Fridays at the Mathom House: Quimtuk

It's another fantastic friday, and that means we have another fantastic Middle-earth artist to acquaint you with. Today's art is by Quimtuk (and you should definitely check out the rest of his stuff), and is decidedly lighter in tone and style than a lot of the art I've shown so far . . . I think that's why I picked it. Anyways, he doesn't have a tone of Hobbit-related art, but what he does have is fantastic. Jump past the break to take a look:

Fridays at the Mathom-House:

Happy Friday! I meant to get this posted up last week . . . but didn't. This week's Mathom-House will be featuring the amazing illustrations of Sceithailm, who has a gallery full of amazing stuff over at deviantart.com. All of her work is great, but to me, her depictions of Middle-earth are the cream of the crop. The texturing she works into the fabrics and skin of her characters is amazing.

Jump past the break to enjoy a feast for the eyes!

Friday at the Mathom-House: Nick Keller

Nick Keller is one of the concept artists that worked on TH:AUJ, and he has posted some of his Hobbit work (along with a lot of other great stuff) over at his website nickkellerart.com and shared it with folks at ComicBook Movie. Jump past the break to see some awesome artwork of warg riders, dwarves and lots of weapons and armor:

Friday at the Mathom-House: Abe Papakhian

Friday is here again folks, and this time we're enjoying the amazing illustrations of Abe Papkhian. You can check out all of Abe's work over on Deviantart.com. Continuing last week's theme of hand-drawn art, Abe's illustrations are all pencil or watercolor. Now, I'm not sure if you'll agree, but I feel like there is definitely something Brother's Hildebrandt about Abe's style. I'm a fan. Jump past the break to see even more awesome Hobbit and LOTR art.

Friday at the Mathom-House: Ulla Thynell

Friday has come, and with it some fantastic Hobbit and LOTR art by Ulla Thynell. This artist caught my eye while I was perusing the interwebs . . . I hope you like the work as much as I do. Really there are two things I appreciate about these pieces: first, they're not the normal digital art we see so much of nowadays––not that there is anything wrong with digital work, it's just refreshing to see some good-old hand drawn stuff now and again; second, Ulla's style reminds me of Tolkien's own work . . . that that is really fun to see. Jump past the break and enjoy!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Devin Manning

Its Friday at the Mathom-House again, and we've got some awesome Thorin concept art for you, by Devin Manning . . . check out the rest of his great artwork over at his site, and jump past the break to see some sweet renditions of everyone's favorite (until the lust for gold consumes him, at least) King Under the Mountain!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Liz O'Connor

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Yes . . . it's true. It has been AGES since I've visited the Mathom-House. But I stumbled across some sketches of our favorite characters from the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and I could not resist posting them. The art is by Lisa O'Connor . . . and it is fantastic. Jump past the break to see more.

Friday at the Mathom-House: Magali Villavenue Redux

That's right. It's Friday and the time has come to celebrate your freedom from the workday by looking at some awesome Hobbit and Lord of the Rings art by Magali Villavenue. This is the second time we've post some of Magali's work here, but we couldn't resist showing off more of her stuff because a lot of her recent work has been Hobbit-themed and, well . . . her art is just really, really good. Jump past the break to see more Hobbit-y goodness.

Friday at the Mathom-House: Jian Gou

 It's a long time since we've had a good Friday at the Mathom-House around these parts, but I came across some of these amazing stained-glass illustrations by Jian Gou on theonering.net, and I couldn't resist tracking down all them and showing them off. In terms of awesome-ness, they pretty much speak for themselves, don't you agree? Read on past the break for more.

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Chris Rahn

After a long hiatus, we've got another Friday at the Mathom-House! It's been a long time, but believe me, it was worth the wait. Today we'll be looking at a single painting by Chris Rahn. Now, I now that usually more pieces are featured each week, but this illustration was the artist's only Tolkien-related piece; however, it was so good, I just couldn't pass up the chance to show it off. Jump past the break to see the full painting in all its glory!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: David DelaGardelle

It's Friday again . . . the week was long, but Hobbit fever is, well . . . going strong. I guess? Maybe? Anyways, regardless of your current excitement for the upcoming Hobbit movies, this week's Mathom-House art is sure to please you! Today we'll be looking at the fantastic art of David DelaGardelle.

Above is David's take on Gandalf the Gray, which I really enjoyed. The little details that David got right are what really make this illustration: the Ring of Power on Gandalf's hand, the long nose and the fact that his eyebrows really do extend beyond the rim of his hat. Great stuff, plus the medium that David was working in really gives these illustrations an older feel that I enjoy.

Read on for a look at David's take on some of the Dwarves in Thorin's Company:

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Frank Frazetta

Oh yes . . . it's that time of week again! You've managed to drag yourself through Monday and Tuesday. You survived the 4th of July. Thursday is gone. That means only one thing: it's FRIDAY! And that, good reader, is reason to celebrate. So here's some awesome Hobbit-ish art from the renowned artist Frank Frazetta!

The picture above is from Frazetta's limited edition portfolio of LOTR and TH illustrations. Now, I was a little confused at first because apparently this image is the title page for LOTR, but I'm pretty sure all those dwarves indicate that this picture is (or should be) a scene from the Hobbit. I got started on fantasy via the Hobbit when I was a tender eight years old, right around the end of the "Golden Age" of Swords and Sorcery Fantasy . . . you know, Conan and all that stuff. So this type of illustration is really nostalgic for me. Gandalf looks awesome!

Read on after the break for even more great illustrations!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Jon Hodgson

¡Veliz viernes a todos ustedes! Get set for some excellent Tolkien artwork courtesy of your weekly Mathom-House. This week we're featuring the amazing Middle-Earth art of Jon Hodgson as seen in The One Ring fantasy RPG game. All of Hodgson's art is great, but I especially like his landscapes . . . he really manages to capture the feel of all the key locations in The Hobbit, from Rivendell to the Lonely Mountain. By far my favorite is this shot of Lake-town below:

Enjoy more of Hodgson's fantastic art after the break!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Wangyuxi

This Friday we're switching back to some current artwork featuring everybody's favorite wizards from Middle-Earth. These awesome images are brought to you courtesy of Wangyuxi. He's got a lot of other stuff over on http://wangyuxi.deviantart.com/, so you should go check it out. No really. Like right now.

I have to admit, my favorite part of these images aren't the wizards, but the dwarf in this first image . . . I assume it's Gimli (though I'm not positive). He just looks awesome. Anyways, enjoy this fine rendition of Gandalf and then jump past the break to see Sauruman, Radagast and a few other surprises.

Happy weekend everybody!

Gandalf the Gray and Gimli son of Gloin

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Belomlinsky

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Yeah, I started this post like a week in advance to make sure I got it up on time. Cheating? Probably. Necessary? Definitely. 'Course, the good thing is, nobody cares if it's cheating, because today is Friday and that means two things: freedom, and great Hobbit art here at the Mathom-house!

This week we're expanding our horizons a little and looking at some great (and a little goofy) Hobbit art from the Soviet Union, as featured on the blog Real USSR (which is a fascinating blog to browse through, even if you don't consider the Tolkien-related stuff).

These illustrations were included in a Russian translation of the Hobbit (the 1971 edition, if I'm remembering correctly), and were the work of Belomlinsky, who did a bang-up job, IMO. Now, as you look through these images, you'll not that not all of them are strict interpretations of the events in the book; however, I think the artist does a good job of capturing the "feel" or "spirit" of the Hobbit . . . that fantastic element that has captivated so many of us.

So, jump past the break and enjoy a little bit of Middle-Earth, brought straight to you from Mother Russia!

Friday at the Mathom-House: Julia Alekseeva

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Okay, okay . . . so I'm a little late on this one again. But any Friday is a cause for celebration, right? Even if that celebration has to be a bit, um . . . retroactive. Anyways, this week we'll be checking out the amazing art of Julia Alekseeva, better known as CG-Warrior over at deviantart.com. CG-Warrior has shared some amazing Middle-Earth art, both from The Hobbit and from LOTR. She's got other great stuff as well, but we'll try and keep our focus on the Tolkien-related pieces.

What makes Julia's stuff so good? My favorite thing about her art is that it looks like it could have come straight from an illustrated edition of Tolkien's work. I mean, check out Bilbo below . . . hand's down this is my favorite interpretation of the world's greatest hobbit.

So, jump past the break and enjoy the rest of Julia's art:

Bilbo Baggins

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Justin Gerard

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

After too long a break, it's Mathom-time again! Friday is here, freedom is near . . . and I've stumbled upon what might just be my favorite Tolkien artist of all time. Here for your enjoyment is the fantastic work of Justin Gerard. He maintains several great websites, all of which can be found through the previous link; but, his blog is a particular treat, since the artist goes into detail explaining the process behind his artwork. Enjoy:

Fridays at the Mathom-House: The Grey Pilgrim

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

The week was long, work was . . . longer, but no matter, cause Friday is here and with it comes a boat-load of awesome LOTR and Hobbit artwork. So sit back, get your scrolly-finger ready and prepare to be amazed. This week, instead of focusing on a single artist, I thought we'd take a look at several different artists who've done some great renditions of everybody's favorite wizard . . . Gandalf the Grey.

First up, we've got what might be my favorite version of Gandalf I've ever seen, by Lucas Graciano. Like the artist featured last week, this piece was done for the Lord of the Rings card game. I like this version of Gandalf so much cause it seems to show how the wizard can be gruff and contemplative at the same time. Lucas is an amazing illustrator and you can see more of his stuff at his website.

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Magali Villeneuve

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Friday is here and superb Middle-Earth art has arrived! Today we'll be showcasing the Lord of the Rings artwork of Magali Villeneuve. All of the art on display today comes from the new Lord of the Rings Card Game by Fantasy Flight Games. And if you're interested in seeing more of Magali's work once you've looked through what we have here, head on over to her blog to see a bunch of other amazing artwork.

There's a ton of pictures here, so I'm not gonna comment on each and everyone. Instead, I'll just give a brief overview of why I like this artist so much. First and foremost, Magali has real talent . . . her art looks good enough to be included in a Tolkien book, which you don't see often these days. Second, Magali's artwork is filled with detail, which is what first caught my eye. Just look at Bifur, below. There's scrollwork on his hood, breath misting in the air, and his axe looks good enough to have come straight from the armories of the Lonely Mountain.

All in all, these images are good stuff. Enjoy!

Bifur of Erebor

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Otis Frampton

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Friday! Another week is over, the weekend is looming and its time to head on over to take a pit-stop here at the Mathom-House, where there's a whole lot of awesome-ness in a hole in the ground to celebrate! This week we'll be looking at the Hobbit/LOTR artwork of Otis Frampton. I stumbled on this guy's work a few months ago and couldn't get over just how good it is. His art has an amazing, stylized look, yet the details don't suffer for it. Frampton also does a great job of imbuing his images with atmosphere. Take a look for yourself:

Bilbo and the Dragon

The thing I like best about this first image is the sheer size of Smaug . . . the guy is HUGE, and Frampton did a great job of making the dragon's tail disappear into the haze of the chamber. Like I mentioned above, effects like that lend a sense of depth and atmosphere that make this picture really fun.

More great art after the break: