The creation of a masterpiece: Luthien by Ted Nasmith

Ted Nasmith's painting 'Luthien' - which first appeared in the 1990 official Tolkien calendar - is a personal favourite of mine. If I am honest, it is my single favourite piece of Tolkien-related art (not including the work of Tolkien himself). I was very fortunate to be able to purchase the archive of drawings Ted did for this painting very recently: they had been 'lost' for maybe 30 years. The figure of Luthien is said to be based on a dancer friend of the artist. Personally I am fascinated by the creative process of great art, and it was therefore very interesting to see first hand the stages that the composition went through.

I reproduce the images here for others to enjoy. They have not, as yet, been published (and they are therefore only reproduced here with the permission of the artist, so please do not post elsewhere without his permission). I also include the image of the final painting for comparison.