Your single favorite illustration not by Tolkien of something in his works?

[Elentarri]

Those Philippe Munch covers are interesting, to say the least. Also entertaining. I don't think I can ever read the Lord of the Rings with a straight face again. Thank you VERY much for posting them!


~Nazgul with "viking" helmet and other funny head gear (crowns?). All right - the nazgul with the viking helmet is an improvement over Boromir with a viking helmet.
~Vicious, featherless, goose as nazgul mount.... (not sure how that thing can fly like that) Also, nazgul looks like octopus with glowing eyes. Sauron's most potent weapon... because all opponents die laughing?
~Shelob with pretty eyelashes (and the light-saber wielding Frodo with knee and ankle guards - not to mention shoes?)
~The first graphic looks like a scarecrow in a floppy hat getting hit by lightning - finally figured out it was supposed to be Gandalf on a tower with an eagle.
~ Slightly worried looking Blob monster -I take it that is supposed to be the Watcher?
~ I'm not really sure what the third one is supposed to be - the graphic with the hobbit (?) riding a giant chicken. I take it the "evil" eyes are Ent eyes?
~ The last cover is disappointing by comparison - standard fantasy picture.

Wonder if Mr Munch ever read the book or just got someone to provide a vague summary?

 

[The Crawling Chaos]

Slightly worried looking Blob monster -I take it that is supposed to be the Watcher?
~ I'm not really sure what the third one is supposed to be - the graphic with the hobbit (?) riding a giant chicken. I take it the "evil" eyes are Ent eyes?

Your guess is as good as mine! Perhaps even better, cause to be honest I never even considered that blob monster could be the Watcher... I always thought it was just some random monster added in for flavour. Left quite an impression on me though... It's one of the first, possibly THE first thing I started to draw regularly for practice once I got serious about drawing.

Cover to book number II is lovely - and gloomy - but nothing about it screams 'Lord of the Rings' to me. I guess the Viking runes don't help. I always loved the way the murder of crows blends into an endless black sky in the background.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

I'm not really sure what the third one is supposed to be - the graphic with the hobbit (?) riding a giant chicken.

Bernie Clifton meets Saruman?

For those of you not immersed in British pop culture he is a British comedian and entertainer, known for his work with his orange ostrich puppet costume Oswald the Ostrich.

Bernie Clifton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Elentarri]

Number II I assumed was supposed to represent Crebain in Dunland - with extra skeletons and the ubiquitous "viking helmet" tossed in for the hell of it. Not sure what the gravestone is there for, unless it's supposed to be Boromir's - conveniently forgetting the guy got a boat funeral. That's why I think the painter didn't read the books, but someone described it to him (vaguely).