J R R Tolkien: Drawings and Sketches

The drawings mostly show one of my favourite characters from Lord of the Rings, Faramir. Most drawings and sketches are in pencil. The sketches are examples of composition- and character-sketches, which often serve as a kind of creative brainstorming. Some of them are linked to the respective painting they evolved into. Those interested in seeing how I create a painting from the first sketches to the finished piece, there is a MAKING OF available.

"Éowyn"

Drawing for the Fandom Loves Puerto Rico charity auction

(iron gall ink, 2017)

"The Hoard"

Drawing for the 2018 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2017)

"The Eagle"

Drawing for the 2018 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2017)

"New hat"

Illustration for Humour in and around the Works of JRR Tolkien

(iron gall ink, 2016)

"You cannot pass"

Illustration for Humour in and around the Works of JRR Tolkien

(iron gall ink, 2016)

"The Old Forest"

Drawing for the 2017 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2016)

"The Barrow-Downs"

Drawing for the 2017 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2016)

"The Gladden-Fields"

Drawing for the 2016 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2015)

"Tuor in Nevrast"

Drawing for the 2016 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2015)

"The Stone of Erech"

Drawing for the 2016 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2015)

"Dorwinion"

Drawing for the 2016 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2015)

"Éowyn of Rohan"

Drawing for the 2015 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2014)

"Ioreth of Gondor"

Drawing for the 2015 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2014)

"Mîm the Petty-Dwarf"

Drawing for the 2014 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2013)

"Battling the Dragon"

Drawing for the 2014 "Beyond Bree" Calendar

(iron gall ink, 2013)

Poster for the 10th Tolkien Conference in Aachen, Germany (2013)
Poster for the 9th Tolkien Conference in Jena, Germany (2012)
Poster for the 8th Tolkien Conference in Potsdam, Germany (2011)
Drawing of the Professor for the website of the German Tolkien Society (pencil, 2012)

"Sméagol and the Ring"

Drawing for the 2013 "Beyond Bree" Calendar (fineliner, 2012)

"The Watcher"

Drawing for the 2013 "Beyond Bree" Calendar (fineliner, 2012)

"The Uruk-Hai"

Drawing for the 2013 "Beyond Bree" Calendar (fineliner, 2012)

"Shelob"

Drawing for the 2013 "Beyond Bree" Calendar (fineliner, 2012)

Coasters for the German Tolkien Society, drawn in red and black fineliner (2011, Foto: Marie-Noëlle Biemer)

Cover illustration for the second volume of the Brothers of Gondor zine containing fanfiction featuring Denethor's sons. It can be downloaded in various formats here. The drawing was done in coloured pencils (2011).

"Éomer cheering up Faramir" (2010)

From The Snake's Checkmate.

"Faramir and Boromir" (2010)

"The fortune-teller"

"The meeting after the party" (both 2009)

"Faramir napping" (2010)

From The Snake's Checkmate.

 

Poster for the 7th Tolkien Conference in Jena, Germany (2010)

The 2010 seminar organised by the German Tolkien Society and Walking Tree Publishers deals with "Tolkien and Romanticism". For the illustration, I "quoted" a painting by German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich entitled "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" (1817/18), altering it a little to give it a Tolkienean touch.

 

 

Poster for the 6th Tolkien Conference in Hannover, Germany (2009)

The 2009 seminar organised by the German Tolkien Society and Walking Tree Publishers deals with "Violence, Conflict and War in Tolkien". Instead of drawing a fierce battle or a heap of bodies, I decided to show a less bloody scene: Rohirrim charging the enemy.

 

"First fitting"

"The Entertainers" (all 2008)

Faramir in disguise. And yes, he is not too happy about it. The two ladies in the first image are Narejde and Hanîje, and the two gentlemen in the second Mezlâr and Lôkhî. From The Snake's Checkmate.

 

 

"In the bath"

"The graveyard"

"Faramir and Narejde"

"Faramir preparing an ambush" (all 2008)

New artwork inspired by The Snake's Checkmate.

 

 

Poster for the 5th Tolkien Conference in Jena, Germany (2008)

The 5th Tolkien Seminar of the German Tolkien Society looks at The Hobbit. Like in 2007, I created the poster. This time, it shows Gandalf leaving Bag End after marking Bilbo's door for the dwarves. More information about the conference (most of the talks of which are in English) can be found here.

 

 

 

"Walking the lioness"

"Faramir resting" (all 2007)

New artwork inspired by The Snake's Checkmate.

 

 

"The lock of hair"

"Below the lake"

"No disguise" (all 2007)

More artwork inspired by The Snake's Checkmate. After an encounter with Al-Jahmîr himself, Faramir cools his anger by taking a swim in the lake, and afterwards getting rid of his "hair-extensions".

 

 

"Narejde"

"Conversation with lioness"

"Éowyn dressed for Consorts' Breakfast"

"The meeting in the orchard" (all 2007)

New artwork inspired by The Snake's Checkmate. Éowyn and Faramir have finally managed to meet again, if only for a short while.

 

 

"Eowyn and the Grey Lady"

"Testing the boundaries"

"Changes"

"Éowyn and the Snake" (all 2007)

Since my co-author Lady of Rohan complained about me only drawing pictures of Faramir inspired by our fanfiction, here are a few sketches of Éowyn in various scenes from The Snake's Checkmate. The scene with bad guy Al-Jahmîr behind her is even creepier in the story.

 

 

"That depends on the manner of your return" (2007)

Sketches and the finished inkdrawing for the cover of the 4th edition of the Noble Steward's Chronicles

 

"Steward's son" (2007)

Another etching of Faramir (a rather young one) with the preparatory pencil-sketch and a scan of the actual etching plate, out of a series of 17.

Print is available in the shop

 

"Interrogation" (2007)

Faramir and Khorazîr are interrogating an Umbarian prisoner who has interesting things to tell. From The Snake's Checkmate.

"Tending the Healer" (2007)

Wounded during battle on the corsair-ship while guarding his captain Faramir, the Ranger Dorgil (actually the healer of the company) is in need of treatment, so Faramir tends to him. From The Snake's Checkmate.

 

"Ranger" (2007)

A pencil-sketch of Faramir in Ithilien, the resulting etching, and one of the prints done from the plate, out of a series of 20. Actually, this is my first etching for a very long time, but I needed to refresh my knowledge of the technique in order to teach my students properly.

Print is available in the shop

 

"Checkmate" (2007)

Actually a scene from an earlier fanfiction, which can be found here: Faramir playing (and winning) a game of chess against his arch-enemy Marek Al-Jahmîr.

More sketches for The Snake's Checkmate (2007)

Sketches of Faramir and the corsair Azrubâr (entitled "Farewell to Gondor"), and Faramir in Haradaic garments during a sea-battle, from The Snake's Checkmate.

Sketches for The Snake's Checkmate (2007)

Sketches of Faramir (with his son Elboron, Éomer, King Elessar and another of his babies respectively) and the Southron Corsair Azrubâr in scenes inspired by our Fanfiction-story The Snake's Checkmate.

 

Poster for the 4th Tolkienseminar in Jena, Germany (2007)

The seminar, organised by the German Tolkien Society and Walking Tree Publishers looks at Tolkien's shorter works. Hence my ink-drawing for the poster shows the dragon Chrysophylax and Garm the dog from Farmer Giles of Ham. More information about the seminar can be found here.

 

Half a Southron (2006)

A sketch of Faramir in Haradaic gear, as described in the Fanfiction-story The Snake's Checkmate.

 

Some pages from my sketchbook (2006)

Sketches of Faramir and Éowyn, and a couple of Orcs, drawn in pencil.

 

Ent (2006)

Another page from my Sketchbook; this time, the drawing is in black ink.

The boys at play (2006)

This drawing is featured as an illustration in the Brothers of Gondor-Fanzine.

Shirtless (2006)

inspired by a documentary about Michelangelo Buonarotti and a number of requests for a shirtless Faramir ...

 

Sketches for "King's Steward". It took me some time and several drawings to decide on the right pose.

Asleep (2006)

Just a little study of anatomy ...

 

Title for the 4th "Tolkien 2005" Progress Report

Tolkien 2005 is an international Tolkien conference that is going to be held in Birmingham, UK in August 2005. I have been invited to attend by the Tolkien Society. Also, I was asked to create a cover for the 4th Progress Report, which also features an interview with me. The ink-drawing shows Faramir. The typeface is Adobe Caslon.

 

Faramir (2004)

A study in colour and lighting, done in oil pastels.

Khorazîr (2004)

He is one of my RP-characters at www.tolkienonline.com: a Black Númenorean, originally invented as an enemy of Faramir, but eventually evolving into his friend.

Frogbreeders (2003)

Faramir and his two closest friends, both of whom are not mentioned in LotR: Maradir and Túrin. The three gentlemen can also be encountered at TORC

Denethor and his sons (2003)

 

Faramir and Boromir, entitled Brothers, 2003

The 27th Steward of Gondor, 2003

Published in Aiglos, a Polish Tolkien magazine

Faramir in his ranger-gear, 2002
Portrait of Faramir, 1999
Faramir in armour, a sketch for Gandalf and Faramir, 1998

Composition sketches for scenes from LotR, book 3. None of the scenes I have actually painted yet.

Sketch for Your son has returned, lord... , from 1999.
Composition and character-sketches for Escaping from the Black Riders , from 2000

Another sketch for the same painting

Sketches of Tuor and Voronwë for the Tuor-series.

Tuor in the livery of Nevrast
Sketch for Voronwë to determine his pose. This is how he looks in the finished painting, entitled Tuor and Voronwë . The crab and the starfish reappear there as well.
Sketch of Ulmo, for The Lord of the Waters
More sketches for the same painting
   

Tolkien

 

 

 

 

 

 

s://