News

September 06, 2023

My new store ELMENEL.ART is now up and running. You are welcome to visit it here:



All the very best!

Elmenel

July 1, 2023

The new printing of "Parma Eldaliéva Special I" has been completed. The preorders have been dispatched. Today I made the remaining copies available on this site's Store. They will be available there until the 10th of July , or until there are any left - whichever comes first.

The Store on this site will close on the 10th. I will have a new one somewhere in the future and I hope you will enjoy its contents!

Elmenel



February 24, 2023

I have the pleasure to offer to you a new print of "Parma Eldaliéva Special I"!

This is an art book dedicated to the Akallabêth, a description of Númenor and the line of its Kings. It was first printed in the beginning of 2019, in only 50 copies which quickly found their homes. Since then I have been asked repeatedly for new ones, and now I finally arranged a new print.

As usual the new print number of copies depends on the number of preorders. You can preorder from today until March 25th at a price of €110 + P&P*, and from March 26th to April 25th at a price of €145 + P&P*. The print will take place in April and I will despatch the books in May.

For making a preorder you can use the PayPal button here below [NOTE: That button has been removed at the end of the preorder campaign.] or on the Store page of this site. You do not need a PayPal account to do that.


I hope the new print of this art book will bring joy to everyone who gets a copy!

Elmenel


June 15, 2022

The Tolkien Days 2022 in Geldern, Germany - Tolkien Tage - were a fantastic experience. I am delighted that I met many appreciators of the works of the Professor and so many who dedicate significant part of their time to art and activities inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Special thanks to Becky Dillon, Sebastian Richartz, Tobias M. Eckrich, Franz Brehme Arredondo and Thathiana Marcello for their companionship, care, and help with displaying my art. My gratitude to so many others too, whose words and kindness I remember dearly. Thank you. It was a joy being among you!

Elmenel










May 25th, 2022

I will take part in the Tolkien Days 2022 in Geldern, Germany: Tolkien Tage, 10 June, 19:00 - 12 June, 17:00 UTC+01. It looks like Tolkien-loving people will have a fantastic time there! I will be bringing copies of the the three completed Parma Eldaliéva art books, scrolls, maps, original manuscript pages, and more.

I look forward to meeting you at the event!



Elmenel


January 3rd, 2022

Happy 130th Birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien!

With an original title page of Parma Eldaliéva's "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" - a recent commission as a Christmas present.



All the very best!

Elmenel

May 29th, 2021

The new "Parma Eldaliéva Special II" art book will be released in July. It is dedicated to the Third Age, the Rings of Power, the death of Isildur and the Tale of Years. It has 144 pages of Tengwar Art.

This is the third art book I have completed, after the first "Parma Eldaliéva" and "Parma Eldaliéva Special I". I am tremendously glad and excited about it! The printing is in time for the 12th Anniversary of the Parma Eldaliéva project this July.

The photos here are of some test pages I ordered with the printers to aid my editorial work & test the materials, and of some of the originals.

You can preorder it from today until the end of June on a special price at my store:

www.store.elmenel.com/parma-eldalieva-special-ii

The number of preorders determines roughly the number of books to be printed. The payment happens at the time of preordering. If any copies are left to offer after the printing their price would be much different from the preorder one.

If you are one of my Patreon supporters - a reward copy for you is ensured. Thank you so much for supporting my art and for helping this book see the light of day!

All the very best!

Elmenel








January 3rd, 2020



Happy Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien! With my art for the title page of the new Parma Eldaliéva calligraphic Tengwar manuscript dedicated to the Rings of Power and the Third Age.
The Professor!

Elmenel

January 1st, 2020



September 11, 2019

"Tolkien2019" in August, in Birmingham - an event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Tolkien Society - was fantastic! Many thanks to the organisers for their hard work and the wonderful results of it!




I am very glad that I managed to meet and enjoy this event with my friends and supporters who were there - it was great to experience this together. I am delighted that I was able to make many new friends too.



I am extremely happy to say that my art got not just noticed, but also praised by the much loved and greatly respected Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith. I am humbled and so very, very glad!




Both Mr. Nasmith and Mr. Lee were tremendously kind and welcoming. Apart from the joy of our more private conversations, to have Alan Lee introducing me as an artist whose work and talent he admires to people approaching him for a conversation meant a lot to me. The feeling of gladness when he also showed to others the "Parma Eldaliéva Special I" that I presented him with after he, again, praised my art, was enormous. I had the pleasure to have a conversation with him that I will always remember and cherish.



I am so very, very honoured and glad for the chats I had with Mr. Nasmith, too! It was so thrilling when he, an artist who has spurred on my imagination in my formative years and whom I have much admired, replied to a question related to potential future map-making, that it should be not him, but me, who should be making these maps. Him telling me that my work is class meant a lot to me.



The appreciation of those refined, talented, loved artists means so much to me! Their good words make me feel even better about my art, after all those years of hard work on it. I had the honour and pleasure to speak with each of them (as much as the limited time at such events allows for personal conversations) about work, and more.





The scrolls I displayed at the event were the 2019 version of the Tuor Scroll and the Coming of Fingolfin Scroll. Among the other artworks I exhibited at the Art Show were copies of the first Parma Eldaliéva and of "Parma Eldaliéva Special I" art books, as well as all seven Parma Eldaliéva maps together with the original of one of them. I had the pleasure to give a talk and have a workshop.



My deepest gratitude to all my supporters and friends who made my participation possible!




All the very best!

Elmenel



July 17, 2019

Happy 10th Anniversary to the Parma Eldaliéva project and the books in Tengwar!



The celebratory pamphlet is available for download at the end of this post.

All the very best!

Elmenel


April 29th, 2019

I am glad to announce that I have recently completed a new art book, "Parma Eldaliéva Special I". It compiles calligraphic Tengwar art 'versions' of the Akallabêth, of a description of the Island of Númenor, and of the Line of its Kings. The first printed copies of it were ready on February 12th.




The three art manuscripts are part of my preparations for "Parma Eldaliéva" II & III. They have been gathered together due to their close thematic and inspirational connection.



The new "Special" series of which this is the first volume might be, in a way, secondary in its significance compared to the major "Parma Eldaliéva" volumes I am working on, but it is also rather unique - some of the manuscripts in it could be included in the major volumes in different versions despite the quality of their current ones.




I devised the series with the thought of sharing with my supporters in a printed form some of the best parts of the preparations for the major project volumes in the course of my work on them. "Parma Eldaliéva Special I" (104 pages) is also the first full colour book of my project. I expect the next book in this particular series, "Parma Eldaliéva Special II", to be ready next year.



I have to admit that due to the enormous attention required by my art work on the calligraphed manuscripts, the additional design work, the preparations of printed copies, and more, recently I have been having very little time for site updates. To all those interested in my art and progress on Parma Eldaliéva: it seems that my Patreon has indeed become the very best place to follow the Parma Eldaliéva creative process and its milestones. Additionally, the project's facebook page www.facebook.com/ParmaEldalieva has also become a good place for those interested in and wanting to enjoy only information and images I show publicly.






All the very best!

Elmenel




September 15th, 2018

Yesterday I printed for the first time the seventh "Parma Eldaliéva" map. The project's set of major maps is now complete!



I designed this one as one of the most strongly imbued with lore in the set. The first 84 cm x 60 cm print will be displayed at Oxonmoot next week together with the rest. I finished the original earlier this summer (100 cm x 70 cm), then worked on the print version. Here are some photos of both.







My gratitude to those who support my art!

Elmenel

Yestarë, Loa 2, Yén 15 (March 29th, 2018)

Happy New Loa 2, Yén 15, with the new, sixth Parma Eldaliéva map!

I finished the map (original and three print versions) earlier this week, in time for Mettarë & for Yestarë of Loa 2, Yén 15. This year (only, I hope) I was unable to finish in time the new Loa calendar I have been preparing, due to a January health-related work disruption. However, in March I focused on the map as a large new work to complete and share with my Patreon supporters in the first hours of the New Loa.

The new map is relevant to the contents of Parma Eldaliéva III & Parma Eldaliéva II, Part IV, on which I am focusing nowadays. It joins the Patreon campaign rewards and the set of Parma Eldaliéva printable maps as the sixth of that series (not counting the variations).

My gratitude to those who support my art!

Elmenel



January 3rd, 2018
Happy 126th Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien!
With a recent artwork of my "Starsong" series.
Artist-Calligrapher: Tsvetelina Krumova - Elmenel

Yestarë Loa 1 Yén 15 (March 29th, 2017)

Welcome the Elven New Year and Yén 15 of this Age!

Today is its first day, yestarë. And I am delighted to tell you of the release of a wall calendar for the first year of the new yén.

The calendar has 12 pages and every month displays one of my Tolkien-inspired Tengwarin calligraphic artworks. It features month and weekday names in Tengwarin calligraphy. The space for each date includes the seasonal date or out-of-season day name, even as the months fit the "modern" reckoning. The date-space contains:

1) the modern month-date in Tengwarin numerals - decimal and calligraphed in red ink for this purpose; 2) the modern month-date in Arabic numerals; 3) the Elven seasonal date in Arabic numerals; 4) the name, in Tengwarin calligraphy, of the Elven season or of the out-of-season day name (black ink).



I have hand-drawn the originals of all other graphic art that is added to the calligraphy. Figuring out how to fit things I want in a single date space has been a special effort too. Next loa I will include even more elements.

I will be making a loa calendar every Elven year from now on, for as long as I am able to, with as many hand-drawn - with respect for Elven Art - elements as my circumstances allow. I will do my best to have a person continuing to do it after me.



Welcome the new loa and yén!

Elmenel



January 3rd, 2017

Happy 125th Birthday to J.R.R.Tolkien with my first artwork for this year!
Tsvetelina Krumova - Elmenel



September 16th, 2016

A rich and diverse exhibition of Tolkien-inspired artists in Newcastle: September 20th-23rd at St. Nicholas Cathedral and 24th-25th at Newcastle Castle! I am happy to say that it will feature Parma Eldaliéva artworks!

'Illuminating Tolkien' Exhibition will start with Late Night Preveiw on 19th September followed by a week long exhibition Tuesday - Friday at St Nicholas Cathedral, then it will move to Newcastle Castle on Saturday & Sunday as part of Tolkien Weekend with Time and Tide Events.

The announcement video: https://vimeo.com/169382392


The exhibitions features 12 artists inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien: Ted Nasmith, Tomas Hijo, Soni Alcorn-Hender, Jay Johnstone, Anke Eissmann, Stephen Graham Walsh, Jemima Catlin, Peter Xavier Price, Tsvetelina Krumova-Elmenel, John Cockshaw, Katarzyna Chmiel-Gugulska and Archaeologist Shaun Richardson.

Welcome!

Elmenel

July 2nd, 2016

Recently HarperCollins Publishers informed me of their decision about the potential publishing of "Parma Eldaliéva I" ("Tengwarin"). They praise my work ("undoubtedly a true labour of love, and visually very striking") and appreciate its quality, but they would not release it because "the number of people who will be able to read it will be minuscule" and so, according to them, "it fails in its functionality as a book". This places it out of their scope of operations as book publishers and makes it unacceptable for a release by them, even if it is "an interesting work of art and probably deserves to be on display". While they think that there would be people - the majority of those who would like to obtain it - who would regard it as a beautiful object, they would not release it with them in mind as doing so would be going too far from their usual book publishing. In addition they expect that such an art book would be purchased by an insufficient number of people for their usual scope of operations. Now I will be looking for another publisher for my artworks.



The decision of HarperCollins about the five maps of the Parma Eldaliéva project is also to not publish them despite the quality of my work and the good opinion of the Tolkien Estate. The reason is, as the publisher says, that they cannot publish the maps on their own. Their decision about those has been pending since last spring when I sent five map samples to them (glimpses of those are given at the end of this post). It was considered related to their decision about "Parma Eldaliéva I" whose printed copy took more time for me to finish and send. The maps, as I learned only recently, have been presented to the Tolkien Estate last summer and have been commented on very favourably. The set has been in the keeping of a member of the Estate ever since. My art book copy has not been presented to the Estate during the publisher's consideration.



Now that I completed the first "Parma Eldaliéva" and five maps I will continue working on the creation of the next Parma Eldaliéva works including the next calligraphic art volumes (more information about the next two of the six is available here). I will be doing it to the best of my abilities, in the time that is given me, so that the next artworks would exist in this world and be as beautiful and wholesome as able for me to achieve. For that I truly need your support!



The work on Parma Eldaliéva is a full-time job as I want to do it with the quality it needs and to complete it while my hands are in their best working shape. I can say from years of experience that it would be impossible to take another job that would pay for me doing the work on Parma Eldaliéva and to simultaneously find the time to focus and create the art itself, in a single lifetime, to produce quality artwork, coherent and whole, in the amount and scope that is needed. In order to create I need equipment, paying rent for space to work and live in, materials, supplies, storage (physical and digital), site support, ensuring my continuous physical existence and health, and other things without which the work would be too slow despite all my skill and dedication, or too limited and less than what I am fully capable to create and what I feel the works that inspired me deserve.

I ask you with everything I am for your support for the Parma Eldaliéva art creation!



You can make the successful completion of wholesome and beautiful Parma Eldaliéva works possible! Donations via the Patreon campaign start from 1 USD per month, and those who join it are completely free to quit or rejoin at any time.

I appeal to those who cherish and love the same inspiring, good things I cherish and love - and devote my lifetime, labour and gift to. Your contributions matter greatly! You could support my art by joining the Patreon crowdfunding campaign or make a donation via the Paypal button here below.

My deepest gratitude to all who contribute!

Tsvetelina Krumova - Elmenel



P.S. Please bear in mind that tangible gifts are given only in the "Patreon" campaign!







I will update the new "The Art of Elmenel Champions List" on the "Thank you" page of this site around the tenth of each month. I will be adding the names of those who during the previous month have started supporting my work on levels described on the "Patreon" profile page or have donated via PayPal, except if they wish to remain anonymous. In order to notify me about the latter donors on "Patreon" can send me a private message and via PayPal you could use the message field in the electronic donation form.











March 12th, 2016

It's a book!

I collected the first two printed copies of the first "Parma Eldaliéva" from the printing house on March 10th. The name of the printed art book is "Tengwarin"~The Art of Elmenel.




The volumes on the photos are 554-page test copies. Each of them reproduces all my essential art on "Parma Eldaliéva I" scaled down to about 70 pct the size of the originals (the pages in these copies of "Tengwarin" are 30x21cm). The next trial copies will include 10 more pages with additions and information - with them the art album will have 564 pages. The covers are still temporary and serve my work purposes; right now I need them as they are only for trial & sample copies where I have to check the quality of the pages and the general dimensions of the volume.




"Tengwarin" will perhaps be the name of the whole series of printed versions of my "Parma Eldaliéva" art volumes. It is the name of my art and more... But what else it means and stands for you will learn later, on both this site and "Patreon". [Edit: The idea of having the titles of the printed Parma Eldaliéva versions differ from the project names, or them to become "Tengwarin", was discarded in 2018. "Tengwarin" will remain a title only of the first, 2016-2017 edition of Parma Eldaliéva I.]




I will continue working on the completion of the next Tengwarin art "Parma Eldaliéva" volumes (II & III) and on related art in the coming months and years. I will appreciate your support for my art at www.patreon.com/Elmenel. I hope that the present and future results of my labour and skill (including your rewards on "Patreon") will be welcome!

All the best!

Elmenel


February 29th, 2016

HERE IT COMES!

Earlier this month I submitted for my private test print the first printable art volume of the "Parma Eldaliéva" project!

550 pages of Elven calligraphic Art and natural, living hand flow!

Nothing typed! (...Well, there are a few necessary for the volume typed information pages before and after the 550 pages of pure Art...)

Here is a photo of the folded pages at home, where I have been checking their arrangement before their binding and cutting (hence their huge white margin). More information is available at the support campaign for my art ("Creator Posts").

Joy and relief for me, after so much hard work on the development, art, design and pre-press of this art volume!

Elmenel


January 3rd, 2016


December 25th, 2015

Merry Christmas!

Greetings and best wishes with a Christmas photo of the contents of "Parma Eldaliéva I"! I am glad to present with it the pagination of the art manuscript and its first printable version (below the photo).




Ch.1 ... p.1
Ch.2 ... p.53
Ch.3 ... p.86
Ch.4 ... p.101
Ch.5 ... p.123
Ch.6 ... p.163
Ch.7 ... p.200
Ch.8 ... p.252
Ch.9 ... p.306
Ch.10 ... p.338
Ch.11 ... p.360
Ch.12 ... p.375
Ch.13 ... p.412
Ch.14 ... p.433
Ch.15 ... p.451
Ch.16 ... p.471
Ch.17 ... p.484
Ch.18 ... p.508
Ch.19 ... p.526
Notes ... p.549
Acknowledgements ... p.561
Pages counted separately from the main text as given above: title page, dedication, additional carpet pages, colophon, (when included in a print version as part of the body instead of added separately) two maps...

I am grateful to God for giving me the inspiration and strength to create my art and do my work! I am grateful to all the wonderful people who granted me their dearly cherished and much needed friendship and support!

Elmenel


September 22nd, 2015

The wonderful J.R.R.Tolkien-related journal "Aiglos" published in its issue for 2015 a reproduction of page 98 of "Parma Eldaliéva I" and of "Lúthien" by Elmenel!

September 6th, 2015

The exhibition in Sheffield is open!
An exhibition walk through VIDEO.




September 2nd, 2015

Forty-two years since J.R.R.Tolkien passed away. May God bless him!
May his good works live on! Gratitude and may his legacy be unstained and always shining with that light no darkness can reach!


August 14th, 2015

Last week I had the pleasure and honour of participating and presenting the first book in Tengwar, five maps in Tengwarin calligraphy and the ongoing "Parma Eldaliéva" project they are part of at an absolutely wonderful conference - Omentielva Enquëa;, The Sixth International Conference on J.R.R.Tolkien's Invented Languages. It was held on 6-9 August, at the Greisinger Museum, Jenins, Switzerland. The people, lectures, activities, and atmosphere were wonderful!
Tsvetelina - Elmenel





June 21st, 2015

This September in Sheffield! An exhibition that includes "Parma Eldaliéva" works by Elmenel.
Exhibition announcement video


April 28th, 2015

For those who are in Sofia, Bulgaria:

I would like to invite you to a presentation of my "Parma Eldaliéva" project exploring the topics of Elven Art and Calligraphy at "The Red House" Centre for Culture and Debate in Sofia (15 Lyuben Karavelov Str.) on April 30th from 17:00h to 17:30h. This presentation will be part of the "Obektiv" Club event of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, which will start at 16:00h.


March 21st, 2015

Four more unique "Parma Eldaliéva" 'Elven' works of art entered this world!

Recently I finished four more Tengwarin calligraphic art maps, which are now added to the "Cantëa" one that was ready in November last year. Among them is the other major map of the project, which I have been calling "Nelya" as its original has been the third map of the series to work on, starting with some initial spatial distribution & work on the toponyms in 2011. The other three print version-ready maps to announce are the first, second and fifth in the series ("Minya", "Tatya", "Lempëa"). Every line I drew, every letter, word, and detail I worked on have been carefully, lovingly and deliberately placed, so that both each detail and the whole image it is part of become harmonious and beautiful...




January 3, 2015

Happy Tolkien's birthday!
Here is a drawing of J.R.R.Tolkien I did in 1998.


November 3, 2014

The first "Parma Eldaliéva" Elven map of Middle-earth that is ready in a print version!

I refer to it as "Parma Eldalieva: The Cantëa Map" as it is the fourth ('cantëa') of the "Parma Eldalieva" maps according to the order of my work on those during the years. It is the second of the two largest maps of the project. Due to various circumstances, it became the first of them that has a print version.


To be fair, I am still getting used to the fact that I have done it, and the map is next to me now, and is good indeed... Even as it is a single map (and not yet a printed version of the 560-page "Parma Eldaliéva I" volume which is placed not far from it), when I look at it I see vindicated five years of my life spent in determined labouring on the development of the scripts I used for its making, of my hand and my skills in relation to them... I see something like a testament (or better say part of the testament I have been working on) of my deep love and respect for the works that inspired me, of the Word, of innate Artistry and talents' development, of the lifeblood and spirit-powered art of human hands, of the living letters untouched by a marred world that surrounds our bodies, of the dreams, hopes, rigorous practice, stubbornness, the steady evolution and improvement - maturing, if you wish - of the hands I have been working on... I look at it and I am thankful to God, and I feel gladness and something akin to both profound relief and thrill about the next works that I have in my mind and soul, which will benefit from the application and further development of the acquired skills...



September 22nd, 2014

Happy Birthday to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins!
And a photo of Gandalf in front of part of my art display at Oxonmoot 2014.



*******

You can support my art on Patreon and become owners of printed copies of each Parma Eldaliéva book as well as art prints, including maps: CAMPAIGN & Become a Patron!

Up to date information on my work progress on the six upcoming core "Parma Eldaliéva" art books and more is also available for my supporters on Patreon.
Any contributions there or on this site - via the button below - are greatly appreciated.

My heartfelt thanks to every contributor!



The official Facebook page of "Parma Eldalieva" : www.facebook.com/ ParmaEldalieva