J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator

J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator is a collection of paintings (mostly watercolour) and drawings by J. R. R. Tolkien for his stories, published posthumously in 1995. The book was edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.

J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator

Cover of first edition, featuring Tolkien's painting of Taniquetil
Author	Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
Illustrator	J. R. R. Tolkien
Country	United Kingdom and United States
Language	English
Subject	J. R. R. Tolkien, illustration
Genre	Reference
Publisher	HarperCollins (UK) and Houghton Mifflin (US)
Publication date	1995
Media type	Hardcover (HarperCollins paperback, UK, 1998; Houghton Mifflin paperback, US, 2000)
Pages	208
ISBN	978-0-261-10322-1
OCLC	34533659

J. R. R. Tolkien was an artist in pictures as well as in words. Though he often remarked that he had no talent for drawing, his art has charmed readers and has been exhibited to large and appreciative audiences. In fact, his talent was far more than he admitted, and his sense of design was natural and keen. Portraits are conspicuously absent from his work.

The book explores Tolkien's art at length, from his childhood paintings and drawings to his final sketches. It reproduces 200 examples of his artwork. At its heart are his illustrations for his books, especially his tales of Middle-earth. Also examined are the pictures Tolkien made for his children (notably in his The Father Christmas Letters and Mr. Bliss), his expressive calligraphy, his love of decoration, and his contributions to the typography and design of his books.

J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator won the 1996 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies.[1]