Halfling Welcome
By Emily Fiegenschuh
This week I wanted to focus on a female artist and I
decided to go with Emily Fiegenschuh. Although she is probably best known for
her work in the New York Times Bestsellers A
Practical Guide to Dragons and A
Practical Guide to Monsters, she has also lent her talent to Wizards of the
Coast for several 3.5 and 4th Edition books including Races of the Wild, Complete Arcane, Player’s
Handbook II, Draconomicon, Monster Manuel III and more. I find that
her work has a tangible playfulness to it and that’s why I think she is one of
the best people to be illustrating Halflings. That’s also why I chose this
piece.
I love the fact that A) the Halflings are welcoming this
apparent stranger (an elf no less) into their camp with literal open arms; and
B) the Elf has a grip on his coin purse strong enough to choke out a Bugbear.
Which leads me to an interesting question: Do you think the thieving Halfling
is a stereotype/cliché? I know that many of the Halfling PCs in the games that
I have run were a wide range of classes and not just rogues but many people
still seem to think that Halfling = thief. I suppose that Tolkien is to blame for
that one. Personally, I love to see the weird combinations like Halfling Monk,
Barbarian, and Paladin. (For the Shire!)
Getting back to the art, I’m always looking for some
small details in every piece that brings it to the next level of storytelling
and this one has a few. Firstly, take a close look at the elf and notice that
he’s not just passing through the Halfling camp for the fun of it. He seems to
have multiple injuries (bandaged calf/knee, cut on upper thigh, and cuts on upper
arm) and that would suggest he’s looking for shelter and a place to rest.
Secondly, despite the fact that the three Halflings in the foreground appear
quite accommodating, take a closer look at the two in the background. These two
seem to me to be a mother and daughter, with the mother holding her child back
from getting any closer. Is she just being protective or could it be she doesn’t
trust her youngling around such a handsome looking fellow? You decide!
Thank you for this and many other fine pieces Emily Fiegenschuh!
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