Ted Nasmith - The Uncredited Lord of the Rings Films Concept Artist
Discover the hidden influence of the renowned Canadian Tolkien illustrator Ted Nasmith in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films!
Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
Important Note

This web page is in no way affiliated with Ted Nasmith, nor endorsed by him in any way.

I'm just a fan who is simply posting some comments and criticism about things that look remarkably similar to my admittedly amateur and completely untrained eye.
Relevant Links

Ted Nasmith's official web site, www.tednasmith.com

The Lord of the Rings films official web site

John Howe's web site

Rolozo Tolkien Gallery (hundreds of Tolkien illustrations hosted by TheOneRing.net with little regard to copyright...)

Ted Nasmith's artistic influence is clearly seen in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films — however, if you had been a long-time fan of his art, you would be as shocked as I was to learn that he never actually worked on the films! In an interview at Dreamish.com, Ted explains:

"I was contacted by a producer in early '99. They invited me to be there with the others in New Zealand to help with conceptual art, and made me a nice offer. However, I was going through a personal crisis unrelated to my art, and in the end, being that it would also force me to abandon my freelance obligations and be away indefinitely, I reluctantly declined, settling the question in my mind after very careful deliberation. It was a difficult decision." — Ted Nasmith

Even though Ted did not take the job, it seems clear that his established base of Tolkien artwork was used as a basis for some of the visual design of the film.

Keep in mind that Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema didn't approach Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and John Howe because they were artists with experience in film-making and the related concept design, etc. — rather, they hired them so that they could take possession of their backlog of previous Lord of the Rings illustrations. They knew that the best way to make it "feel authentic" to Tolkien fans was to use the imagery of the top three established Tolkien artists — works that fans had known for years from the illustrated books, calendars, posters, etc. (This isn't just conjecture; they explain this themselves during the making-of featurettes on the DVDs.)

Below, I will present some examples of Ted Nasmith's artwork, side by side with stills from Peter Jackson's films (with chapter references from the Special Extended Edition DVDs) in just the straight chronological order. This is by no means a complete reference to all similarities; just the ones that particularly leapt out at me.

When looking at these, keep in mind that we're not looking for an exact representation of the painting copied onto film: we're looking for influence. Any film concept artist will tell you that their work is just a starting point — sculptors, set decorators, and all kinds of artists are between their initial concept art and the final product seen on screen.
Ted Nasmith’s influence in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Leaving the Shire by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 3, The Shire. As a fan of Ted Nasmith's art, I felt a curious familiarity early in my watching of the film when I saw the path into the Shire... it was to be just the beginning of the nagging feeling of familiarity...
A Song in the Trollshaws (detail) by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 21, The Flight to the Ford. Jackson's used this setting at a different moment in the story, but what strikes me is the positioning of the trolls, frozen in stone, in the background.
Riders at the Ford by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 21, The Flight to the Ford. The visual set-up of this entire scene — Jackson's story changes notwithstanding — is identical. To my knowledge, neither John Howe nor Alan Lee ever painted it quite this way.
At the Ford by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 21, The Flight to the Ford. (Hard to get a good still shot of this action sequence).
Gandalf Escapes upon Gwaihir by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 22, Rivendell. Jackson uses the exact same shot angle. Where Ted has the moon obscured by Gwaihir, Jackson needs to have it obscured by the tower of Orthanc, since the eagle is moving.
Beren and Luthien are Flown to Safety by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 22, Rivendell. This painting from Ted's illustrated edition of The Silmarillion resonates with this scene of Gwaihir carrying Gandalf (this scene doesn't appear in the Lord of the Rings book.)
There's a definite relationship between this painting of Arwen and Aragorn Ted Nasmith did for the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game, and this still from DVD Ch. 26, The Evenstar. All they've done is added a bridge and darkened everything.
The Anger of the Mountain by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 32, The Pass of Caradhras. This scene in the film has been lifted right from the canvas. (Another scene I've never seen John Howe or Alan Lee depict; it seems Ted was the only inspiration.)
Password into Moria by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 33, Moria. Everyone mopes around in the same places as in Ted's painting.
The scene in DVD Ch. 33, Moria, is identical to this painting of the watcher in the water that Ted Nasmith did for the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game. Look at the shot angle, and the way the upper left tentacle is curling; it's the spitting image.
At the Bridge by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 36, The Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Interesting similarity in the angle of the shot.
(John Howe added some wings to the Balrog... but every real Tolkien fan knows that Balrogs don't have wings! <wink>)
The Argonath by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 42, The Great River. Though I guess most depictions of the Argonath are similar...
Boromir's Last Stand by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 44, The Breaking of the Fellowship. It's hard to get a good still of all of this scene, but there's a definite relationship -- the shots are at similar angles, and everyone's positioned in the same places.
The Last Words of Boromir by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 45, The Departure of Boromir. Hard to get a good still shot, but there's a lot of remarkable similarities; the angle of the shot, leaning back against a tree trunk — right down to the position of the arrow.

At the Falls by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 46, The Road Goes Ever On... I think both shots are aiming for a similar sort of feel.
Ted Nasmith’s influence in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
An painting by Ted Nasmith for the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game, and DVD Ch. 3, The Taming of Sméagol. Note the positioning of the combatants; both have Sam grasping Gollum's right hand, and Gollum's legs wrapped around Sam's waist.
Through the Marshes by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 14, The Passage of the Marshes. This mist is concealing a lot in this still, but if you watch the entire scene on film you'll see the similarities throughout, down to Gollum's gesturing and reflection in the water.
Apparitions (detail) by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 14, The Passage of the Marshes.
Apparitions (detail) by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 14, The Passage of the Marshes. Another place where it is hard to capture a still, but if you watch the scene, it's set up quite like Ted's painting, as Gollum talks to Sam and Frodo wandering in background.
In the Dead Marshes by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 14, The Passage of the Marshes. Amazing how similar the colour is, even...
The Stranger in the Forest by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 15, The White Rider. Just noting the angle of the shot.
The Mumak of Harad by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 30, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit.
Painting of Gollum for the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 42, The Forbidden Pool. Yet another makes you think someone in the art department was into the MECCG (do other paintings from cards appear in the movies...?)

The Wrath of the Ents by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 59, The Flooding of Isengard. According to the commentary, this scene is a last-minute addition to the film; another scene I've never seen depicted by Alan Lee or John Howe... I guess they just had Ted.
Ted Nasmith’s influence in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

In Haste to the White City by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 11, Minas Tirith. Ted has a couple of paintings which depict Gandalf approaching Minas Tirith in this way, which I haven't seen John Howe or Alan Lee do.

At the Court of the Fountain by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 12, The Decline of Gondor. Much similarity in shot angle, tree on right, folks passing on left in scenes.

The Riders of Rohan by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 20, Theoden's Decision. It's just interesting how the army descends from the structure on the hill in the same snake-like progression.

Shelob's Retreat by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 43, The Choices of Master Samwise. Definitely not a John Howe spider, and regardless of the talk about "Tunnel Spiders," Shelob on-screen looks far closer to Ted's version than any other I've seen.

Eowyn and the Lord of the Nazgul by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 52, Shieldmaiden of Rohan. The shot angle and positioning of the actors in these scenes is identical.

Across Gorgoroth by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 63, The Land of Shadow. I've never seen John Howe or Alan Lee depict this as realistically as Ted. In the actual moving shot you'll also see the smoke rising and the lightning north of the mountain.

The Land of Shadows by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 63, The Land of Shadow. (Ted also did another version of the same scene, with Sam cradling Frodo in his arms, just like the scene on film.)

Endgame on the Mountain by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 68, Mount Doom.

The Shadow of Sauron by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 71, Sauron Defeated. The towers of the gate fall in a remarkably similar fashion as Ted's painting (Jackson's film shows Sauron's Eye falling instead of the cloud that Tolkien describes in the book.)

Departure at the Grey Havens by Ted Nasmith and DVD Ch. 76, The Grey Havens. Same shot angle and general feel, and a fairly similar boat design seen in the rails and general shape and size.

Closing thoughts: Whether or not you think the above similarities are "just coincidence," it seems to me that if New Line ever makes The Hobbit, I think they owe it to Ted Nasmith to re-extend the offer of work they made in 1999, so that this important Tolkien illustrator can get some of the fame and credit he rightly deserves for his years of service to Tolkien fans!
All images on this page are copyright © Ted Nasmith or New Line Cinema. They are reproduced here non-commercially
and in low resolution exclusively for the non-profit educational purposes of criticism, comment and scholarly research.
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