There’s few franchises more burned into everyone’s imagination than Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. The fantasy epic has captured the imagination of fantasy artists for decades, with everyone having their own idea of what Middle-Earth looks like.

With Ovidio Cartagena, however, there’s a much more herculean task ahead of him. As Lead Art Director on Magic: The Gathering’s Tales Of Middle-Earth set, he had to help all the artists maintain a cohesive artistic vision across hundreds of cards- ranging from iconic characters like Saruman to the quaintest of hobbits.

For a series that created the popular perceptions of things like Orcs and goblins, Ovidio had the job of ensuring these characters have that same Wizards of the Coast-level of polish that’s defined MTG all these years.

While most people’s imagery of LOTR comes from the Peter Jackson movies, not many people remember the animated film from 1978. Did the team use any cues from this movie for the card art?

Ovidio: Ahead of art directing the set, I did take a look at all the past depictions I could find to study the style. I didn’t reference the animated film for the concept art, but happily there is an upcoming Secret Lair that will feature art from those movies!

On that topic, I see the team went with the very divisive depiction of the Balrog without wings. Were you guys aware of the controversy in the community on wings vs no wings?

Ovidio: Certainly! Starting 20 years ago, I thought it was controversial to give wings to the Balrog. And so myself and other members of the team, we were all aware of the discussions around the Balrog and, of course, we made the decision to have a flightless Balrog reflected not only on the character design but on the card design as well!

One of the unique features of the MTG Lord of the Rings set is these extended art cards, combining multiple cards together to form these big scenes. What can you tell us about those?

Ovidio: It’s one of the most epic undertakings we’ve had. The arts for these scenes were complex from every angle. We provided artists a lot of creative freedom as well, to make the scenes cohesive. There was as much thinking as painting involved in each one of these, and I’m very happy with the overall results. We got some of the most powerful images ever for Magic, and these scenes pushed the edge of what is possible in card art.

Unlike a lot of sets which tend to have a bit more diverse art directions, it looks like the LOTR set is pretty committed to this kind of oil painting aesthetic, is there a particular reason for it?

Ovidio: All of the paintings made for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth™ were digital. But yes, my conceit from the beginning of the set was to think as if the card art is historical paintings commissioned after the end of the War of the Ring to memorialize the events and characters therein. I wanted the set to look classic and historical in the rendering style, with a lot of freshness in the characters and environmental designs.

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

I feel like any kind of adaptation of Lord of the Rings can be defined in their interpretation of Sauron. Can you talk about the various looks the Dark Lord is sporting in this set?

Ovidio: In our set, Sauron looks like he’s never looked before. The design of the character was by Tyler Jacobson, someone very familiar with Magic:The Gathering and also with The Lord of the Rings. The awesome card arts by Kieran Yanner, Alex Brock, Yongjae Choi, Yigit Koroglu and Anato Finnstark give us the sense that Sauron is a Dark Wizard, a powerful entity who is far beyond a scary soldier. The fear he inspires and the dread of his presence are clear in every piece.

I really like the alternate ring art showing characters going through low moments, is there a particular one that’s your favorite?

Ovidio: It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite! All of the artists working in this set gave it their all, and I was continually impressed as the arts came in. A highlight from the group is Marko Manev’s interpretation of Tom Bombadil, bright yet mysterious, the art depicts Bombadil as inscrutable even to the ring itself.

What’s some of your favorite art to come out of this set?

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Ovidio:There were so many arts that I was impressed by in this set! Literally hundreds. Arwen, Mortal Queen by Miranda Meeks was such a great depiction. Valera Lutfullina created the Shadowfax art, and the piece is amazing! Magali Villeneuve and Ekaterina Burmak created so much great art, they were essential to the great look and feel of the set.

A dark and moody piece that is unexpectedly complex was Yigit Koroglu’s Horn of Gondor. It is a piece that could’ve just been a still life, but in Yigit’s hands it became so much more. It narrated the tragedy of Boromir and depicted the last moments of his life as regretful, yet dignified.

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Irvin Rodriguez also contributed some amazing work to this set. His art for Andúril, Flame of the West was beautiful! He has a classical aesthetic that I am very fond of. There was a sort of Baroque tenebrism he handled very well in his works.

Lastly, Marie Magny’s art for Goldberry was just stunning. An impressive work of art that walked the balance between serene, beautiful and powerful. There were so many amazing works in this set, I hope fans get to look at these pieces closely and enjoy them outside the game. All the art team was working hard to make this set look as great as it does. Seeing how the team realized this vision of Lord of the Rings is definitely a privilege, and an achievement I cherish and keep close to my heart.

Fans of Middle-Earth and Magic: The Gathering don’t have to wait much longer- the Lord of The Rings: Tales Of Middle-Earth set is available now, and Malaysian fans can also check out the Welcome Party at Paradigm Mall to get on board and meet new people learning the set.

Our thanks to Ovidio Cartagena for talking Lord of The Rings with us, as well as Wizards of the Coast SEA for the opportunity to interview him.