Bowyering and fletching, hobby pursuits that appear to be morphing into something else. I am not certain quite how this is happening, but it does appear to be (very slowly) moving into something more than a simple hobby. Selling arrows...and I have some interested folk in bows I have been learning to make....none of which are field tested yet. I wonder if making the things that go with them will go that route? Quivers, bow quivers, strings, vambraces, and gloves, to name a few. I must admit, it would be nice. That said, I am not counting on it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think of becoming a bowyer and fletcher. A blacksmith, sure...I am formally trained to it...but this archery stuff I am entirely self taught. Apparently I do well with the arrows and the bows seem to turn out well too.
I am currently working on a Ranger bow...more specifically a Northern Ranger bow. All that really means is that I am working designs into the bow that reflect the Northern Rangers...the Forandiri. Along with those are sea motifs....I am very fond of the sea and so do honor to the seafaring past of the Dunedain.
So there is an example...armory for the Sea Rangers. More fitting, perhaps, for those Rangers operating in the Bay of Belfalas out of places like Dol Amroth and Pelargir. However, I figure the Kingdom Renewed might use such folk operating out of Forochel and the Lindons. Yeah, flimsy reasoning, but there it is. I like the sea, I like rangers, so I combined them.
The same kind of reasoning 'supports' my use of bamboo as a bow backing....it comes from the East and so travels beyond the Sea of Rhun made it available...as did the copious booty from defeating the Eye. Ditto Haradrim items. Yes, this is all post Ring, but eh, I'll use it.
For the sea motifs on the bow I am using seabird imagery as well as dolphins. Nothing huge, no ugly monster carvings, nothing to compromise the wood. Mostly a bit of woodburning and wood dyes...what carving this is I keep very minimal...more of an accent.
I am also being enough of a heretic to work on an iconic bow for the Northern (Sea) Rangers. I am going to work with a reflex-deflex design, the which is far older than I had previously thought. Eventually I might use siyas instead of the deflex portion but we will see how the basic sort functions. They are not as common with folk as the standard longbow design. They aren't composite bows...although they can be laminated (also a far older technique than I thought); adding siyas won't make them composite bows. I am not even sure I can make that work, but it is worth a try.
If it does work, I will wind up with a very unique bow for the Northern Rangers. Or really, anyone I might make one for. No idea how feasible it is. I will try it though.
I am also going to start working with wood dye designs on arrow shafts. Color combinations and designs. No carving, obviously, but paint and dye can do some interesting things. I have dipping tubes and colors, and brushes and such, so in addition to my name in Tengwar as a marker, Northern Rangers might have arrows whose differences lie in the detail of the decoration. I prefer grey and white flights...seabird stuff...but there are seabirds with other colors too so that is worth looking into as well.
Strings...at the moment Flemish twist types, but there other kinds to work with as well. Something else to work with...and perhaps multi-colored strands to make the string. ;)
Sounds a lot of work, I know, but it fascinates me. Granted, the Northern Ranger stuff is kind of limiting from a design standpoint but it is a starting place and one I really like so one I will pursue with great intention. Where it goes from there...I have no idea.
Leather stuff...yes, the sea motifs and Northern Ranger motifs will carry into those as well. I am not certain just how...I need to work with the sketchbook for a while, but I will come up with something.
Lots of learning going on..and that motivates me more than anything else.
Vendui!
Eledhwen
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