John Howe Conceptual Designer              Full Name: John Howe Birthplace: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Birth Date: 21st August 1957 Marital status: He is married to Fataneh         Trivia: Has expert knowledge regarding medieval armour, and a passion for re-creating authentic armour, weaponry and fighting styles First met fellow artist, Alan Lee, on a flight to New Zealand in 1998 Illustrated both The Lord of the Rings and Beowulf board games created by Reiner Knizia Early commissions included political cartoons, magazine illustrations, comics and advertising He is a member of a medieval warfare re-enacting group called “Company of Saynt George” Is a freelance illustrator After high school, he attended college in Strasbourg, France He has a son, Dana He has been drawing and sketching since a young age Whilst working at Weta, he would sometimes get into duels with the armourers His wife is also illustrator Has a sealed box in his attic with a message “DO NOT OPEN (EVER)” which contains his early work and commissions A year after college, he studied at École des Arts Decoratifs Mainly worked on the darker-themed aspects of Middle-earth Lives in Neuchâtel, Switzerland Notable Projects: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion. The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) King Kong (2005) Current Projects: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) The Hobbit: There and Back Again (2014)   < <Back to crew biographies index