Illu6050 - Illustration Showcase - HOPE EDMONDSON ILLUSTRATION

Final Major Project

The aim of this project is to produce illustrations for a high quality edition of The Hobbit that could be considered a collectors edition. It will hopefully reflect the mythical reputation and atmosphere that Tolkien has created within his written universe.
For this brief, the target audience will include collectors of dedicated Tolkien fans who would be interested in owning a detailed, high quality edition of the book. This means that the design of the book and illustrations will have to reflect the high quality expectations for the intended audience.

Within this projects, I aim to deliver:
- A front and back cover, and a spine
- Front and back insert pages
- Illustrated chapter headings for all 19 chapterss.
- 1 full page colour illustration and 1 double page spread colour illustration of key and notable scenes within the narrative.

Colour: CYMK
Front Cover: 230mm x 150mm
Spine: 230mm x 25mm
Chapter headings: 105mm x 80mm
Endpapers: 230mm x 150mm OR 230mm x 300mm for double pages
Double page illustration: 230mm x 300mm

The page illustrations will fit the entire page of the paper, while the chapter headings should be aligned with the text of the book.

Timeline
(Could be subject to slight changes)
Week 1 - Finalise project ideas. Begin to research book.
Week 2 - Research book and story for contextual clues to aid ideas/ Create rough initial thumbnails.
Week 3 - Refine thumbnails - Research other mediums and styles - Play with comp/colour/line weight/style.
Week 4 - Experiment with other mediums - refine thumbnails and sketches.
Week 5 - Refine methodology and mediums for illustration - sketch out the final chapter headings.
Week 6 - Develop chapter headings. 1 per day. 19 chapters = Just under 3 weeks. Develop together.
Week 7 - Develop chapter headings. Develop together.
Week 8 - Develop chapter headings. Develop together.
Week 9 - Sketch out page illustrations - begin to develop them further.
Week 10 - Develop illustrations as a whole.
Week 11 - Develop illustrations as a whole.
Week 12 - Develop illustrations as a whole.
Week 13 - Book cover/back/spine/end pages
Week 14 - Book cover/back/spine/end pages
Week 15 - Check formatting is correct
Week 16 - Final touches - be finished
Week 17 - Final submission.

the hobbit

The Hobbit, also known as There and Back Again, is a children's fantasy novel written by J.R.R Tolkien. It was published in 1937, and was subject to a number of revisions over the next few years - the second edition in 1951 with changes to the chapter "Riddles in the Dark", and the third edition in 1966 when Tolkien aligned the narrative of The Hobbit more closely to that ofThe Lord of the Rings, which was published in 1954.
The Hobbit has been translated into over 60 languages, and has a three film series directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed the multi award winning Lord of the Rings trilogy.

When The Hobbit was original published, it had a print run of 1500 copies with black and white illustrations by Tolkien himself, who also designed the dust jacket. Also included within was a watercolour painting from Tolkien depicting Bilbo Baggins' home village of Hobbiton in the Shire

The original cover of The Hobbit, published by George Allen & Unwin in 1937. This dust jacket was designed by Tolkien himself, and the original edition included black and white illustrations also drawn by Tolkien.

Overall since its publication, the Hobbit has sold over 100 million copies, and is now recognised as a classic in both children literature and in the Fantasy genre as a whole.

Here are some examples of modern The Hobbit book covers.

Tolkiens's Artwork + Influences

The influences of Tolkien's art include Japonisme, Art Nouveau, Viking Design as well as William Morris' pattern designs.

He also took inspiration from medieval illuminated manuscripts when creating his own calligraphy for his created languages, such as the Black Speech of Mordor.

Artists who have worked on The Hobbit

John Howe

ted nasmith

pauline baynes

alan lee

Inspiring Artists

hazel p mason

clive hicks-jenkins

Alphonse Mucha

J.C Leyendecker

segments to include
- character designs + research
Hobbits - stylistically inspired by english gentlemen eg waistcoats - 1800's ish.
Dwarves - jewish inspirations - inspired by norse and germanic myths - stylistically inspired by norse/germanic/slavic wear.
Gandalf
Elves - stylistically art nouveau
Trolls
Goblins
Wargs
Humans - lake town - vaguely Eastern style because of the weather but a mix of clothing since its a trade town.

- chapter research eg mind maps + thumbnail pages

- style + media research + experiments eg lino-print, embroidery, Celtic boarders, Viking knot work, old illustrations eg Aubrey Beardsley

Hazel P Mason studies

Line study - here I chose to focus on how Hazel P Mason utilised line within her artwork to create a sense of depth.

Key Characters

Hobbit and dwarf anatomy

Bilbo Baggins
A respectable and well-to-do Hobbit

A French Court suit. Year 1774-93

Here the typical Hobbitish waistcoat and three quarter length pants can be seen

A French ensemble. Year - 1790

Here, the muted nature toned colours are reflective of the hobbits agricultural society. The pin striped pants, and embroidered waistcoat are my main inspiration from this outfit.