ROLAND X
ROLAND X
The evolution of a Dark Tower legend
"First comes smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire."
Stephen King, The Gunslinger
There’s a complicated history behind this image. It was first painted in acrylics to accompany the novella The Dark Tower: The Little Sisters of Eluria by Stephen King.
Both the story and interior art were originally published by TOR in the Legends anthology edited by Robert Silverberg. The book collected stories by big named authors set in the worlds that made them famous. It was a big event in publishing.
I recaptured the iconic pose of Roland with guns out and arms crossed in a detailed ink drawing later that year. I have no idea where it went or why I did it, but the B&W drawing was based on that original acrylic piece.
Years later while working on something in oils, I caught sight of the original and thought I’d give it a more finished look. I took a break to overpaint the acrylic layer with oils, adding color to the image.
Additional images from ROLAND X
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