"The dwarves delved too deep" - Inspiration on The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm

Hey everyone, it took me quite some time to get ready to share my second project with you. This diorama features one of the most dramatic scenes from the first Lord of the rings movie: Gandalf confronts the balrog on the bridge of Khazad-Dûm crossing an endless chasm in moria.

I started this project almost five years ago after watching the first movie yet another time. I really loved the scenes where the balrog approaches in this very subtle way when you just see his lights glowing through the columns of moria. I knew I had to do this when the balrog bursts in flames clenching his fiery blade against gandalf´s magic barrier. (© Lukealgonda; Source: DeviantArt)

  
The next day I ordered the GW miniatures, assembled and painted Gandalf and the Balrog as soon as they arrived. This wasn´t probably my best paintjob but I was content at the time with my miniatures.

 Shortly after I started planing the diorama. Two elements I found most important: the contrast of the dark mood of the dwarven mines with the fiery glow of the balrog and the illusion of depth. Both were difficult to achieve in a showcase which size was determined by the vitrine it should fit into. I started with the expierence I gathered on the Siege of helms deep and some resources from the web. (© Flavio Hoffe; Source: www.flaviohoffe.com)

First I did a few sketches and a rough 3D model I made using CAD Tools, which I will cover in the next update.