type of thing, please, that would fab!
Oh yeah I agree.
Would be cool to see how would he draw Ra'zac and Lethrblaka from Inheritance Cycle.
@@walkelftexasranger I forgot how much I loved the Inheritance Cycle books.
I wouldn't mind seeing his take on the Endbringers from the web serial Worm. Their descriptions leave a decent amount of room for interpretation, and I've seen some really interesting takes on their appearances.
Maybe a trolloc or other creature from Wheel of Time since they aren’t as well known to the general public
@@douglasfreer why not try Kothoga, although in the book he was called Mbwun which translates to he who walks on fours.
The empty man skeleton or final form is also terrifyingly good.
or even the mimic bugs from del Toro's film Mimic.
I'm sure someone would love to see his version of a Morwen as well from Outlander.
my favorite part of this is that balrogs and whitewalkers are portrayed slightly differently in their movie/tv adaptations than they are described in the books and your creations much more closely resemble what i imagined when i read these books before ever seeing their adaptations.
in the cartoon lotr it has mane like a lion
Yeah, The Others in the books were depicted more like the Fair Folk in old legends: tall, skinny, hauntingly beautiful in a weird/otherworldly sense.
While I love the movie Balrog I remember when I read it I actually thought the Balrog was almost angle looking, something like Auriel in Diablo except shadowy giving it a sort of angle of death vibe to it. But the detailing and menacing presence of your Balrog is so stunning. I absolutely adore it
With Cthulhu being a lovecraft monster, the monster is meant to be incomprehensible to the human mind. So i imagine later artists did exactly the same thing you did when adapting the monster to a drawn form and pulled the few descriptions we got and pieced them together.
Which is why there is few good art depictions of Cthulhu. This was not close to what Lovecraft was attempting to depict, despite his illustrations being quite similar.
Whilst trying to draw an image of Cthulhu is fully intended to be futile, few attempt to depict his incomprehensible nature which is his most notable description. It actually results in being one of very few occasions where I prefer AI art over human artists. They can do 'incomprehensible' better than any human, allowing for some far more interesting Cthulhu imagery than just a humanoid octopus with wings. You kinda have to draw an 'anthropoid octopus' but in a psychidelic style to start to come close. An image of Cthulhu should suggest that description rather than clearly be it. Something equivalent to interpreting an inkblot test.
@@pagatryx5451 To be fair to most artists, the books give a very clear, well-defined description of Cthulhu in the forms of descriptions of both statues and drawings of him.
@@84warhead (Apologies for the long essay but it's interesting to me so F it.)
Hmm. Technically, yes. But keep in mind it makes very apparent in the story that those literal descriptions are simply the closest words can come to describe it, again, like an inkblot test. It is not a description made easily. Both descriptions are also given from the human perspective. Call of Cthulhu has a first persona narrator, based on notes. So, again, we're seeing the aftermath of someones interpretation of Cthulhu. There is no trustworthy description of him. If we cannot comprehend something, our descriptions are inherently flawed/dumbed down to become comprehensible. I don't exactly blame artists for drawing him how he is literally described, but I feel like art should not just be faithful to the descriptions of the characters, but the central ideas behind them. Art is a form of storytelling much like literature is. My problem with AI art is that it loses the storytelling aspect for the sake of a simple visual depiction. That's not art, that's just a drawing/painting. If, as a human artist, you simply go for depicting literal descriptions much like an AI, your art is...wasted. I feel like art that understands the material and adapts it to a visual medium is where humans won't be bested, and art that is most impressive to me. So, I think any art video that's about adapting non-visual characters from their descriptions should REALLY focus on more than just a literal description. AI can do that. Humans can do better...
If you read the short story, are aware of the concept of cosmic horror, or understand Lovecraft's general style, then you'd quickly understand that the entire point of his work is the incomprehensible. That which breaks our own understanding of the cosmos. So, any faithful art of his work should still illicit, or at least attempt to, the same ideas he was going with when he originally created Cthulhu. A being that we cannot comprehend visually or otherwise. So the art should incite the same fear of the unknown, and incomprehensible style. Junji Ito, for example, does this in Uzumaki. Lovecraft does draw the clay bast of Cthulhu, but that was not included in the story, is hardly canon, and again is man made and it has already been dumbed down into human comprehension.
But I guess that's beyond the scope of this video. I just feel like visually interpreting Lovecraft is a VERY bad idea if you don't understand that the core concept of his work makes it essentially impossible to visually interpret accurately. If you draw Cthulhu similarly to other artists, you failed at adapting Cthulhu in my opinion. So just ignoring that entirely, like most Cthulhu art seems to do, just seems like pop cultural adaptations for people who like the mood/atmosphere of the Cthulhu Mythos but haven't actually read Lovecraft. Because, if you understand it, they're just illustrating 2nd hand, human descriptions of something that is not meant to be comprehended by humans visually...
cthulu
There is an Argentine comic artist called Breccia who is a very old comic artist he has the best art of what would be Cthulhu is a drawing that me explaining would not have the same impact, but it's literally a rorchac-style blur but at the same time referring to the description it's too perfect.
I love your balrog! Scale is so interesting with that one, because 'man-like shape' doesn't mean the size of an average man, and with all the massive halls of Moria it feels right to imagine an enemy that's of the same scale. At the same time, there's something chilling about the idea of a big creeping shadow with the shape itself being smaller - either way, this is a great interpretation!
Yes! His Balrog instantly made me want to use that artwork to inspire a demon/dark entity for my DnD campaign. Far more terrifying than the generic devil look from the movies (not to slam the movies, much love, probably really hard to CGI that)
@@hoid9407 ah you’re right! Imma try to homebrew a creature like this for my next campaign, thanks for the idea!
We've never actually gotten a confirmed size on them, but all evidence points to it being about man-sized (so probably around six feet tall, maybe a little over since it's a scary monster). The idea of a man-sized creature that gives the impression that it's bigger than it actually is just from its aura and vibe is really cool, but definitely doesn't work for a movie. Gandalf wouldn't have appeared (emphasis on *appeared* ) nearly as out-matched against something the same height as him, and conveying a feeling of something being smaller than it felt would (probably) be impossible to do in a film without making it look goofy. It would have looked more like Little John with a JoJo aura vs Robin Hood on the bridge than quietly powerful wise old wizard vs demon of unimaginable power.
@@kenjutsukata1o1 Oh I had no idea they were roughly the size of a man. That actually works even better from a storytelling perspective for dnd. I love the idea of a shadow that's maybe slightly taller than them, 7 feet-ish, and just a silent, implacable, shadowy enemy wreathed in flame. I'm going to use that as my BBEG's second in command.
I would like a print of that... On metal perhaps?
This was incredibly enjoyable, all ‘round. I think authors (though I’m a little biased) have the most exemplary imaginations-especially authors of the surreal and fantastic. For this reason, your adherence to the novels’ descriptions lead to vastly more ominous entities. This was a great exercise. When making films of books, either film the bloody book as written, or call it something else.
So glad to see jazza still making videos and having fun. He really was a lot of our childhood and art inspiration.
The Balrog in the LOTR films was so terrifying to me, because of how brilliantly the character was set up. The descriptions of this beasts horror and feats set us up to believe he was an impossible foe, one that the fellowship should not even dare to face. It totally worked too. I still watch that movie to this day and can still feel fear from my memories and from the set up. Well done Tolkien and Jackson!
YOUUUU SHALLL NOTT PAAAASSSSSSSS
Yeah, it’s the one time Gandalf actually looks worried.
I watch that trilogy once a year.
@@NewCandyCane only once a year?
@@Inquisitor_Vexnah its against the witch king. Gandalf killed the Balrog. The Witch King would have killed Gandalf if not for the Horns of the Rohirrim
Having read the book long before seeing the movie, I always pictured the Balrog as something more elemental with vague fallen/biblically accurate angel vibes hinted at. As such, to me personally your Balrog feels a lot more like what I expected to see. Also I really REALLY dig how primal your cthulhu is! In every other image I always get a very strong human/god feel, yours feels more raw and bestial . I seriously love it!
Hey i loved that video and do really like the version you've created from the descriptions you had.
I think I'm not the only one that would love to see more of this concept in the future !
I love this. I have been doing this exact idea with my ESL students for years... I have a hard time with my students trying to describe their friend or family member... but describing a monster to someone is a whole lot more fun.
Try doing a few collaborations where you draw something... then describe it and have the other CZcamsr try to recreate it from your description!
It would be a great fan challenge as well!
Your balrog evokes the mystic incorporealism inherent in the shadows of the deep, and the symbolism of evil you managed to bring out is deeply moving. It really brought me back to how it felt when I first read about the balrog.
it has a hunchback?
You Ballrog is absolutely more terrifying than what we see in the films. Also Cthulhu really looks amazing. Well done.
X doubt.
Giant shadow fire man or a giant hell beast engulfed in flame. One of these are not like the other
Such an amazing and creative sketch artist! You get such precision with your various tools and your quick practice sketches. So much more atmosphere and juicy detail than digital, imho. LOVE 💘
I wish I had 2% of his talent. You are phenomenal my good sir!
That depiction of the Balrog is honestly on another level than the movie’s version. I think the movie’s Balrog was too much of a creature to really represent the concept that Tolkien described. The ambiguity of a magical being that mostly appears as shadow and flame is one of the coolest and scary aspects of it.
Your Balrog was honestly the most true to novel adaptation I’ve ever seen. Maybe a little more “shadow enveloping the shadowy figure” part but otherwise phenomenal! The Chtulhu was also astounding! Only the white Walker to me seemed rushed and not as refined, but still well done!
Missing wings tho.
@@themonsterunderyourbed9408 Tolkien never mentioned wings, he merely said "shrouded by shadows LIKE wings".
It is open to interpretation but it can easily be a metaphor of how a shadowy aura surrounds the Balrog like wings snuggle around a bird's body.
I've been addicted to these art videos, the final products are always so amazing and badass
So the author known for always relying on "indescribable horror" actually describes his monsters so precisely it's impossible not to draw them exactly the same every time... :P
Tbf, R'lyeh (Chtuluh's city) IS indescribable, because there isn't a way to fully make an image of how would it actually look like, because as stated, it's virtually impossible to guess the angles of every element, such as the ground and sea itself, which they didn't know if it was on an horizontal or vertical position
@@tomiketheamogushunter7370I mean it's not too hard to do impossible geometry. MC Escher comes to mind.
It's a long running joke about Lovecraft that if he tells you something is indescribable, you know for a fact he's about to spend a long time describing it in excruciating detail.
I remember reading Lord of the Rings in the mid 90's. Your picture of the Balrog is exactly what I saw in my head. The Peter Jackson movie's visual depiction was based off of D&D's Balor which had a name and design change because of legal reasons from... You guessed it... Being based off of Tolkien's Balrog.
The "inspired by but legally distinctive from" ouroboros is real!
The movie version was actually based on John Howe's depiction, him being a well known Tolkien artist and hired as a concept artist for the movies.
I'd love to see a pt 2 of this video. I love your designing characters exactly as described videos and this seems like such a cool concept. I would love to see more with some slightly less recognizable monster descriptions and your interpretations of them.
I 2nd a part 2
Now Harry Potter please
I like that you try to be an honest judge of your own work. Like, you're not afraid to say you like it if it's good.
My first video of this channel and i am really impressed. Looking trough the other vids. Great work dude! Would love to see another version with perpaps also not that 'human' like monsters. That would be great to see ur thought process here, too. Thanks for this great entertaiment!
I love the Balrog you did here, perfectly captures the vague, incorporeal shape, and the contrast between the prevalent shadow and outlines of fire. My only thing is I think they should be a little smaller but just as imposing, as Tolkien says 'it felt greater than it looked', due to its magical power.
edit: actually just look at Glorfindel's comment, they said pretty much the same thing
H. P. Lovecraft describes a statue of Cthulhu as:
"A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind."
The major issue here is that is a description of a statue, not the priest itself. Some sailor saw the thing, his descriptions are more thorough.
I personally found it funny how he said he "didn't realize it was this big" even though Cthulhu is actually described as even bigger than that. That one young man who saw him in a dream claims he was "many miles tall", which would also explain how Cthulhu is able to simply stand up from the ocean floor.
@@user-crane Cthulhu also got his head burst by a steam yacht. I don't think Lovecraft had a particularly good grasp of scale.
I’m with the consensus on this. Based on the description, yours is the best Balrog I’ve ever seen! Such a cool design. Such a fun series too!
so....is there a way to buy a print of that balrog? i have a mighty need
Never Forget Jazza “Comparison is the Thief of Joy”…You are Such an Amazing artist! You have inspired SO many of us and I Personally want You to know what an amazing impact you have had on my own personal art journey. You brought me out of an artistic art purgatory and for that I am eternally grateful!
First time I've heard that but what immediately comes to mind is a continuation: "Comparison is the thief of joy, unless you compare your self to your past self and see positive progress."
I always felt that the movies depicted the balrog more like a monster-creature than what the books says. Reading the books you imagine it like a giant surrounded by darkness and fire, not a dragon-like creature.
EDIT: that depiction is absolutely gorgeous. I only wish I could draw or paint like that.
From the books I picture the Balrog to be of Beorn size (ie an incredibly large human). After all they are Maia the same as Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron, Radaghast etc. Something that looks (somewhat) like the Avatar of Khaine from 40K.
@@The_Tradie_Trainer I like the comparison with the Avatar of Khaine, as I think in the books their size is never explicitly mentioned, but got the idea that it can't be as big as it was depictured in the movies.
@mapro3948 yeah, in the book, it went into the room with Balin's tomb (Gandalf magically fought it trying to break through the back door they ran through)
So it couldn't be much bigger than the Cave Troll cuz that thing barely gets through the door
@@kharnthebetrayer8251 does the book describe how big the doorway is though? (Been a while since I’ve read LOTR!)
@The_Tradie_Trainer I don't believe specifically.
But the Troll ducks through the door. And Trolls are like.. 8 or 9 feet in the Hobbit I believe.
So I'd assume the door to the tomb in 8ft or so.
So the Balrog couldn't really be bigger than 10ft and still reasonably fit inside
Stumbled across this channel by the grace of the algorithm gods and I am an instant fan! Amazing artwork and amazing video! I'm now off to binge watch more of your videos. Keep up the good work!
I’m amazed! I use to draw long time ago and I had lost the passion of doing that, this video makes me take a pencil again, I love this kind of ART again! Thank you bro! 🤘🏻😎
Fantastic work, and as a huge Tolkien fan I loved that Balrog. The movie design is brilliant and demonic, but yours is actually much truer to the original description and feels more "otherworldly".
I really loved your balrog honestly my favorite depiction of one I’ve ever seen, you’ve captured the very thing Tolkien emphasized and didn’t embellish anything that he didn’t mention. Beautifully done.
No wings
This is an awesome challenge! So clever and I love what you made!
You have done all of those magnificently! Awesome work!
This is where Jazza is like butter, I have always loved his character designs and I love when he gets back to traditional art and shows us all this man can do it all, I can’t wait for a part 3!💯💯💯
I'd REALLY like to see this done again in the future, but with anime characters. It'd be interesting to see some of the unique character designs out there interpreted how you think they'd look.
This is a great idea!! Jazza should do something like this!
Dude this is AMAZING, so badass. thank you for sharing!
This was pretty dang fun, I wanna see more of these!
i would love to see jazza draw a mist wraith from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. there's is a description of one in the first book. it's so weird and delightfully horrifying :)
Yeah really cool
Oh yes pls!! That would be such a perfect prompt for this
Yaaass!
This please!
I’m reading this series right now and yes! That’d be awesome!
The balrog in the movies was such a stunning piece of design that it speaks wonders that you’ve managed to improve upon it! Subscribed man! Absolutely incredible
I absolutely love your take on the balrog.
I LOVE your Balrog. It's so imposing!
The final monsters description just screamed White Walker to me. Of course I recently watched the TV stuff, haven't read the books. The armor, gauntness, and the signature piece- the cold Icy blue eyes. Every one of them has two things in common, being dead and their absolutely beautiful blue eyes. I love the eyes.😍
The Others/White Walkers aren't dead though, at least not in the show, and we don't know in the books but it seems unlikely.
@@7heSlime Then Un-dead.
i thought it could have been a lich
Breaking bad reference
Please end my life
As an author myself, I love dreaming up every detail of any monstrous creature I come up with. I love trying to explain away its features in a pseudo-scientific way and let my imagination just simulate how it would walk, act, why and everything.
And artists like you who develop such ideas straight from the author's pen into a visual format breathes so much life into the subject and makes it much more personal, in my opinion.
I love this so much.
I am the same, however, I only provide useful information. I'll say the most apparent features/details without going too much into detail. For example: "She was a woman with dark red "scarlet" hair reaching down to her shoulders, wore a shiny iron armor with a golden rose apparent in the middle of her breastplate, a red cape with golden details and two swords, on her waist, with straps hanging from their hilt, a blue and a green one, respectively. Her face was decorated with scars showing her experience in battle and she had a bright green and sky blue eyes capable of captivating anyone's gaze. Her posture showed that she was ready to attack anyone that came close to her and she look bloodthirsty, to say the least."
I left a lot of information out that is going to be revealed later as plot.
If I make my dream of being a mangaka come true, what I really want is for them to make their own visual interpretations even if they deviate from what I designed.
@@thecommenternobodycaresabout your idea to reveal more of the character along with the script made George RR Martin proud
@@thecommenternobodycaresabout I really hope this doesn't become a youtube debate- but I actually do some writing and editing myself- and as a fellow writer, I might say even in this instance you tell more than necessary. Make sure you are showing only so much as is needed, and keep telling the reader things to a minimum.
Especially if you are writing in deep third person, so you aren't using narrator voice- don't think in terms of what is important to the reader to visualize- instead try to think from the perspective of the character they are following - how does that character witness the scene, and then try to find a way to incorporate that perspective into a means of showing the description within the action.
So for instance, I might rewrite your description from lets say a youthful protagonist seeing this knight/general cutting an imposing visage on top of a hill before a battle.
"... she stood on top of the hill, her scarlet hair falling like wild rivers of flame down to her shoulders. She turned to face them, her cold blue eyes, eyes which could entrance an entire army to fight at her behest, were hard and fierce. Scars marred the porcelain surface of her face, matching the deep gouges scratched into the chrome plated surface of her chest plate. Her battle worn cape, still a rich red despite its obvious age, billowed out behind her; its golden inlays catching like gems in the sunlight.
MC fixed their sights on the emblem on the warrior's chest, afraid the woman could read their thoughts if their eyes met for too long. There MC saw a golden rose, not unlike (insert connection to world or back story etc). When MC looked up again the red woman outstretched her hand, offering it in greeting. She kept her other hand tight around the hilt of one of the two swords around her waist..."
of course this was just a quick and dirty attempt to show the idea- but you should remember, only show the reader what they need to know. If your description starts sounding like a police report, or a tinder bio, you'll run the risk of losing many readers.
I'm sorry for the unsolicited advice. I mean no offense and I wish you the best of luck! I simply saw your comment- thought how cool it is that you are brave enough to share an excerpt, nd thought I could offer some feedback! Good luck and keep writing!
@@randygerson911
Cthulhu bless your blasphemous putrid shape! A bunch of very, very good suggestions you've got there! 👍
First vid from you I saw, made me sub. Love your style and it feels like speed tutorials as well
That is one of the absolut best Balrogs I've ever seen! Congrats. I love it.
Something I think artists should do more, I always love a good interpretation over a reference
LOVE THE BALROG. Seriously, keep doing these blind draws though it’s so fun. Your team should give you creepypasta and folklore characters too! ❤
That balrog you did is one of if not the coolest drawings I’ve ever seen. Such a good depiction
Fantastic work! Probably my favourite depiction of a Balrog. They were not of this world but demi-gods of fire and shadow. You did it brilliantly!
Was hoping to see your interpretation of Grendel... kinda the Holy Grail of undefined monsters. Definitely like how you chose mood and effect over form.
Loft, this is intriguing
I didn't know I needed an hunched Cthulhu in my life until now ! Also, loved the face with the snail eyes : shame you didn't used it !
However, your version of the Balrog REALLY gives off that etheral presence that mortals weapons wouldn't reach him ! Pretty badass/scary stuff right there !!
Very impressive art sir, I enjoyed seing you draw and I was genuinely in awe watching while thinking of the prompts, I think these prices will live with me forever 👏
this is such a good idea! the final results are great
Woaaaaah, Balrog looks absolutely amazing! Maybe the most book-accurate representation I've ever seen, and looks properly despair-inducing. Love it!
Balrog was so dope, the sketch, and the digital coloring. Both were amazing.
I love your version of the Balrog!!! Well done!!!
Do more of these please!
Really love the Balrog because it captures the ethereal nature it had in the books. To me the description in the books were of an almost spirit-like monster and your drawing absolutely nailed that.
E:Read Edit below pls.
Your Balrog is 100% what should've been. They exhibit much more of a 'human' and 'spirit' traits, rather than just "fire Minotaur with wings". Also, they don't have wings.
So great work!
BIG EDIT:
The LOTR community, unlike a lot of other ones, know their lore and argue good points, backed up by the source.
Courtesy of @Jose Ramón Agudo López below are the 'Balrog with wings' quotes. Make of them what you will. What i personally gather from this is they have like an aura behind them, as a great shroud or 'wings', but not the Peter Jackson actual wings. Then again, they may change form probably as they are (usually) made of fire, so anything goes, i guess ;)
Quotes (again, courtesy of @Jose Ramón Agudo López):
"...suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall..." in the Fellowship.
"Thus they roused from sleep a thing of terror that, flying from Thangorodrim, had lain hidden at the foundations of the earth since the coming of the Host of the West: a Balrog of Morgoth." in The Silmarillion.
@@GentlemenGhidorah the books said the aura of shadow surrounding the balrog is LIKE giant black wings. Just a simile, not an actual attribute. It doesn't matter tho, although I suppose a balrog with wings wouldve just flown out the hole
@@GentlemenGhidorah I mean, they rode dragons into battles. If you are a winged creature yourself, why would you need to ride something else?
@@LibeliumDragonfly humans ride horses, while having legs.
@@GentlemenGhidorah Incomplete, although with how many analogies Tolkien used, it is not difficult to imagine them wingless.
Both are great, taking creative liberties is nothing Bad and works in the concept of the movie.
Love the wings on your Cthulhu, the flames on your Balrog which give the impression of cold fire, and the sad expression on your white walker.
I like the description you gave regarding the Balrog: how it seemed that the fire, it's source of light, was being absorbed or obscured by shadow.
It's quite spot-on once you learn that the Balrogs were once Maiar whom Melkor had corrupted to his cause. They still have that inner light struggling to find its way back to the surface, but it's smothered by a powerful outside darkness that never lets it truly show.
Your versions are so much more like I imagined these characters while reading the books. Your Balrog is amazing! It should never have looked like a "common" demon.
Yeah, the first time I read the balrog description it sounded almost like an unholy knight style of creature. Imagine if something like that or Jazza’s drawing had come looming out of the darkness in the movies! Too me, that would almost be scarier than the giant beastial creature.
cool idea
I absolutely love monster designs as I feel you can get far more creative that you can with humans, I hope this series continues.
You changed my favorite character in all of fantasy and made it so much cooler somehow. Incredible talent.
Grew up seeing LoTR in theaters. The Balrog is iconic. Your rendition is outstanding, the constant battle between fire and shadow is such a cool way of going about it, and it works.
Its crazy how Jazza's content has never dipped in quality and is still improving!
I think somewhere in the LOTR documentary appendices series you can see various art department versions of them working on the Balrog and there is one that is more 'vaguely human' like this one. They didn't go with it in the end. But it's cool to see your depiction of it from Tolkien's description. Well done!
Your drawing of the balrog is actually my favourite ever interpretation of it👏🏼
I could tell monster number 3 right as he started sketching! It hit me after a sec. So cool!!
From that descripition your Balrog is nearly 100% accurate to what I pictured, he looks fantastic! Great job! I also like how you created such different moods/scenes for each of the creatures with such few resources 👏
By the way, you did an absolutely stunning depiction of the balrog. That's pretty much what I always imagined them as. And this, by the way, makes it so that it makes much more sense why Gandalf calls the Balrog 'Flame of Udùn'!
This is really cool. Congrats!
Amazing depictions of monsters we all know and love !!! Subscribed fully !! 🎉
These monster designs are absolutely awesome. They definitely invoke a emotional response. Very effective monster design. The only thing I wish was that the perspective on Cthulhu was looking up at him instead of directly at him. it kind of made him look not as big by being able to look him in the eye. It’s cool though that he still looks like he could take on a grizzly bear brother effortlessly. I also like how you made his silhouette be a mountain itself. That is extremely creative and it works really well.
Love the Balrog. 🥰Cthulhu is also awesome, I think it is kind of funny that it's about the fear of the unknown, and then the description of the author made it so "known" in all our heads. 😅
Really love the balrog. The description of the balrog's look is very vague in the books, and I think your art captured the brief description even better than the movies.