Alan Lee
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| Alan Lee | |
 Alan Lee in New Zealand November 29, 2003. |
|
| Born | August 20, 1947 Dartmoor, Devon, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Field | illustration, painting, conceptual design |
| Training | Ealing School of Art |
| Awards | Carnegie Medal, Chesley Award, Kate Greenaway Medal, Best Art Direction Academy Award |
Alan Lee is an Academy Award winning, English book illustrator and movie conceptual designer. He was born on August 20, 1947 in Middlesex, England and studied at the Ealing School of Art[1].
He 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.) He has also done a cover painting for Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in 1993 for Black Ships Before Troy and the Best Artist Award at the World Fantasy Awards of 1998.
Lee and John Howe were the lead concept artists of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies, and have been contacted by director Guillermo del Toro to keep continuity of design for his upcoming The Hobbit films. In a documentary interview on the Extended Edition of Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson details the comical 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 Pete'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. In 2004, he won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for his work on the third film in the trilogy, The Return of the King. Lee has also worked as a conceptual designer on the films Legend, Erik the Viking, King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the television mini-series Merlin. Lee recently released a portfolio of his conceptual artwork for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, entitled The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook.
Evidently from observing his work, watercolour is his preferred painting medium, along with pencil for his sketches.
Alan recently did the artwork for the CD Alive! by the Dutch band Omnia, released on 3 August 2007 during the Castlefest festival.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Alan Lee at the Internet Movie Database
