Alan Lee

 
Alan Lee

Alan Lee is an English book illustrator and movie conceptual designer. He was born on 20 August 1947 in Middlesex, England and studied at the Ealing School of Art.

 

Illustrations

Lee has illustrated several fantasy books, notably several works of J.R.R. Tolkien, such as the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Children of Húrin. Other books he has illustrated include Faeries (with Brian Froud), Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock (as well as the cover of an early print of this book), The Mabinogion, Castles and Tolkien's Ring (both by David Day), The Mirrorstone by Michael Palin, The Moon's Revenge by Joan Aiken and Merlin Dreams by Peter Dickinson. He has also illustrated Rosemary Sutcliff's adaptations of Iliad and Odyssey (Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus) and did a cover painting for Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan. Alan did the artwork for the CD Alive! by the Dutch band Omnia, released on 3 August 2007 during the Castlefest festival."Shapeshifters" by Adrian Mitchell, a retelling of Ovid's Metamorphoses, illustrated by Alan Lee, was published by Frances Lincoln in 2009
Watercolour is a commonly seen medium in his work, along with pencil for his sketches.

Film

Lee and John Howe were the lead concept artists of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, and was contacted by former director Guillermo del Toro to keep continuity of design for the upcoming Hobbit films. In a documentary interview on the extended edition of Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson details the story of how he managed to contact Lee, a rather reclusive man, in his home in the south of England. By couriering a package to him containing two of Jackson's previous films, Forgotten Silver and Heavenly Creatures, with a note from himself and Fran Walsh, Alan's interest was piqued enough to become involved. He went on to illustrate and even help construct many of the scenarios for the movies, including objects and weapons for the actors. He also makes a cameo in the opening sequence as one of the nine kings who became the Nazgul.

Lee has also worked as a conceptual designer on the films Legend, Erik the Viking, King Kong and the television mini-series Merlin. The art book Faeries, produced in collaboration with Brian Froud, was the basis of a 1981 animated feature of the same name.
Lee recently released a portfolio of his conceptual artwork for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, entitled The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook.