Alan Lee (20 August 1947) is an English book illustrator and movie concept artist. He was born in Middlesex, England and studied at the Ealing School of Art. He has illustrated many fantasy books including several works of J.R.R. Tolkien: the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings (1991), a 1995 edition of The Hobbit, and the first edition of Narn i Chîn Húrin: the tale of the children of Húrin (2007). This meant he was perfectly suited to become one of the lead concept artists for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films alongside John Howe. Lee has also worked as a concept artist on films such as Legend, Erik the Viking, King Kong and the television mini-series Merlin.
I am fascinated by Alan Lee’s work, particularly his concept pieces for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Lee has clearly scrutinized Tolkien’s books. He is able to take elements from the original novels and bring them to life in a creative and hugely imaginative way, yet still adheres to the preconceived vision that Tolkien described in his books. This is a trait I will try to mimic with my own concept artwork.
Lee has successfully intertwined elements of the fantasy genre that were evident in the original narrative. The giant foreboding black tower and the plethora of fictional creatures illustrate this point well. There is also a clear mood being conveyed with each of his paintings created by the colour scheme, composition and context of the paintings.
Lee has used oil paints to create his concept artwork, allowing him to achieve a high levels of detail in an imaginative array of colours and textures. He has used soft and delicate brushstrokes to add to the sense of realism and richness of the work. He also blends colours subtly to give an accurate representation of different textures and the way light affects them.
It is interesting to note that the colour schemes used in his artwork do not necessarily represent the colours you might expect. The tones are more exaggerated, seasons are represented by rich and vibrant colours that although in keeping with our understanding of those seasons are far more fanciful.
It is obvious that Lee’s concept art is intended to inspire and inform the film makers and help them visualise how the film should look and perhaps more importantly how it should feel. He has displayed high levels of detail in his work making it easy for the film makers to embrace his vision.
All of Lee’s concept work is very emotive conveying a wide range of moods and emotions. Through subtle considerations to colour, lighting and texture and general design he is able to express extreme joy to extreme terror.
As somebody who is very familiar with the finished movies I can tell that the film makers drew a great deal of inspiration from Alan Lee’s concept art. I intend to follow their example and seek inspiration from Lee’s creativity in my own concepts.
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