Bill Willingham and the Iconography of D&D. Bill Willingham, creator of Fables, is this year’s ICon guest of honor and, sadly, his works to which I have the strongest emotional connection are his early stuff, such as the superhero series Elementals, as well as some pretty embarrassing stuff.
Nevermind Ironwood, consider his journeyman work as an artist for TSR, where he produced illustrations during what was the most important period in the history of Dungeons and Dragons: the time I was actually buying and playing that game. Of course, this was so long ago that only a handful of old guys like me probably remember that. Kids today, they think AD&D started with second edition, and they only know the Basic and Expert sets with Larry Elmore covers; not that I have anything against Elmore, Snarfquest rules and all, but I prefer fantasy art that isn’t inspired by aerobics instructors’ posteriors, but rather by, say, Marvel Comics. Old D&D Tribute Gallery - Andy "ATOM" Taylor's Art Site. David C. Sutherland III. David C. Sutherland III (April 4, 1949[1] – June 6, 2005[2]) was an early Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) artist.
Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of D&D. Early life and inspiration[edit] He became involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) in the early 1970s. He spent his free time drawing sketches and cartoons related to these pastimes. Career[edit] Sutherland's cover for the original Dungeon Masters Guide (TSR, 1979) Sutherland's involvement in game art began in 1974. C1: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. C1: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan is the first module of the "C" or "Competition" series of modules. It was originally used (as Lost Tamoachan) in the 1979 Origins tournament, and this module is the first to give a scoring system within its pages.
Most of the previous modules released by TSR had been tournament adventures, but this one is specifically able to be used as a tournament adventure by the wider D&D population. The adventure is presented with a gatefold cover with the map of the shrine on the interior, a 32-page booklet with the adventure, and a 8-page illustration booklet.
Illustrations are provided by Erol Otus, Jeff Dee, Gergory K Fleming, David S Laforce and David C Sutherland III - and a couple of uncredited piece by Darlene Pekul. David C. Sutherland, III. Tribute Painting. Jeff Easley. Jeff Easley (born 1954 in Nicholasville, Kentucky)[1] is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta. Early life[edit] Easley was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky in 1954. He drew a lot as a child, particularly creatures such as ghosts and monsters. "I watched lots of monster movies on the late show, and built every monster model kit I could get my hands on," he said.[1] He attended high school in Nicholasville, and then went to college at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.
Easley earned a BFA in painting from the university[2] in 1976. Career[edit] After Cynthia finished with grad school, the couple moved to Massachusetts with some friends, where Easley began his career as a professional artist. References[edit] External links[edit] David A. Trampier. At the height of his career in the late 1980s, Trampier suddenly withdrew from the gaming world and life in general, becoming a social recluse. Although the reasons for this break were unclear, a disagreement with TSR is possible; it is clear that later in life, Trampier wanted nothing to do with TSR or its successor, Wizards of the Coast.
For many years, Trampier's location was unknown to anyone and rumors circulated that he had died; his brother-in-law, Tom Wham denied this, although Wham admitted that even he did not know where Trampier was or what he was doing. The Dave Trampier Wormy Archive. The Art of Dave Trampier (again!) (With apologies to experienced old school bloggers for Yet Another Whatever Happened to Dave Trampier Post) Fans of early Dungeons & Dragons will of course remember the art of Dave Trampier - perhaps best known for his cover of the 1978 Player's Handbook. From 1977 to 1988 his art was found throughout D&D books and supplements, including the regularly appearing "Wormy" strip in Dragon magazine.
You might think he was still making fantasy art - but you'd be very wrong... Some time in early '88, Dragon announced that Wormy would no longer be appearing in the magazine (without a storyline conclusion). The Art of Dave Trampier. Tramp Tuesday. A tale of three D&D Daves: Arneson, Wesely, and...Trampier? Saladin’s Sundrarium: Five Iconic 1st Edition AD&D Illustrations Proving David A. Trampier Is One of the Best Fantasy Artists of All Time. Saladin’s Sundrarium: Five Iconic 1st Edition AD&D Illustrations Proving David A. Trampier Is One of the Best Fantasy Artists of All Time Welcome to the inaugural edition of “Saladin’s Sundrarium,” a new weekly feature here on Tor.com! The “rules,” such as they are, are simple: Each week I’ll be bringing you a brazenly subjective and personal list of Top Five (or Six or Seven or…) ridiculously specific geekicana. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to let me know what a nerd culture genius I am for including Item X and/or what a moron I am for failing to include Item Y.
My hope here is to nurture a good-naturedly boisterous discussion of things geekical that is somewhere between a Wordsworthian-Coleridgean dialogue and a dwarven tavern brawl. Anyway, without further ado, I give you: Five Iconic 1st Edition AD&D Illustrations Proving David A. Trampier’s style was an essentially unique blend of cartoonishness and realism. 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) And then things got weird. The Tramp « Coyote vs. Wolf. The impression left on me (and hundreds of thousands of my geeky peers) by Dungeons & Dragons was indelible. Ironically — given all of the Satanist paranoia at the time — D&D was my salvation from the soulless suburban wasteland where I spent my teen years; it not only inspired my friends and me to heights of imaginative collaboration, it empowered me to be a creative person.
Without Gygax & Arneson’s strange vision, and the love of games and improvisational storytelling that it instilled, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the cartoonist I am today (for whatever that’s worth). Artist Profile: David A. Trampier « Casewerk: More Internet Ravings. In the latest in my irregular series of artist profiles, I have decided to highlight one of my favorite of the early D&D artists, David A. Trampier, often better known for the initials DAT that would appear on many of his gaming works. Tome of Treasures - AD&D Rogues Gallery. Tony DiTerlizzi, Never Abandon Imagination. Erol Otus. Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, especially early in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Called "legendary" by RPGnet,[1] he is also known for his artwork on the multiple award winning[2] Star Control II as well as providing the voice for one of the character races, the Chmmr, in the same game.[3] Role-playing games[edit]
Erol Otus Home Page. Remember the old days. The glory days. The Dungeon Masters Guide had a huge freaking Efreet on the cover, and the Player's Handbook showed some dungeon pillaging... All seemed fine back then. The party rested. The Pipes of Qwaalish were quiet and the Eye and Hand of Vecna were safely hidden forever. I remember it well. Please enjoy this collection of sketches, paintings and miniatures as much as I have putting it all together! The Art of Erol Otus. The Unofficial Jeff Dee Gallery.