3 August 2012
I would like to make a little note of appreciation for the work of Alan Lee and John Howe, two of the most famous Tolkien illustrators and the lead designers on the Lord of the Rings films.
I recently bought the book The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook by Alan Lee. It is beautiful, and if you're a fan if his art you really should get it. It's mainly just pencil drawings, but there are about two or three full page colour paintings and a few smaller ones.
John Howe is another stunning artist. He does some great action images which really capture a moment. I've only got his Maps of Middle-Earth, but I shall buy his Forging Dragons, Fantasy Art Workshop and How to Draw Fantasy Art at some point. All have some cracking examples of his work. His website has some wonderful images as well. Alan Lee doesn't have a website, and is a bit more reclusive, but his work isn't had to find.
I just wanted to say how wonderful these two are. Fans of Tolkien art may have noticed I've missed out one of the Big Three of the genre: Ted Nasmith. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, he didn't work on the LotR films so that takes a bit of the interest away for me. Secondly, his art isn't a versatile I don't think. He is either a bit cartoony of too biblically perfect. This is perhaps why his picture of the Numorean ships for the Silmarillion is so wonderful, but the rest of his art is not. The Silmarillion owes itself to biblical grandeur, but not all of Middle-Earth does, which is why I think John Howe and Alan Lee are better artists. When I've heard them interviewed, I found Howe and Lee more likeable too.
Howe And Lee • Opuss № I