Legolas Greenleaf, son of King Thranduil, is a Sindarin Elf of the woodland realm in Mirkwood, and one of the most important members of the Fellowship of the Ring. 

   There have been two actors to play Legolas in Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies- Orlando Bloom in the newer versions, and Anthony Daniels (more well known as "C-3PO" in the Star Wars world) voiced Legolas in the animated 1978 "Lord of the Rings" movie by Ralph Bakshi. Orlando Bloom was a relative unknown when he took on the role, and Anthony Daniels (minus his newfound Star Wars fame and attention) had very few acting credits to his name. For Bloom, it was the role that launched his career.

   Back to the Fellowship, I love the story from the book and how it plays out in the movie- the intense dislike between Elves and Dwarfs- you can see the contempt between the groups as they discuss the fate of the One Ring at Elrond's council. Gimli states it flat out: "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" And when Legolas volunteers to join the Fellowship, Gimli makes sure he is next in line. Thus begins an interesting relationship, that ends with Legolas and Gimli being the best of friends. Tolkien was such a master storyteller. 

  I like contrasting how Mike draws a character now as compared with in the past, so the top card is the new one Mike did for me this year, and the bottom card is from Masterpieces II back in 2007-08. Of course you also have to realize the bottom card was pack inserted, and Mike didn't have time to color and add a lot of detail to those pack inserted sketches, while the top card is a commission where he could take his time and do what he wanted. I love both cards- the detail and color of the new one, and the simplicity and crosshatch shading in the background of the older one. 

   That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

#lordoftherings #michaelduron #locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #fellowshipofthering #thetwotowers #returnoftheking #desolationofsmaug #battleoffivearmies #legolas #legolasgreenleaf #orlandobloom #anthonydaniels @michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio