Finrod: 30-Day Character Study - Study Days by cuarthol

6. Artistic Licenses.

Artistic Licenses. Take at least ten minutes to peruse fan art about your character. If you are working on a rare character about whom little has been drawn, you may substitute looking at fan art about a group of characters to whom your character belongs (e.g., Dwarves, female characters, commonfolk, craftspeople, etc.) Think about which fan artists best capture how you imagine your character and why. Think about how your character's appearance does (or does not) support other aspects of their traits and history.

Me: Oh, gee, no, don’t make me spend hours and hours staring at Finrod fanart 

Prompt: T-ten minutes we said.

Me: Pfft, like that’s even possible.

Quite enjoyed browsing art of my boy <3

Some of the recurring themes with Finrod art that I have seen (accepting I have seen a fraction of a percent of all Finrod art that is likely created)

The jewelry and flashy clothing
Snake
His harp

There is (I didn’t count) what seems to be a pretty even blend of Finrod alone vs Finrod with someone else, which makes sense as much of Finrod’s personality seems to be tied up with those he interacts with (family, men, dwarves, etc)

A sad variety showing him in Sauron’s dungeons, wrestling the werewolf, or dead.
But except for those, I would say he is most often depicted as smiling or pleasant.  There are moments of sadness or grief, but overall he is a positive character.

Some of the art I browsed:

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/File:Tatyafinwe_-_Finrod_Felagund.jpg
There are so many glorious images of Finrod from the POV of the artist, but this one seems to have a twist to it - Finrod as seen by others within the story.  I could see this as a painting done by the Edain, or even perhaps by the Numenorians, almost like a religious or mythical icon.

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/File:Tuuliky_-_Sit_straight,_ninny.jpg
I love this one for the sibling dynamic, their sweet expressions and adorable interaction!

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/File:Jenny_Dolfen_-_Finrod%27s_dormouse.jpg
It’s so rare I see Finrod depicted as a child, and this is just such a precious image of him!
https://cuarthol.tumblr.com/post/697751308974915584
Another with he as younger and Angrod as a child

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/File:Elena_Kukanova_-_Finrod_and_Aegnor,_the_Last_Conversation.jpeg
Almost in contrast to the Finrod & Galadriel, this one very much feels like an aching conversation between Finrod and Aegnor about Andreth and the sorrow of that chasm that lies between them.

https://melkomelko.tumblr.com/post/136938567725/finrod-the-explorah-hes-just-crazy
This one is a delightful series following Finrod around Beleriand

https://eldamaranquendi.tumblr.com/post/181929297487/finrod-turgon-from-httpxyshuloftercom
And another of him as an explorer, with Turgon

https://cuarthol.tumblr.com/post/698402607754084352
This one has stuck in my brain, and I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why but I adore the vibes that Finrod gives off in this art.

https://cuarthol.tumblr.com/post/701454913883996160/hi-i-just-found-your-art-on-ao3-and-it-is-so
These may be some that are closest to how I would imagine him, the one with he and Andreth especially

https://cuarthol.tumblr.com/post/699820898573746176
A shout-out to this Finrod Rock Opera depiction which also ranks high in reference to my mental image

https://www.tumblr.com/hallbeorn/683796691062849536/finrod-eldamar-the-third-part-of-tryptyh-there
Another very strong contender

So, I actually don’t have much in the way of mental images - as in I almost never form ideas of exactly what a character looks like.  I don’t have many solid ideas about a character’s appearance so I am very easy to please when it comes to fanart.  But when it comes to looking at fanart and saying “yes, that’s absolutely it” it’s pretty rare for me.  There are some things that don’t quite hit my personal tastes but broadly I am happy to accept them all simultaneously.

The added difficulty is that Elves are supposed to be distinct in appearance from Humans - not just the ears but like everything about them is supposed to be just a little different, so it makes it hard to imagine that without anything to really draw on as an example.

But this one plays delightfully on the idea of Elves as ‘bright’ 
https://busymagpie.tumblr.com/post/648666136503812096/beren-just-wants-to-take-a-nap-i-took-that-concept