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AdAbsurdum — Melancholy
Published: 2008-04-22 07:21:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 1550; Favourites: 35; Downloads: 58
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Don't you want to just hug the sadness all out of him?John Jarndyce of Dickens' "Bleak House" as played by Denis Lawson in the latest BBC series. The majority of which I spent dying slow deaths on the behalf of this character.
God. Esther, what is wrong with you???
Drawn in pencil using a photo reference, with colour added in Photoshop.
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Comments: 43
I adore "Bleak House" so much--the novel and the miniseries. Jarndyce in particular makes me swoon. Everything about him is so wonderful. How does he manage not to be cloying? But somehow he does it. It's like a breath of fresh air to watch or read about a character who's so noble, yet somehow believable.
As for the art, I love the contrast of the warm and cool wash, and the shading is impeccable.
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Wow! I loved this series soo much! You really captured his expression.
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My husband and I are watching the series through for the first time, and I'm amazed at how perfectly all the characters are cast! Except for Esther, but as previously noted, the changes they made are for the best.
AND OMFG I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE MR. JARNDYCE. We just watched the episode where he proposes to Esther, and the tenderness and nervousness the actor put into the performance made me weep. D: It's seriously challenging Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre as my favorite miniserieses-of-classic-literature!
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EEHEE. Isn't it brilliant??!
God I love Andrew Davies and his marvellous adaptations! Total agreement with the casting - Guppy...Skimpole...
....JARNDYCE. I LOVED HIM SO MUCH. You know what I mean. Just...guh. The poor sweet man.
OOooooooooh, an Austen and Bronte fan too? I assume you're referring to the version of P & P with Firth - definitely one of my favourites too (again, I heart Andrew Davies)...and the newest Jane Eyre? Sigh. Ruth Wilson was just lovely in that. I've yet to find a version of that book that completely satisfies me, but that one came the closest. And it didn't make the bit with St. John and the sisters intolerably dull/crammed into five minutes! I was greatly impressed.
GEEEEEEEEK OOOOOUUUUT.
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YES! Those are precisely the versions of P & P and Jane Eyre to which I refer.
I cannot express how much Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett frustrated and angered me. Elizabeth Bennett is a remarkably strong woman with a great deal of emotional range, but petulance is one note that is definitely not in her oeuvre. This same, unfortunately, is almost the lone emotional note that Knightley is capable of portraying.
I HATE KEIRA KNIGHTLEY AS ELIZABETH BENNETT. I'm sorry, but I just HAD to get that off my chest. 
Now I must to bed! I suppose we will chat again ANON.
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I suppose, to be fair to Matthew Macfayden, he had rather large shoes to fill! Firth will always be my Darcy...although I recently saw a really, really good stage version where the actor was pretty much PERFECT in the part.
Yeah...I thought Keira Knightley was an adequate Lizzie Bennett... but only adequate. Brace yourself - I've heard rumours that she's supposed to star in a remake of 'My Fair Lady'.
CHOC ET HORREUR.
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MERDE MERDE MERDE
I looked at IMDB and YOU ARE RIGHT. This is some of the worst media-related news I have had in quite some time! Though let me make it EVEN WORSE for you: Lindsay Lohan is also rumored as a possible new Eliza Doolittle for the remake.
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WHAT. THIS IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT.
And - a horrifying thought - who could they possibly cast as Higgins? Rex Harrison IS Henry Higgins! It just can't be done!
*puts teacup on head and wanders off in disgust*
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Correction: it seems as if, AS IN the TV adaptation...
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It is wonderful! I love Denis Lawson as John Jarndyce... he's such a good character and deserves the word "good". It seems as if, as if in the TV adaptation, he's perpetually fighting evil and there's still hope, but he's still half immersed in sadness. Basically, he's a good man forced to be involved in a nasty legal tangle.
Esther, if you're not going to marry him, at least keep him company! Don't let him sit alone!
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Thank you!
I think Vladimir Nabokov called Jarndyce "the best and kindest man ever to appear in a novel". Very fitting, I thought. Lawson was brilliant! He really made this almost impossibly good character believable and just...heartbreakingly human.
Bah, I know. Silly Esther. Silly Welsh physician.
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I love Jarndyce, and yes, Lawson had a very difficult task to do.
Esther... Oh, well. I'm glad she's more confident and outgoing than in the book.
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Wonderfully drawn! It's stunningly realistic
I love it, I really do
Poor Jarndyce! Although I like Allan Woodcourt, I almost teared the book in two when I thought of the possibility of Esther leaving him...
He really is selfless :'
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Thank you so much!
Awesome - you've read Bleak House! That makes, what, five of us on DA? Dickens fans unite!
Ah, yes - Esther "Oblivious" Summerson. ...OY.
Did you ever see any of the BBC series? Denis Lawson's Jarndyce is SO unbelievably squee-worthy...
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Only 5? How can people ignore such a masterpiece! Dickens happens to be one of my favourite authors
Hahaha, I've got the whole series on DvD
I just started it this Friday, and now I have 2 episodes left...I really don't want to see it end!
Denis Lawson's perfect as Mr. Jarndyce; I started crying when he proposed to Esther
He's got the cutest puppy eyes!
I must say Richard Harrington scared me at first though, but now I'm used to it!
The series is incredible; it's just as I wanted it to be, but I do wish they had included the Bagnet family too...
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How can you fail to like a novel with a case of SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION as a plot device? Come on now.
OH GOD. Watching Jarndyce flail around for the first half of the series was so painful. Poor man.
I just loved the series. I thought Guppy especially was priceless. And the nasty characters were just perfectly cast - Tulkinghorn and Skimpole and Smallweed. "Shake me up, Judy!"
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*sigh*
Well, a lot of people don't like it: they never even heard of it! Twilight's taking up most of their lives
Hahaha, spontaneous combustion!
I fell off the chair laughing when Krook went 'Boom'!
Jarndyce! *sob*
If Esther had never met Woodcourt, I would have loved to see him marry her, but alas! D:
(My current wallpaper >>> [link] )
Bleak House has become rather an obsession to me, just like Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Guppy! Oh Mr. Guppy! I talked about him so much in school that my friend thought I was in love with him! He is priceless
Is it just me or do you love hating the villains? Especially Skimpole; he makes my blood boil x/
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TWILIGHT. Goddammit. Just when I thought mainstream fiction couldn't get any more inane. SPARKLING VAMPIRES...tuppin' hell. And people wonder why I rarely venture out of 19th century novels.
I lurve your wallpaper! I...also love waistcoats. I really do. And cravats.
Total agreement about the villains! Oh, *especially* Skimpole - he's by far the most odious one of the bunch. Ugh. Oogh. Grr.
Funnily enough, in a lot of other books/movies I tend to root *for* a lot of villains...but not in Dickens books, or Jane Austen.(Oh, hey, I don't suppose you're a Bronte fan too?)
...I'm pretty excited about the new adaptation of "Little Dorrit" that's going to be airing on Masterpiece Theatre this Sunday.
*hops up and down*
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Yeah, I'm quite attached to classical stories too!
My friend forced me to try reading Twilight 1 year ago, and as soon as I read the first sentence I called to ask her what kind of book she was making me read! I thought the writer was mentally retarded or something.
Nothing wrong with waistcoats!
How I wish I can go back in time sometimes! People used to be so much more fashionable, instead of going out in their underwear like they do today!
I don't believe I've ever rooted for a villain, even after reading Richard III!
Yes, I'm a fan of the three Bronte sisters, and I just started reading Wuthering Heights today!
Oh, the one with ugly Darcy--I mean Matthew Macfadyen? I saw them selling it at Virgin megastore 2 days ago! I haven't read the book yet, so I don't really want to watch it...it looks like it'll be good though.
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Oh, I fully plan on amassing the wardrobe of a Victorian gentleman and wearing top hats and frock coats in public. It'll happen. When I'm eccentric *and* rich.
Ah, I have a soft spot in my heart for a lot of bad guys, the Phantom of the Opera being chief among them. Basically, dark/evil/ugly, tormented, and/or lovelorn? Come to my bosom!
That probably explains why I enjoy Rochester in Jane Eyre so much! Really, he's a bit of a manipulative bastard...but irresistible.
That said, I HATED Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Liked the book, hated the main couple. They're... like human train wrecks. But I'll let you find out for your very own self!
*laughs* Yeah, the relatively unattractive Darcy. (The poor man had some pretty big shoes to fill!) I adored the old 80s version of Little Dorrit - my fave Shakespearean actor, Derek Jacobi, played the lead, and turned a quite frankly boring main character into someone you could actually *like*. So I'm interested to see what McFayden will do with that role.
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Hahaha! How I wish I could do that!
Yesterday, I made my hair into ringlets before going to school (it's pretty easy for me since my hair's already curly). When my English teacher saw me, she said I looked like I was going to the Netherfield Ball! That remark really made my day :3
Ugh, I hate both Heathcliff and Catherine. Both of their actions make no sense at all, and while I showed some pity to Heathcliff in the beginning, I detest him now! The book's amazing though <3
Don't expect much of McFayden; I never found him as a good actor...
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God I know. Friggin' Esther. I don't know how she manages to make everyone fall in love with her. But seriously, Jarndyce really is one of the best characters, and Denis Lawson brought him to life so wonderfully. This is a gorgeous portrait of him! The shading and texture are phenomenal. And wow, your attention to detail - the lines on his forehead and around his eyes - simply amazing. And I love his expression; he looks so kind, and troubled at the same time. The wind must be in the east again.
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Thank you!
...the fact that you know who this makes me happy beyond expression.
Yeah, Esther and her jingly keys...I don't get it either. I liked the shot of backbone and good sense they gave her in the BBC series, though - I couldn't have tolerated her otherwise.
And I heartily agree: Lawson's Jarndyce is pure love.
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YES, I'm glad they changed Esther's personality a little for the series. In the book, she was just plain irritating. She was so sickeningly and unrealistically sweet; except when she was treating poor, awkward Guppy like dirt. And she seemed almost obsessed with Ada. Who knows, maybe Dickens didn't know any young women when he wrote it! Anyway, there are so many other great characters, they more than make up for Esther's weirdness. Which is your favorite?
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Dickens and his domestic angels. It's a problem. (Although I'm reading "Our Mutual Friend" right now, and one of the heroines is very un-typical for Dickens - mercenary, calculating, and frankly quite winning.)
OO-er! Too hard to decide!
Poor Jarndyce is a favourite, although the Guppymobile is truly wondrous (in the BBC thing that actor just nailed him!) ....and I just LOVE to hate Skimpole, don't you?
I also rather enjoyed the Jellyby clan and Prince Turveytop (ohGOD, honestly, that name!)
And Mr Bucket and his solemn "Sir Leicester Dedlock, BARONET."
And I went about saying "Shake me up, Judy!" for weeks on end.
So far, though, my favourite Dickens characters of ALL TIME have got to be Dick Swiveller and the Small Servant/Marchioness from "The Old Curiosity Shop". [link]
How about you?
Hee. Book talk squee.
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"The Guppymobile is truly wondrous." - HA, I love it!! I'd have to say Guppy is my favorite character. He's so hilariously artless, with his frazzled attempts to be proper and genteel. And he's quite the crafty little investigator. People sure like to walk all over him, though.
I love Bucket, too. It's rare to see a police-inspector-type portrayed in such a good-natured way. Oh, I almost forgot about Sergeant George! He's a doll.
Out of all the Dickens books I've read, I think I like Guppy best. But a close second would have to be Herbert Pocket from Great Expectations. He's such a sweetheart! Pip totally does not deserve him as a friend.
Book talk squee indeed.
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Absolutely gorgeous. The folds in the skin, the detail...you are amazing!
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...Either that, or I've just found a highly effective channel for my obsessive-compulsive tendencies. *grins*
Thank you!
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are u really only 17??? ur drawing skills blow me away!! (im 19)
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Heh, yes - for a few months more, anyway. Thank you so much for the compliment!
And dude, if I can work in paints like you can before I'm nineteen, I'll count myself lucky.
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This is really an incredible drawing. And I don't see a single thing wrong with the eyes.
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Thank you so much! I didn't really think the eyes were off, either. Generally you notice your own goofs.
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Hugs and sandwiches are to you what laudanum was to the Victorians, aren't they?
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Something like that. You can't go wrong with a hug and a sandwich! Hugs and sandwiches fix everything!
Except black eyes. For those, you need steak.
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You're welcome, I really like this drawing. It made me pause and wonder. And I thought it looked like there was a fire burning, with the light effect. It's rare that people get such movie clips running in the minds of the viewer through a single facial shot. I also admire how the unfinished nature of the hair doesn't detract at all from the drawing.. somehow the empty space adds to it, because it makes the blacks stand out. Also, the hue alterations are a touch of genious. It looks like it's warm on one side of the face, where he's looking at the fire, and cold at the other side, maybe from a window with cold starlight shining through. I don't see anything wrong with the eyes, on photographs the eyes will appear to look at different things, but that's just the way angle. A lot of the time, if you fixed the gaze so they didnt do this, life would be sucked right out of the drawing. Also, I wondered about who he is and what he has seen. He looks like a butler with a good nature but who serves someone evil. You should do more drawings like this, although.. maybe you wanna buy a blue pencil to make it all traditional media.
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Oh my goodness! I never get such detailed comments - thank you!
I'm glad his face gave you pause. The character is a Mr. Jarndyce, from Bleak House. Basically, he's one of those rare, truly good people, and is intensely troubled by the misery of others. To cut a long story short, after a lonely life, he selflessly gives up the woman he loves to another man and loses his one shot at companionship in the bargain. I wanted to get across the idea that he's sort of contemplating the happiness he could have had (hence the warm glow), with only solitude to look forward to (the colder hue).
Is it better not to mix traditional and digital mediums? I must confess that I'm really, really clueless when it comes to the finer points of art. Especially digital art - me and Photoshop is like a blind man rummaging around in someone else's toolshed. A blue pencil, you say?
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You're welcome! I don't know the character, but you got the idea of him across very well. He looks like a torn man. The expression on his face is very complex and human.. refreshing, since alot of art is totally inhuman. You know, mentally superficial and with stereotyped subjects.
Mixing digital and traditional art is probably a something you get a new opinion of for every person you ask, but personally I feel like the honesty of traditional mediums is degraded when you retouch it digitally. It's true that often phtoshop color and contrast in theory makes the pieces prettier, but it's like I feel deceived by the computer somehow.. When I just started out using Photoshop, I manipulated alot of my old drawings but people always seemed to like the originals better. The computer somehow comes between the traditional artwork and the viewer.. hard to explain, but there's just something very attractive about something that has been created on paper with mediums we all know, like pens and pencils.. Maybe it's in seeing the potential these tools have for creating beauty that traditional art get it's pure aura, that computers shouldn't mess with.
With a blue pencil I mean just a coloured pencil. I know it's hard to predict what colors you'll need where on the drawing, but when we succeed in doing it, the result is traditional magic.
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very well proportion, but two eyes seem looking at different directions
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