This image was made in Terragen. The castle and moat had to be shaped out of the landscape since adding other objects wasn't an option. I thought it turned out pretty believable considering the limitations of the software.

“It glittered like polished gold overlaid with silver light, and a white stone in it twinkled as if the Even-star had come down to rest upon her hand.”
- The Lord of the Rings, Book II, Chapter 7

This is my stylized version of Nenya, the ring of water, one of the three Elvin-rings. The background is an Apophysis fractal, the rest was drawn in Paint Shop Pro.

I wanted to try something metallic besides gold and silver, and I remember my high school Chemistry kit had a copper compound that was bright blue (azurite?), so I decided to try them together. Then these butterflies showed up fluttering across my screen and offered to pose for me, so here they are! Actually it's an Apophysis fractal that I thought looked like a butterfly. You have to have a good imagination working with fractals! This was also another attempt at drawing faceted gems.