John Howe | |
|---|---|
 Howe in 2017 | |
| Born | (1957-08-21)August 21, 1957 (age 68) Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada |
| Education | Ecole des arts décoratifs, Strasbourg |
| Known for | Bookillustration, decoration |
| Notable work | Illustration of Fantasy literature Concept design forThe Lord of the Rings film series Conceptual design forThe Hobbit film series |
| Website | https://www.john-howe.com |
John Howe (born August 21, 1957) is a Canadian bookillustrator and concept designer, best-known for his artwork ofJ. R. R. Tolkien'sMiddle-earth.[1]
John Howe was born inVancouver, British Columbia. He was drawing from pre-school age, with his mother's help. Around primary school age he found his mother's ability no longer living up to his expectations, and even got frustrated once at both his mother and himself at not being able to draw a cow to his expectations. Howe's school years were complicated by moves which took place with a timing that left the art classes full, and left him in classes like power mechanics. He did find his ability as a draughtsman to be profitable in biology class though, where he and a friend would produce renderings of microscopic organisms for classmates at fifty cents each. As a child, he collected the covers of paperbacks. His collection included items fromFrank Frazetta,Barry Smith, andBernie Wrightson. In his adolescence, Howe readThe Lord of the Rings trilogy byJ. R. R. Tolkien. He said he got "a real spark" from theTolkien Calendars of paintings bythe Brothers Hildebrandt, which showed him thatTolkien's books could be illustrated. Howe made drawings of his own versions of the scenes depicted in the calendar. These drawings, according to Howe, may not have survived.[2]
A year after his high school graduation, Howe moved toStrasbourg, France to attend college. The following year, he enrolled into theÉcole des arts décoratifs. He cites his experience of this period as follows:[2]
The first year was spent not understanding much, the second at odds with what I did manage to understand, and the third eager to get out, although in retrospect I certainly owe whatever clarity of thought I possess to the patience of the professor of Illustration.[2]
Throughout his first years in Europe, Howe was taking in as much as he could in the way of art, architecture and everything that was "simultaneously ancient and novel." He says the only piece of his art work that survived from this period is his "The Lieutenant of the Black Tower ofBarad-dûr", a piece inspired by Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings. He says if this is not his first published piece, it must certainly be the earliest. Howe's earliest commissions included political cartoons, magazine illustrations, comics, animated films, advertising, of which he says were nightmares. He said that he would end up redoing sketches so many times that there was nothing left of "his" in them. This frustrated him, and he wondered how he would ever make it in the profession.[2]
Howe has worked on projects includingThe Lord of the Rings,J.R.R. Tolkien's Books and Merchandise,Beowulf,Robin Hobb's books,The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Cards forMagic: The Gathering,The Hobbit,Pan's Labyrinth. He has written and illustrated several children's books.[2]
Howe and the Tolkien artistAlan Lee served as chief conceptual designers forPeter Jackson'sThe Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Howe illustrated theLord of the Ringsboard game created by Reiner Knizia, and re-illustrated the maps ofThe Lord of the Rings,The Hobbit, andThe Silmarillion in 1996–2003. His work includes images of mythological material such as theOld English epic poemBeowulf (such as Knizia's board gameBeowulf: The Legend). Howe illustrated many books in the fantasy genre, such as those byRobin Hobb. He contributed to the film adaptation ofThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe byC. S. Lewis,The Chronicles of Narnia.[1] In 2005 a limited edition ofGeorge R. R. Martin's novelA Clash of Kings was released byMeisha Merlin, with numerous illustrations by Howe.[citation needed]
Howe has illustrated cards for theMagic: The Gathering collectible card game.[3]
ForThe Hobbit films, original directorGuillermo del Toro and replacement directorPeter Jackson consulted with both Howe and fellow concept artistAlan Lee to ensure continuity of design.[citation needed]
Howe is a member of theliving history group theCompany of Saynt George, and has expertise in ancient and medieval armour and armaments.[citation needed]
Howe served as a concept designer for Amazon's 2022The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.[4]
