John Howe

“What you're trying to do is find a plausible, believable image of something that doesn't exist.”

“Drawing is a way of thinking, a way of processing the world.”

“A map is not just a geographical representation. It's a story.”

“I've always been drawn to the medieval period, to the world of knights and castles and dragons.”

“The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to be an artist is: draw. Draw all the time. Draw everything you see.”

“There's a lot of pressure when you're working on something that's so beloved by so many people. You have to be respectful of the source material.”

“Tolkien's world is so rich and so deep that you can spend a lifetime exploring it and still not get to the bottom of it.”

“I'm always looking for the story behind the image. What's happening here? Who are these people? What are they doing?”

“Dragons are the embodiment of the untamed, the wild, the powerful. They're a symbol of nature itself.”

“I think fantasy is a very important part of our culture. It's a way of looking at the world that is not necessarily literal.”

“The danger with fantasy is that it can become very generic. It's important to find your own voice and your own vision.”

“There are so many details in the books that you can't get on the screen. The books are always going to be the final authority.”