the lord of the rings

zine illustration

the project


I've been invited to join a collaborative Tolkien-inspired project organized by Rogue Print Co.: A Middle-Earth - A Collection of Tolkien-Inspired Art.

Participating artists were given creative freedom - but the format was known upfront: a full page illustration, meant to accompany a textual interpretation of an assigned theme, inspired by the vastness of Tolkien's literary heritage. My illustrations were included in the second and the third volume of the publication.
My consecutive contributions followed designated subjects: a fell beast and shadow. I felt compelled to focus on a lateral projection, as that's what seemed to compliment the zine's layout the best - but also as a self-imposed challenge, to work on creating more interesting side-view illustrations.

Eventually, collected artworks and the textual layer have been brought together into a cohesive book  thanks to Bennno's design, bound and printed with Thistlemoon's cover art. 

the process

In this case study I'll focus on the newer illustration of the two: shadow - which was a perfect opportunity to tackle a portrait of a Balrog.

The way these creatures are portrayed in visual media has been sparking the debate for decades.

There's a certain indeterminate quality to the Balrogs' form that Wētā developed for the Peter Jackson's movies (of course, after the design choices introduced by John Howe and Alan Lee), that stuck with me ever since I first saw it - and that's partly why I decided to carry on with that direction - however much I like the famous (un)winged ambiguity from the books.

The composition started with a 3x4 inch thumbnail sketch - which I followed thoroughly once I started inking it in a bigger scale. Since I work primarily with a strictly black and white medium - rendering areas that are out of focus, without losing fidelity, can be quite a challenge. That is also the reason why I decided to imply motion blur on the flaming whip by switching from brushstrokes to fine linework near its end.

Finally, I introduced digital color.

1/3 work in progress image of a black and white traditional ink illustration of a Balrog, from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book by vvilczy, 2025.
✖ 1/3 work in progress image of a hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by vvilczy, 2025 - a Balrog letting out a roar, swinging its flaming whip, surrounded by smoke and flames.

Interior artwork for the A Middle-Earth - A Collection of Tolkien-Inspired Art zine published by Rogue Print Co. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Collaborative project.

© 2025 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

2/3 work in progress image of a black and white traditional ink illustration of a Balrog, from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book by vvilczy, 2025.
✖ 2/3 work in progress image of a hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by vvilczy, 2025 - a Balrog letting out a roar, swinging its flaming whip, surrounded by smoke and flames.

Interior artwork for the A Middle-Earth - A Collection of Tolkien-Inspired Art zine published by Rogue Print Co. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Collaborative project.

© 2025 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

3/3 work in progress image of a black and white traditional ink illustration of a Balrog, from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book by vvilczy, 2025.
✖ 3/3 work in progress image of a hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by vvilczy, 2025 - a Balrog letting out a roar, swinging its flaming whip, surrounded by smoke and flames.

Interior artwork for the A Middle-Earth - A Collection of Tolkien-Inspired Art zine published by Rogue Print Co. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Collaborative project.

© 2025 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a Balrog, from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book by vvilczy, 2025.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by vvilczy, 2025 - a Balrog letting out a roar, swinging its flaming whip, surrounded by smoke and flames.

Interior artwork for the A Middle-Earth - A Collection of Tolkien-Inspired Art zine published by Rogue Print Co. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Collaborative project.

© 2025 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Digitally colored traditional ink illustration of a Balrog, from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book by vvilczy, 2025.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by vvilczy, 2025 - a Balrog letting out a roar, swinging its flaming whip, surrounded by smoke and flames.

Interior artwork for the A Middle-Earth - A Collection of Tolkien-Inspired Art zine published by Rogue Print Co. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper, colored digitally.
Collaborative project.

© 2025 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.