Motte and Bailey Castle

History lesson: Motte and Bailey castles were introduced to England in the tenth century by the Normans, (decedents of vikings who were given a section of France, and whose king, William the Conqueror, invaded England) and were simple and effective fortress designs. If you wanted to build one, you would make an earth mound with a wall and keep on the top. below, you'd have a small town surrounded by a wall. The entire fortress was surrounded by a mote, which was the first line of defense.

I've always wanted to paint one of these, so today, I have. Working from history is really fun, and I think more fantasy artists should draw their inspiration from the past.

The archer and yellow bow were inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The White Company, which is one of the most fun stories I've ever read.