Ben Wootten
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Charles Wootten is a graphic artist and designer
based in Wellington
, New Zealand
.
, England
in 1969, and his family moved to New Zealand when he was three. Wootten completed a degree in zoology
at the University of Otago
in Dunedin
before moving to Christchurch
where he studied Graphic Art at Christchurch Polytechnic
.
as a designer and started to work on the films of Peter Jackson
. At first Wootten worked on King Kong
(which was originally planned to be made before The Lord of the Rings
trilogy). When Kong was canceled Wootten began to work on designs for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. A notable piece of work there was being closely involved in designing the Balrog
. Wooten designed Strider's sword at Weta Workshop.
He has also worked on the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
.
His designs combined his knowledge of zoology with his artistic skill.
Wootten is now a freelance illustrator, working out of Wellington. Most of his recent work has been for RPGs and TCGs, clients including Wizards of the Coast, Paizo and Upper Deck.
For Paizo, he has done interior illustrations for the Pathfinder: Curse of the Crimson Throne Player’s Guide, and for the GameMastery line, Crucible of Chaos.
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
based in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Early life and education
Wooten was born in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1969, and his family moved to New Zealand when he was three. Wootten completed a degree in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
before moving to Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
where he studied Graphic Art at Christchurch Polytechnic
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology , formerly the Christchurch Technical College, is an institute of technology in Christchurch, New Zealand...
.
Career
Immediately on graduating Wootten began working at the Weta WorkshopWeta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
as a designer and started to work on the films of Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
. At first Wootten worked on King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
(which was originally planned to be made before The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
trilogy). When Kong was canceled Wootten began to work on designs for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. A notable piece of work there was being closely involved in designing the Balrog
Balrog
Balrogs are fictional demonic beings who appear in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Such creatures first appeared in print in his novel The Lord of the Rings, though they figured in earlier writings that posthumously appeared in The Silmarillion and other books.Balrogs are described as...
. Wooten designed Strider's sword at Weta Workshop.
He has also worked on the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
.
His designs combined his knowledge of zoology with his artistic skill.
Wootten is now a freelance illustrator, working out of Wellington. Most of his recent work has been for RPGs and TCGs, clients including Wizards of the Coast, Paizo and Upper Deck.
For Paizo, he has done interior illustrations for the Pathfinder: Curse of the Crimson Throne Player’s Guide, and for the GameMastery line, Crucible of Chaos.