Reading "Returning to Middle-earth: The Sketches of Alan Lee" Introduction I read "The Hobbit" after reading the three volumes of "The Lord of the Rings". I was 17 years old at the time and was at home on leave from art school. Later, when I drew illustrations and participated in

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"Return to Middle-earth: Alan Lee's Hobbit Sketches"

Introduction

I read "The Hobbit" after reading the three volumes of "The Lord of the Rings". I was 17 years old at that time , took a break from art school and stayed at home. Later, when I did illustrations and participated in film production, I followed the same order, first "The Lord of the Rings" and then "The Hobbit". In some ways, it might be more fun if you could read "The Hobbit" first, then explore Middle-earth and immerse yourself further. It’s a weird feeling to think that you’ve just come off the slopes of Mount Doom and you probably understand the meaning of some of the events in The Hobbit better than the author did when he wrote The Hobbit. Of course, after The Lord of the Rings was published, Tolkien went back and made some revisions to The Hobbit, so whichever story you read first will flow seamlessly into the other.

Being informed of The Hobbit's contents in advance does not diminish the excitement or beauty of the book; nor are events any less surprising because we already have some idea of ​​what might have happened. , because the fun comes from the wonderful way the story is told and the world it evokes.

As a child I discovered the Oxford Myths and Legends series in the library, with its retellings of Arthurian legend, Celtic and Norse mythology, and for me Middle-earth was connected to the wider world of folklore and mythology I grew up with. There are countless connections. Furthermore, as I read, I felt that Middle-earth was equally inextricably linked to the landscape around me. That’s the magic of stories—when we listen to or read them, we construct images from our own raw materials.

Illustrating Tolkien's works was not part of my long-term plans or even my ambition - it seemed to me to be beyond my capabilities when I started working as an illustrator in 1970 - but I did want to Somehow involved in myth and legend, and found my way through meeting a series of remarkable people. I got my first commission from David Larkin, the art director at Pan Press. Through him I met the admirable couple Ian and Betty Ballantine (who published the first authorized paperback version of The Lord of the Rings in the United States). They also published faeries and castles - the UK editions of which were published by Unwin Hayman. Because I included some of the great buildings of Middle-earth in the book, the company's editor, Jane Johnson, included those illustrations in their Tolkien calendar. Subsequently, at her suggestion, I illustrated The Lord of the Rings. The illustrations were well received and I went on to illustrate The Hobbit and, with the support of Christopher Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate Ltd. Three "Great Legends" are illustrated. All the books published in the last two decades have been proposed by the patient and insightful Chris Smith and David Brawn of HarperCollins.

This all led to my collaboration with the outstanding New Zealand filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, as well as a friendly collaboration with fellow filmmakers John Howe. . Of course, these weren't random encounters, but keeping an alert mind for the possibility of adventure and having a laid-back attitude—even if it wasn't easy to find you—all came into play. I thank each of them, and thank you too!

Ellen Lee

For Chinese Readers

Every painting project, whether it is a book or a movie, has a shadow project that grows up with it - a large number of sketches, half-finished sketches, doodles, studies and tracings. These artworks are often much larger than the number of illustrations that ultimately make it to print. As the image is formed, architectural possibilities are tested, characters are shaped and perfected; the initial idea arises from a feeling, a mood, a sense of reality or drama gained from the text.

In its early stages, the pencil often wandered into interesting surreal side roads. The edges of the working sketches become home to various creatures and monsters that defy the rules that attempt to clarify perspective and composition. These little improvisations are often more dynamic than the finished work of art.

The process of making a film is similar - the main difference is that the final image is made by someone else with a different and more specialized skill set, and the pace of the production means there is less time for irrelevant and self-entertaining diversions . Working together with other artists and craftsmen towards a common goal is a form of play in itself, and the interaction with directors and other creatives who respond eagerly to drawings that spark the imagination is extremely enjoyable. Providing ideas with rather loose pencil sketches opens up possibilities rather than rigidly defining a treatment, giving the director the ability to shape the future development of various ideas. A simple sketch or an insignificant detail often leads to far more drama than I might have initially hinted at.

Once these ideas have been approved, or the overall appearance of a culture has been determined, the actual structures that need to be built in reality or virtually need to be sketched out in a more precise way, which requires a more thorough and in-depth approach - literally Write an academic paper on an imaginary world and its culture - every detail, be it furniture, window fittings, plaster reliefs, is drawn into a working drawing.

This book brings together and describes my work on the illustrated book of The Hobbit and my six years of involvement in Peter Jackson's film The Hobbit. I also wanted to capture some of the subtlety and intuition behind this rather rigorous process. For me, the most enjoyable part is just drawing a few random lines on a blank piece of paper, shutting down the part of my brain that deals with deadlines, expectations, and ambitions, and watching those lines turn into an imaginary landscape, one that I Unseen characters, or just a maze of lines, shapes and shadows, hinting at other stories, a hidden door to the next page. I hope that Tolkien fans in China, as well as those interested in the creative process behind these two projects, will find this book interesting.

Ellen Lee

June 2024

Editor/Han Shirong