This illustrated book cover was created as a personal portfolio project based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
I set out to design a wraparound cover that felt like a collector’s edition - grounded, symbolic, and steeped in the story’s legacy. My aim was to create something that would feel familiar to long-time fans but still rich and detailed enough to invite a closer look.

The illustration is built around a full map of Middle-earth, which I painted entirely from scratch in Procreate. I gave the map an aged, parchment-like feel, and then illustrated some of the story’s most iconic objects on top, as if they were physically laid on top of the map.

Clockwise from the top left, you’ll find - Narsil, the broken sword, the Evenstar pendant, whose chain overlaps Narsil to subtly nod to Arwen and Aragorn’s intertwined fate, elven lembas bread from Lothlórien; Galadriel’s phial, glowing softly with refraction through the glass, Saruman’s staff, the One Ring on its chain, the elven leaf brooch worn by the Fellowship, the Palantír (revealing the Eye of Sauron), the Horn of Gondor, and Gandalf’s staff.

Wherever possible, I placed these props in relation to their significance on the map: the Ring and Palantír rest over Mordor; the Horn of Gondor is placed near Gondor itself; and Mount Doom is visible beneath the book title, anchoring the composition.

The lettering design was inspired by the gold metal of the One Ring itself, set against the fiery glow of Mount Doom. I aimed to reflect the ancient magic and tension of the story in the typography, while still keeping it elegant and readable.

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