The Hobbit Sketchbook by Alan Lee

The Hobbit Sketchbook

Alan Lee

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · October 6, 2020

A Fantasy pick for readers exploring The Hobbit Sketchbook.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Alan Lee opens up the making of his Hobbit art, from early ideas to finished images.
Themes
Fantasy illustration, Artistic process, Tolkien’s Middle-earth
Genres
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art, Watercolor Techniques, Pencil Drawing

About this book

This richly illustrated book celebrates in words and pictures the beautiful work that award-winning artist Alan Lee produced for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and includes dozens of brand-new paintings and pencil drawings exploring the world of Bilbo Baggins. Since The Hobbit was first published in 1937, generations of readers have fallen under its spell.

Continue reading

That magic was reignited sixty years later when Alan Lee was commissioned to produce a special illustrated edition, and his delicate pencil drawings and beautiful watercolor paintings have become for many the definitive vision of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. In this sumptuous, large-format hardback, Alan Lee reveals in pictures and in words how he created these images, which would prove so powerful, matching perfectly with Tolkien’s own vision, that they would eventually define the look of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations and earn Alan a coveted Academy Award. The Hobbit Sketchbook is filled with more than 100 of Lee’s sketches and early conceptual pieces, which reveal how the project progressed from idea to finished art. It also contains a wealth of brand-new full-color paintings and sketches drawn specially for this book, which unlock the secrets of how Alan creates his own magic and provide a fascinating insight into the imagination of the man who breathed new life into Tolkien’s vision.

From Sketch to Vision

Alan Lee opens up the making of his Hobbit art, from early ideas to finished images.

Come here for

  • A close look at how an artist develops a visual world
  • The pleasure of lingering over Tolkien-inspired drawings and paintings

Expect

  • More than 100 sketches and early conceptual pieces
  • New full-color paintings and sketches made for this book

Where it sits

Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art48%
Pencil Drawing34%
Watercolor Techniques22%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Pop Culture & Art
  • Watercolor Techniques
  • Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art
Authors
Alan Lee
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
October 6, 2020
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Fantasy illustration · Artistic process · Tolkien’s Middle-earth
Reading lane
Pop Culture & Art