The scene
From The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien, Book V, Chapter 4. The great ram smashes the Gate of Minas Tirith on its third stroke, and through the ruin rides the black captain of the enemy, a crown on his head and nothing beneath it. Only one figure stands in his way, alone and perfectly still. Then a cock crows somewhere in the city, and far off the horns of the north begin to sound. I love this held breath, the last second before hope arrives. An inspired-by print: nothing in it is taken from any film.
The style
A Victorian Gothic wood engraving: hundreds of fine cut lines building up the dark, the light carved out of black, the rider surging out of the shadow of the arch. The only colour on the whole sheet is the flame on his raised sword.
The inspiration
The look comes from Gustave Doré's wood engraving "Death on the Pale Horse" (1865). I borrowed his engraved line and the way his rider bursts out of darkness. His skeleton, scythe and demons aren't here.
How it's made
I design each scene and refine it until it feels right. It's a print of a digital artwork made in the style of a wood engraving, not a hand-cut engraving or an original print. Each one carries my printed "Chapter & Scene" signature in the margin.