I just read that Tim Hildebrandt died this past Sunday. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, he and his twin brother, Greg, were giants in the fantasy illustration field. I first came across their work after reading The Lord of the Rings. He and his brother were also responsible for the original Star Wars movie poster. I am sure that geeks and mouthbreathers all over the world are in mourning. I think their interpretation of Tolkien's work are, by far, the best. Their work is classic, harkening back to N.C. Wyeth's fantastic work on Treasure Island and Robin Hood. The Hildebrandts, along with Frank Frazetta, were some of the biggest influences on my career. Here's a pen and ink that I did way back in 1979.

Tim died due to complications of due to diabetes. There is a tribute to him at Spiderweb Art and more of his art can be seen here without all those messy copyright overlays.