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A sumptuous large-format hardback containing sketches and paintings from the illustrated Lord of the Rings, together with brand new and previously unseen material. In this large-format hardback Alan Lee reveals in pictures and in words how he created the images in the authorised illustrated edition of The Lord of the Rings. These images would prove so powerful, matching perfectly with Tolkien's own vision, that they would eventually define the look of Peter Jackson's movie trilogy and earn Alan a coveted Academy Award. The book is filled with over 150 of his sketches and early conceptual pieces to show how the project progressed from idea to finished art. It also contains 20 colour paintings reproduced in full-page glory, together with numerous examples of his conceptual art produced for the films and brand new pieces drawn specially for this book. It also includes an exclusive foreword written by Sir Ian McKellen. The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook provides a fascinating insight into the imagination of the man who painted Tolkien's vision, firstly onto the page and then in three dimensions on the cinema screen. It will also be of interest to many of the 100,000 people who have bought the illustrated Lord of the Rings as well as for budding artists and illustrators interested in unlocking the secrets of book illustration.… (more)
User reviews
First things first, the art is amazing. Book
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.