Alan Lee (1) (1947–)

Now that the snows of winter are here to stay, we have once again entered what I warmly refer to as Tolkien season. A time to do as the Hobbits do: hunker down with a warm drink in our cozy chairs with a good book, and venture outside as little as possible until the warmer winds of spring bring drifts of petals from the sky rather than frosted flakes of frozen water. For me, this season is marked by a distinct wish to venture not to warmer abodes, but back to the lands favoured by Tolkien, show more and explore the myths of Middle Earth and the legends of Old English literature. This year the top of my hoard (read: backlog) of Tolkien is a sketchbook from Alan Lee, which explores his artistic contributions to the Hobbit films brought to life by filmmaker Peter Jackson. I bought the book simply because I adore Lee’s work, and especially his visions of Middle Earth inspired by the English wilds which he calls home, but I assumed that it would focus on his visions that became the illustrated edition of the Hobbit - which was released a number of years before the films were even being discussed. I will also admit that I didn’t even make it halfway through the lengthy film trilogy (the Hobbit actually being my least favourite of Tolkien’s Middle Earth adventures), but that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of Lee’s Hobbit sketchbook. Herein we get to experience the luscious landscapes that became reality in the films, see art nouveau-inspired mock-ups for costuming and armour, as well as Lee’s unique depictions of the cast - before actors were attached to the roles. Going into far more detail than could ever be included in any illustrated edition of the Hobbit, the book is a treasure trove of raw exploration and imagination that only makes me crave more of Lee’s signature water-colour and pencil sketch artwork. Paired with some scant narration by Lee himself, this book is a charming glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s finest fantasy illustrators, whom I’m sure Tolkien himself would have lauded for his vision and talent. With the artistic community currently being rocked by the poor influence of AI-generated artwork, it is heartening to see the support given to traditional artistry and creativity that honestly cannot be matched in the digital realm. Give me pencils and give me paints - especially if they are wielded by Alan Lee to bring such a vivid Middle Earth into reality. show less

It's a wonderful book! It not only presents beautiful art of Alan Lee but also documents his work on the Lord of the Rings movie sets, paying tribute to a host of people working on visual aspects of these movies, from miniatures makers to gardeners.

First things first, the art is amazing. Book presents only a fraction of over 2500 drawings made by Alan Lee during the production of the movies and I loved the selected pieces. Some allow to admire how tirelessly teams of people worked to show more faithfully translate detailed drawings to real objects, others show explorations of ideas that were discarded in the process, and some are a testament to a franctic production schedule, showing that the artist had to deliver what was necessary and skip the rest. There are also several illustrations made for books, where readers can see the process that allowed to find their final shape.

The second theme of the book is craft. Alan Lee is a devoted reader of the source books, following Tolkien's inspirations and studying Norse sagas, Celtic myths, and medivial history. I loved how humble and open he is when writing about his skills. For instance, he openly states that drawing anatomy, be it humans or horses, is still a chalenge for him and he will cover difficult parts with shields or by adding foreground characters if he can't make them look right.

The last theme of the book is the participation in a 6 years long project where deadlines are tight, nights are short, and a lot of effort goes unnoticed in the final product. There is a deep sense of pride and satisfaction, but the author doesn't shy away from the difficult parts of this job. Even though I watched all the extras on DVDs I was not aware of how engaged he was in the production and post-production of the movies.

It is a great book for any LOTR fan, books and movies alike, as well as for artists who'd like to understand how work on a filmset could look like. Probably, there won't be any filmset like this one anymore, which makes me sad and at the same time grateful for the fact we experienced the LOTR movies being made. show less

It's been many years since I read this classic volume of faerie lore by Froud and Lee, but it still is a complete delight. AS a more adult reader, its helter skelter compilation becomes more stark, but this random design choice pairs well with the equally helter skelter nature of faerie itself and gives the author-illustrators free reign to let their imaginations run wild. I really must delve back into Froud's work, as it is one of my favourite artistic sub-genres, and work a bit harder at show more getting my hands on more of Lee's work as well. Besides this volume, I really only know him as one of the early illustrators of Tolkien, but I am sure that he must have done a lot more over the years! show less

I know Alan Lee's work from his collaboration with Brian Froud (Faeries), but I had no idea that he was so involved with the artistic direction of the Lord of the Rings films! Seeing how bother projects are steeped in mythology I can see the correlation between them, and I applaud Peter Jackson for choosing Lee because his artistic range and style fit Tolkien's work so well. There is a balance between delicacy and harshness, war and nature, human and supernatural in Lee's aesthetic that show more gives his drawings and painting (and the films in turn) a sense of reality that many other artists may not have been able to capture. Incredible work overall! show less