Artist Spotlight: Even Amundsen

Even Amundsen is another supremely talented artist with paintings based on Tolkien characters. He only has a few pieces featured on official cards, but his gallery has several more excellent examples. It is difficult to choose just one favorite, but his painting of Prince Imrahil above is certainly among them.

Artist Spotlight: Gabriel Verdon

Gabriel Verdon is an artist who contributed greatly to the visual style in the Lord of the Rings saga expansions. In particular, his style is striking on encounter cards. A gallery highlighting Gabriel’s distinctive pieces can be found at Awesome Robo!.

Artist Spotlight: Arden Beckwith

Arden Beckwith has painted several official cards, including many cards from the Angmar Awakened cycle. My favorite of his work is Galadhrim Minstrel but he has several beautiful pieces, including Erestor above. You can find more of Arden’s excellent work on his artstation page.

Artist Spotlight: Jen Zee

Jen Zee was not commissioned for many official pieces in the game, but the pieces she painted are both excellent. In particular, Henamarth Riversong is a personal favorite. She has painted a plethora of breathtaking concept art for several games and I encourage readers to check out her gallery to see more of her work.

Artist Spotlight: Drazenka Kimpel

A trope that is sadly all too common in fantasy art is the “chainmail bikini”. Part of the absurd double-standard in the portrayal of characters is that men are portrayed as strong, heroic, or brave while women are portrayed as objects who simply exist to be the recipient of sexualization. Doubtless this tendency was established because so many of the earlier fantasy illustrators were men without self awareness, but whatever the cause this trend needs to die a thousand deaths. The character of Éowyn in Tolkien’s writing certainly defies stereotypes, so it’s fitting that the game features such amazing artwork of her which also avoids these pathetic visual deficiencies. Among the best art in the game of Éowyn is the above piece by Drazenka Kimpel, titled Stalwart. Her work is featured on several official cards, and I encourage readers to check out her art outside the game as well.

Artist Spotlight: Ted Nasmith

Minas Tirith at Dawn, by Ted Nasmith

Include Ted Nasmith alongside John Howe and Alan Lee among the pantheon of early illustrators of Tolkien’s work. His style in pieces like Minas Tirith (above) and the Argonath does as good of job of capturing the grandeur and awe of Middle-earth. While none of his work is featured on official cards, both the First Age and ALeP community projects make excellent use of it. A gallery of his paintings is worth a long look.

Artist Spotlight: Trudi Castle

When it comes to illustrations for card games, the most powerful cards always get the most attention. If you ask someone about their favorite art from The Lord of the Rings LCG, it is very likely that they will name a hero or ally card. It makes sense, Tolkien’s legendarium is filled with iconic characters. However, locations are every bit as important in Tolkien’s writing as people. The epic story of the destruction of The One Ring could only end at Mount Doom because nowhere else in Middle-earth can it be unmade. Many fine illustrators have contributed to the excellent art of location and quest cards, among them in Trudi Castle. She has contributed many excellent pieces to official cards in this game. You can find a gallery of her FFG-sponsored art, but I would also encourage readers to appreciate the other excellent pieces on her site.

Artist Spotlight: David Wenzel

Another talented artist with a distinct style is David Wenzel. In particular, his illustrations for The Hobbit are breathtaking. While his work is not featured in any official cards, A Long-extended Party has one card which fits his style perfectly. There is a gallery collecting many of his beautiful illustrations for readers who want to see more.

Artist Spotlight: Angus McBride

Another artist who contributed mightily to the style of the Middle-earth CCG was Angus McBride. His style reminds me of being a child, and my father first reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to me before bedtime. The Black Riders always seemed so mysterious, and frightening, and this painting captures those feeling perfectly. The Tolkien Gateway has an excellent gallery of Angus McBride’s Middle-earth related work.

Artist Spotlight: Quinton Hoover

Long before the idea of Lord of the Rings: The Card Game ever crossed Nate French’s mind, there was a collectible card game called Middle-earth: The Wizards. While not all of the art in that game was of the highest quality, many of the best pieces for that game were painted by a talented comic book artist named Quinton Hoover. Sadly, he passed away several years ago but he was a prolific artist in MEtW as well as several other popular CCGs. You can browse a list of a his work for Middle-earth CCG.