Frazetta LOTR Images and Fantasy art beyond Tolkien

[Alatar]

I just found these while looking for something else. The only Frazetta LotR I had previously seen was the Cover of the Bakshi Movie. These are something else again!

Can't imagine what sort of guy mistook this Éowyn for a fella anyway...

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

Ah, Frazetta. My dad was a big fan of Frazetta back in the '70s. I recall that he had several posters, a few which he put on the wall in the hallway/dining room/piano room which doubled as his den. My mother didn't like them, of course, but didn't say anything, although I recall her being happy when they were removed from the wall.

This is evidence, by the way, that the Brothers Hildebrandt were not entirely to blame for giving Hobbits oversized feet.

Can't imagine what sort of guy mistook this Éowyn for a fella anyway...

I'm sure it was nothing personal. Frazetta drew all his women that way. (And apparently some of his orcs. )

Thank you for sharing these, Alatar. They bring back a lot of memories of strolling in and out of bookstores on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley during my teen years.

[truehobbit]

Can't imagine what sort of guy mistook this Éowyn for a fella anyway...

Someone who'd seen a lot of those Orc-buttocks might be a bit confused...

Or just a normal, 20th century visitor to Middle-earth, who knows that, just because it looks like a hot chick, doesn't mean it is one - and if they claim they're not female, it's healthier to believe them anyway.



Thanks for sharing them, Alatar, they are cool!

Wondering about the first pic a bit - could that be for The Hobbit? And could those be meant to be Dwarves following Gandalf?
(As the Hobbits in the other pics at least look a bit younger than those guys.)

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

You can't mistake Frazetta. Gollum looks too beefy and the overall look is a bit Gothic but there is unmistakeable vigour there. I found the Witch-king and Éowyn picture affecting; Éowyn looks very vulnerable there. It's a shame they didn't have that costume for Miranda Otto.

[Primula Baggins]

That Éowyn is one hot mama. And chain-mail thongs are so practical for horseback riding. Right, Anthy?

I like Frazetta a lot, but what he does best is illustrations for sexy stuff (sexy in the pulp sense). I love some of his artwork for Burroughs' Barsoom series, for example; in that case the mightily thewed warriors and curvaceous maidens are described right in the text as wearing a couple of leather straps, if that, and then only so they have something to hang a sword on. That esthetic doesn't work so well for Tolkien.

Well, maybe the Orcs.

[Athrabeth]

<considers the practicalities of Éowyn's "armour">

<gives up after envisioning her charging forth on Windfola>

<is glad her thoughts stopped short of imaging the obvious perils of going to the bathroom>

Maybe it's Frazetta's take on why Éowyn's desire to be a warrior wasn't taken seriously. It's hard to take someone with a bare bum seriously.

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

Wondering about the first pic a bit - could that be for The Hobbit? And could those be meant to be Dwarves following Gandalf?

Aye, I believe that is Thorin & Co. trailing behind Gandalf. I guess no one clued Frank into the fact that all dwarves have beards, including the women.

The second piece must be three of the four hobbits in the Old Forest.


O Éowyn, shield-maiden fair
With flowing locks of golden hair
Your eyes of blue, your skin so white
Most bootilicious when you fight
The Nazgûl Lord, so fell and grim
Met his match when you vaporized him!

[Rowanberry]

Mordor has no pants. Mordor needs no pants.

And, obviously, neither does Rohan.

[Sunsilver]

[snicker!]

[remembers the Pantless thread at TORC....]

[yovargas]

It would very easy, I imagine, for one's pants to fall off in the midst of combat.

[Angbasdil]

It's hard to take someone with a bare bum seriously.

Don't I know it!

[Mrs. Frodo Baggins]

LOL!! Oh my those are great!! And by great I mean horrible!! The only reason I can think of to explain why there is so much horrible Tolkien artwork out there is that so many people have tried to illustrate it. I suppose a few bad apples in the mix is only to be expected. I mean these people can obviously draw, but they really didn't get the same feel out of Tolkien's work that I did for sure!

By the way that guy seems to enjoy drawing bums (both men's and women's) a little too much!

~Sid

[yovargas]

Weird bum shots aside, they're really pretty damn good. The second one has a lot of atmosphere and I love the energy on that Gandalf. And that's a really powerful rendering of Wiki!

[Primula Baggins]

Frazetta kind of created that whole style. And as I said, there are some kinds of books that it's perfect for. Some of them perfectly good books, or at least lots of fun.

Just not, ummmm, Tolkien. Please.

[yovargas]

If he put some clothes on people, I think I'd prefer these to the typical Tolkien art. But then, I think I might be the only Tolkien fan alive who doesn't care for Lee's or Howe's work...

[Inanna]

yowiee. good rendering of bums.

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

Just trying to imagine Merry walking behind Dernhem.

I agree he doesn't capture the feel of Middle-earth but curviness aside there is still a lot of merit in those works. Gandalf has a huge power inside him and the dwarves are far more individual than I have seen elsewhere.
Bilbo's and Éowyn's swords look well considered too.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Since the discussion had moved away from Frank Frazetta and towards discussing favorite Tolkien artists, I moved it to our existing thread on Your Favorite Tolkien Artists

[Pearly Di]

In that case, I will repeat my comments, because I thought they were amusing.

Frank Fazetta ...

I don't like that High Fantasy style for Tolkien, for starters.

Um. Yes. And as for Éowyn's, er, 'outfit' ...

Perhaps she wore that for Faramir on their wedding night. Don't look at me like that. It could have happened.

Or maybe not.

But that is far more bare Orc bum that a girl ever wants to see, thank you very much.