I have been illustrating Tolkien's books ever since I first read them, long before illustration became my profession.

- John Howe

Drawing must seek for interest, not for admiration. Because admiration wears quickly.

- John Howe

Daydreaming with pencil and paper is a respectable form of meditation.

- John Howe

What can make your work interesting is as much who you are, as how you draw.

- John Howe

All in all, Tolkien fans are as varied, remarkable and marvelous as the books and the worlds that they share. They make me feel a little like a Hobbi…

- John Howe

My initial plan was to spend a year in France, go to some kind of school and learn a bit of French. I went a year in an American college in the outsk…

- John Howe

More often than not, however, the person who flatly states 'Elves aren't like that!' is hard pressed to describe how they really look.... as if Tolki…

- John Howe

Information and inspiration are everywhere... history, art, architecture, everything an illustrator needs. Europe is, after all, the land that has ge…

- John Howe

Occasionally projects just take off unexpectedly, sometimes you can work away at sketches and ideas for years before they are published. There are a …

- John Howe