Book Cover Project - The Lord of the Rings
A mockup showing the illustrated front and back covers for the book “The Lord of the Rings”.
This illustrated book cover was created as a personal portfolio project based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
I wanted 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.
Click through to view each full image.
Final sketch layout for The Lord of the Rings book cover, showing key symbolic objects arranged over a detailed fantasy map of Middle-earth.
Fully rendered wraparound illustration for The Lord of the Rings, with realistic lighting on fantasy props placed across a parchment-toned map, highlighting iconic items from the series.
Book cover design for The Lord of the Rings with illuminated manuscript-style title lettering, author name, back cover blurb, reviews, and a mock barcode.
Printed Book Sample
This sample book was printed to showcase how my illustrated book covers translate into real-world formats.
I prepared the artwork to match the dimensions of a standard US Royal hardcover, following trim and spine specifications suitable for print.
The final printed result in the form of this book stays true to the intended colors and composition seen in the digital version, with print-appropriate preparation to ensure a strong, accurate visual match.
Because The Lord of the Rings is traditionally a thicker volume, I chose to reflect that by using a hardcover format with a wider spine to better match the book’s expected proportions.
(Please note: This is a blank interior sample printed solely for portfolio display. The cover design is not affiliated with the original publisher.)
Timelapse of Illustration Process
Here’s a quick time-lapse capturing the entire illustration process, completed in Procreate.