The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey pt1

A few years ago I remember the impact that the Lord of the Rings films had on me, and so many people around the world.  To say I was captivated is a gross understatement.  I remember getting the art of books and just studying them religiously.  The work of Alan Lee, John Howe, Jamie Beswarick, Mike Asquith and Gino Acevedo to name a few were particular driving points for me to get off my arse and become something.  I never would have realized that some day I might feature in one of those types of books.

Working on the Hobbit has been the realization of a long term goal, and coming from South Africa, a little town called King Williams Town, with NO connection to the entertainment industry in anyway, it seemed like a fools dream.  My parent's were the best support any kid could ask for, and they did nothing but encourage my determination.  To have ended up with the Lead Creature Designer credit for the movie is incredibly fortunate for me and I rest on the shoulders of the giants that lay the foundation for this world and the awesome team I worked with, namely Greg Tozer, Jamie Beswarick, Dave Meng, Nick Keller, Paul Tobin and Gus Hunter (there were many others as well).  Led by our amazing boss, Sir Richard Taylor.  My partner Lindsey who helped design some of the dwarves and does collectibles as well was my inspiration and an amazing artist herself!  Could not have done it without her.

Featured in this book you will see SOME of the fruits of our labor.  I wish I could share more but unfortunately, this is all I'm able to show now, and please, go out and get the book if you're interested!  I hope the work inside inspires as it did me years ago.  Many thanks to the talented Daniel Falconer for putting this masterpiece together!

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 Goblin King - Creature and costume design illustration.

 The ComiCon statues of the Trolls.  I designed these characters and was able to use the Zbrush files to create the life sized versions for the display.

 Some Goblin Designs.

A collection of what I could find online that has been released.  But there is plenty more in the upcoming books!

Grey Alien project

Anyone who's seen the bulk of my work must have worked out by now that I kinda like these fella's.  This is the beginning of a bigger project I'm doing where I want to realize all descriptions of what our otherworldly counterparts might look like.  I'll post more as I develop his body and the other characters as well.  I will be using this guy as the base to do the rest, and might do a skeleton as well.  It's really enjoyable as it's less about designing something we've never seen before and more about refining subtle forms until it looks real.  That is my goal anyway to create a realistic depiction.  Enjoy  :)