"Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, almost dead and dark, with scarcely a snore more than a whiff of unseen steam, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance."
In this illustration for the book cover of "The Hobbit" by British writer J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), I used as inspiration the passage from Chapter XII that describes the encounter of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins with the dragon Smaug in the dwarves' hall in Erebor. I decided to depict Bilbo with his sword Sting to suggest bravery while his posture and the way he wields the weapon convey caution, attributes often associated with hobbits.
The color palette reflects the gleam of gold, the heat of Smaug's fire and scales, and the dark tones of the mountain, creating an intense atmosphere.
Throughout the process from the initial sketch to the final result, I made some changes to the composition, and additional ideas emerged to enrich the scene further.
I felt the need to incorporate something related to the setting, either Moria or Khazad-dûm, the dwarves' halls in Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. So, I drew a grand and imposing statue of a dwarf representing the ancient glory of the place.
