Favourite Tolkien Artist?

Iwas just wondering whos your favourite Tolkien artist, who portrays Middle Earth and the characters the best?
I have an excellent book called Tolkiens World full of paintings by different artists based on Tolkien. Looking at that and the art work on calendars and stuff I think my fave is Ted Nasmith, his paintings are pretty much how I imagine things to be. He did a fantastic painting of Aragorn kissing Boromirs brow as Boromir is dieing.
Theres lots of other good pics by other artists too, by Nasmith is the one whos work I seem to consistently like.

I always go for the sentimental favorites, so I would have to say JRR Tolkien himself!

After that, I like the newer artists who paint (it seems to me) much in the style of Frank Frazetta.

But back in the Seventies, when I first came to Middle-earth, The Brothers Hildebrandt could not be beaten. I still like some their conceptualizations and their Dutch Masters style.

I guess it's really mainstream, but Alan Lee is just amazing. I love his work on Homer too

I can never keep the artists straight, but I like the pictures that look like they were computer-generated .

I've got the illustrated version of LoTR, Alan Lees paintings are good, I just prefer the slightly more colourfull look of Nasmiths stuff. Saw a really nice illustrated version of Silmarillion the other day witth pictures done by Ted Nasmith.

My favourite artis is Ted Nasmith, but I do not like many of his character drawings, he his best with landscapes, like in the Illustrated Sil.

Howe is almost as good, his new calendrar is amazing, especially the Grey Havens and the Balrog vs. Gandalf images (my personal photo is a part from that image).

me

A friend of mine does computer generated stuff, some of it is LotR, and I think is excellant. Some pics look like you could walk right into them, and he puts my computer-doodling to shame.
You can check out his site at www.geocities.com/Aria51/Lair/2651

Alan Lee. His stuff is just breathtaking.

I agree with KHAL, Ted Nasmith is very good in making landscapes, cities... etc. come alive (the lamp of Valar, for instance). But I just don't like his characters.

John Howe is a very naturalist ME artist and I agree with him on most of the characters. He makes beautiful paintings, but some of the architecture and other "art-direction" is too Medieval. Check out Rivendell!

These two are my favorites, but I also like the colourful and little naïvistic pictures of the Hilderbrants and Michael Kaluta.

I'm an Alan Lee fan. (My chosen grad gift 2 years ago was the Alan Lee illustrated hardcover LOTR), However, I really like certain paintings by other artists. One of my favourtes is Gandalf and Shadowfax by John Howe.

i like Alan Lee and John Howe and i agree with what has been said about Nasmith and his characters.

btw, does anybody know where can i find in the internet Howe's Middle Earth map? i saw it once but i cannot find that page any more. for me it's the best map by far!! he has fixed all the divergences i had found between the text and the enclosed map.

Have you tried Demons Image Archive? The link is on my page (I'd suggest using the alternate url for now). I think I have links to some other image archives too there.

I would have to go with Angus McBride...A somewhat cartoonish style, but goes for me...

hey Findythat was the page! i hadn't seen your post till now.

the problem is that now the maps are password protected . Thank you anyway.

BTW, your page has grown a lot since i last visited it. i've been around the board sometimes although i haven't post, but know i'll have to spend some time with your updates

At the moment I'm about 3/4 of the way through converting my page to tables based. I'm also trying to think of a way to improve the Numenor Essay and am going to start adding the HoME sections soon.

As for artists, I'm looking at a beauty on the Naismith 2000 Tolkien Calendar. It's The Rainbow Cleft and one of the nicest Naismith paintings I have ever seen.

Ted Nasmith is really good, but I haven't yet forgiven his drawing of Legolas in "The three hunters" (or whatsitsname)

Maglor

John Howe and Alan Lee are my favorites. I've even got one of Howe's pictures as my background right now.

Which One?

I also love the Grey Havens painting by Darrel Sweet (Here's a link to it fin.go.wifl.at.org/havens.htm )

I thought I had already posted to this thread. But apparently not...anyway, my favorite artist is Alan Lee. I also like John Howe's cover paintings on the edition of LOTR that I have.