
Howe is, of course, a long-time Tolkien illustrator and is currently working with Alan Lee as Conceptual Designer for The Hobbit movie trilogy.
Continue reading “Meet the man whose illustrations have helped define Middle‑earth”
Check out this interview with interview that Ethan Gilsdorf conducted with John Howe over two sessions in January…
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Howe is, of course, a long-time Tolkien illustrator and is currently working with Alan Lee as Conceptual Designer for The Hobbit movie trilogy.
Continue reading “Meet the man whose illustrations have helped define Middle‑earth”

The following comes to us courtesy of TheHutt, chief editor of Henneth-Annun.ru.
After Warner Brothers finally released the Extended Edition of The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on DVD and Blu-ray, several reviewers pointed out one unfortunate thing about the release. Although it was obvious that Warner Brothers made some effort as far as the packaging
of the Extended Edition was concerned, there was a total absence of a booklet of any kind. That was rather annoying, as the stylish booklets included with The Lord of the Rings Special Extended Editions were just the cherry on the top – not only did they feature some nice sketches by Alan Lee and John Howe, but also provided useful information: the chapter list (along with new/extended chapter markings), as well as a navigation path through the intricate bonus menu system. Continue reading “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Booklet”
Its always nice to hear from Weta Workshop, but its especially nice when they drop something beautiful in our mailbox. This time it is concept art work from “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Art & Design,” book. Written by Daniel Falconer, this is likely to be an amazing book. TORn got its first look at a similar book by Falconer for the previous movie and it turned out to be as stunning as we imagined it might be. Those who have had occasion to meet the author, who does extensive design work for Weta, know that he is gracious and smart and passionate about the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

They also included some previously released Elf concept art which you can see below. You can order the book RIGHT HERE. Expect this art to pop up in other places soon and more will be released as Weta and HarperCollins see fit, but for Hobbit fans, this may be among the very best of seasonal gifts.
For those of us who have made a habit out of collecting the various tie-in books that have been released alongside Peter Jackson’s Tolkien adaptations – Jude Fisher is a name that springs instantly to mind. She is the author of the Visual Companion books that have come out with each Continue reading “Creating a Visual Companion: Jude Fisher talks about her life in Middle-earth”

Middle-earth Envisioned is a new, illustrated book From New York Times bestselling author Brian J. Robb and Paul Simpson, TV guide writer/reporter and the former editor of the Star Trek magazine, that comprehensively documents these portrayals of Middle-earth.
Among the highlights is previously unprinted artwork from English schoolteacher Mary Fairbairn. It has been noted that Tolkien himself wrote to Fairburn in 1968, praising her illustrations as “splendid. They are better pictures in themselves and also show far more attention to the text than any that have yet been submitted to me”. Continue reading “New book reveals previously unprinted artwork and documents the portrayal of Middle-earth across the decades”
Via The Eagles of Manwe, which see all from afar, we are able to bring you this description of the face of Beorn. Our highly reputable source accidentally caught our favourite shape-shifter on location during principal photography in late 2011 at the Beorn’s Hall set near Paradise in Glenorchy.
With the usual spoiler warning, here’s the description: Continue reading “A description of the face of Beorn”