Most people think of Peter Jackson’s films when they picture Middle-earth. Big, sweeping shots. Massive stone kings. Gritty armor. But long before New Zealand became the face of the Shire, there were just lines on paper. Lord of the Rings sketches are basically the DNA of high fantasy. They aren’t just pretty pictures; they’re the actual blueprints that allowed a "unfilmable" book to become a reality.
Honestly, J.R.R. Tolkien wasn't even an artist by trade. He was a philologist. He cared about words and how they evolved over thousands of years. But he realized pretty quickly that you can't just describe a sprawling world without seeing where the rivers go or how a tower actually sits on a cliffside. He started doodling in the margins of his manuscripts. Those early, sometimes crude, sketches are where the magic actually started.
The Professor’s Own Vision
Tolkien’s personal Lord of the Rings sketches are kind of surprising if you've only seen the movies. They’re often minimalist. Take his drawing of Orthanc. It’s not the jagged, black obsidian needle we see in the films. In his original vision, it was a bit more geometric, almost ancient and Eastern in its influence.
He obsessed over the maps. He’d draw them, then realize the distances didn't match the timeline of the characters walking, so he’d scrap the whole thing and start over. He even used graph paper to make sure the scales were right. That’s the level of nerdiness we’re dealing with here. It wasn't about being "artistic." It was about being accurate to his own internal logic.
You’ve probably seen the iconic dust jacket for The Hobbit. That’s his. The mountains, the sun, the hidden dragon. It has this folk-art quality that feels timeless. It doesn't look like a modern concept artist’s portfolio; it looks like something a traveler would actually draw in a journal while sitting on a log by the road.
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The Two Men Who Built the Movies
If Tolkien laid the foundation, Alan Lee and John Howe built the house. If you look at Lord of the Rings sketches from the 1990s, you’re basically looking at the movie storyboards before the movies existed. Peter Jackson famously hired these two because their previous work on Tolkien calendars and illustrated editions was Middle-earth to him.
Alan Lee is the king of watercolors and soft pencils. His sketches of Rivendell feel airy. They look like they might blow away if you breathe too hard. He focused on the organic—how a staircase might curve around a tree trunk or how wood might weather over three thousand years.
Then you have John Howe. He’s the guy who gave us the "heavy" stuff. The armor. The Balrog. The Black Riders. His sketches are aggressive. Darker. He has this way of drawing movement where you can almost feel the wind whipping around a Ringwraith’s cloak. When you see Bag End in the film, you’re looking at a physical recreation of an Alan Lee sketch. It’s that direct.
Why the "Vibe" Matters More Than the Detail
The cool thing about these sketches is that they aren't always "finished." A lot of the best ones are just messy charcoal scribbles. Why does that matter? Because it leaves room for the imagination. When a sketch is too perfect, it’s just a photo of something that doesn't exist. When it’s a sketch, it’s an invitation.
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- Pencil weight: Lee often used very light 2H or H pencils to keep things ethereal.
- Perspective: Howe uses low-angle "hero" shots in his sketches to make things like Barad-dûr feel oppressive.
- Medium: Tolkien used whatever was nearby—colored pencils, ink, or even just a ballpoint pen on the back of a student’s exam paper.
The Weird, Lost Sketches of the 1970s
Before the 2000s trilogy, there was the 1978 Ralph Bakshi animated film. The sketches for that are... wild. They’re much more psychedelic. They reflect the era’s obsession with high-contrast fantasy art. It’s a totally different flavor of Lord of the Rings sketches.
Some people hate the Bakshi designs, but you have to respect the swing they took. The rotoscoping technique meant the "sketches" were often drawn directly over live-action footage. It created this uncanny, dreamlike movement. It’s a far cry from the grounded, historical realism of the later films, but it shows how flexible Tolkien’s world actually is. It can handle being weird.
How to Start Your Own Middle-earth Journaling
If you're into drawing, there is no better masterclass than copying these guys. Don't try to draw a perfect Legolas. Start with the architecture. Look at how Tolkien drew the doors of Moria. It’s all about the symbols and the runes.
Most people get it wrong by trying to be too "digital" right away. Grab a cheap sketchbook and a 2B pencil. Try to capture the weight of a stone wall. Middle-earth isn't shiny. It’s old. It’s tired. It’s seen too many wars. Your sketches should reflect that "lived-in" feeling.
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Actionable Tips for Aspiring Fantasy Artists
- Study European Architecture. Alan Lee spent years drawing old English cottages and French cathedrals. You can't draw Minas Tirith if you don't understand how a flying buttress works.
- Limit Your Palette. Tolkien’s own art used very few colors. Earthy reds, deep blues, forest greens. It keeps the focus on the form.
- Use the Text. Read the description of Weathertop. Don't look at the movie. Just read the words and draw what pops into your head. You might be surprised how different your version is from the "official" one.
- Focus on Silhouettes. A great Lord of the Rings sketch is recognizable just by its outline. Orthanc, a Hobbit hole, the Crown of Gondor—these all have distinct shapes that work even without detail.
The Enduring Power of the Pencil
We live in an age of AI-generated art and 8K renders. But there is still something about a hand-drawn sketch of a dragon or a lonely mountain that hits different. It feels more human. It reminds us that this massive cultural phenomenon started with one guy at a desk with a pen and a dream.
The sketches are the bridge between Tolkien’s brain and our eyes. Without them, the world might have stayed just words on a page, and we would be much poorer for it.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts
If you want to go deeper into the visual history of Middle-earth, your first move should be picking up J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. It’s basically the gold standard for seeing the Professor’s original work. After that, look for the "Sketchbook" series by Alan Lee. They show the raw, unpolished process of designing the films, including the discarded ideas that never made it to the screen.
Start by practicing simple textures: weathered stone, rough-hewn wood, and flowing water. These are the building blocks of any fantasy environment. Once you master the "feel" of the materials, the larger-than-life characters and locations will start to fall into place naturally on the page.