The Fantasy Art of Ralph Horsely

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.



Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Ralph Horsley, a respected artist in the RPG industry, having illustrated for such companies as Wizards of the Coast (Dungeons & Dragons) and the Games Workshop (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, now published by Fantasy Flight Games).

His wife, artist Anne Stokes is also a mainstay in the RPG industry.

The Fantasy Art of Anne Stokes

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.



Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Anne Stokes, whose name you may have seen in illustration credits for Dungeons & Dragons artwork.

Her husband, Ralph Horsley, is also a respected artist in the RPG industry in his own right, having illustrated for such companies as Wizards of the Coast (Dungeons & Dragons) and the Games Workshop (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, now published by Fantasy Flight Games).

The Fantasy Art of Francis Tsai

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.



Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Francis Tsai, who has extensive credits for the Wizards of the Coast Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game. His portfolio is much wider than just fantasy, and his comic art is certainly worth checking out.

Click image on the left for full-size horizontal image. By Francis Tsai: Illustrated by Francis Tsai:

Dragons! The Fantasy Art of Kerem Beyit

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.



Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Kerem Beyit. Even if you don't like the style of his art, his utterly gorgeous website is an experience in itself. The swirly "I'm still loading, don't go away" graphics are a nice user-feedback device for a slow-loading graphics-intensive site, and every page flames to life with the headshot of a beautifully detailed dragon (remarkably similar in style to the 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons dragons).

Especially if you lose your browser scroll bar, you may want to click on the "switch to full screen" icon (the two-headed arrow in the upper right corner) for the best experience of his website.



For an insight into the mind of the artist, you may want to check out the interview at Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews on September 4, 2008.

The Fantasy Art of Amelia Stoner

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.



Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Amelia Stoner, who has an excellent command on a wide range of styles, including the horror / macabre -- such as these entries for the Dungeons and Dragons supplement, Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead (a selection of undead art for Open Grave is available in the Art Gallery).













Based on Wrath of the Lich King?

The Fantasy Art of Tony DiTerlizzi

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.



Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Tony DiTerlizzi. In addition to the artwork you see on his Flash-mandatory site, he was the world artist for the now-officially-discontinued Dungeons & Dragons alien-fantasy Planescape campaign setting (but continued by fans at Planewalker). A selection of his Planescape Art can be found at Carceri Exiles.

Worth Visiting - The Fantasy Art of Jason Engle

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website Fantasy Art and Portraits presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.









Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Jason Engle, whose work includes many card games and roleplaying games that are insanely popular but which might be off-radar for many art lovers: Games Workshop, White Wolf, Fleer, Upper Deck, AEG, Paizo, World of Warcraft, Everquest, Vampire: The Maquerade, Legend of the Five Rings, Dungeons and Dragons.







His personal website is simple yet gorgeous, and probably the best place to take in his extensive portfolio. There's a lot there and trust me -- you DON'T want to rush through it. It's best savoured in several sittings, taking in one or two pages at a time.

Even More Dragons - The 2008 DnD Draconomicon

Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website Fantasy Art and Portraits presently showcases the fantasy art of computer games, so there's a lot of art out there that doesn't fit there at the moment. I can, however, introduce it to you on this blog.







Today, I'd like to introduce the art of Dungeons and Dragons' Draconomicon.



I mentioned the art and colour scheme of dragons in the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game franchise in October, and presented some pictures of dragons there from their 3rd edition Monster Manual.



"Monster Manuals" are core (read: necessary) books for playing Dungeons and Dragons, but Dungeons and Dragons invariably churns out hundreds of supplements with each edition. In both the 2nd and 3rd editions, a "Draconomicon", dealing with all things draconic, were published.



With their current 4th edition, it looks as if they will expand the Draconomicon even further: Their November 2008 release deals with only the evil "Chromatic" dragons, or coloured dragons--red, blue, green, white, and black--and the good "Metallic" dragons and possibly even the neutral "Gemstone" dragons will probably not be far behind. If we're lucky, they might resurrect the epic dragons of the Astral Plane that were part of the 2nd edition Spelljammer setting.



Here's some of the gorgeous interior art:

The Fantasy Art of Robh Ruppel

(This was originally posted at WordPress before we moved to Blogger)



As you know, my website, Fantasy Art and Portraits, is focussed on the fantasy art of computer games. So you can imagine that I often run into tons of great art… but “can’t” use it. Here’s a sample from the roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, specifically the art of Robh Ruppel.



Ruppel did extensive work in the gothic "Ravenloft" setting/world, but really came to the fore as *the* artist for the post-fantasy-apocalyptic "Dark Sun". His portfolio, however, is much more diverse than fantasy and gorgeous women.

Vintage Fantasy Art by Jeff Easley

(This was originally posted at WordPress before we moved to Blogger)



As you know, my website, Fantasy Art and Portraits, is focussed on the fantasy art of computer games. So you can imagine that I often run into tons of great art… but “can’t” use it. Here’s a sample from the roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, specifically the art of Jeff Easley.



During the glory days of pre-3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons (while it was still with TSR), Easley's art was everywhere, and stood apart from everyone else with his distinctive style. Perhaps because of that distinctive style, he has had less of a place with 3rd and 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons, which re-envisioned the franchise from the ground up, including its art. And not surprisingly so as art has a powerful effect on the imagination, and for a fresh take on D&D and how it was played, new art was clearly needed.

When Fantasy Art Meets Fantasy Roleplaying - Why Mialee Has So Many Pockets

(This was originally posted at WordPress before we moved to Blogger)



Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website, Fantasy Art and Portraits, is focussed on the fantasy art of computer games. So you can imagine that I often run into tons of great art… but “can’t” use it. Here’s a sample from the roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, specifically their 3rd Edition Player's Handbook.



They've always had sample characters that you can play using their rules, but this wasn't emphasized as much until the radical re-design that was 3rd Edition. Starting with the 3rd Edition, every type of character and race had an "iconic" character that exemplified or stereotyped the race (dwarf? elf?) and "character class" or career (bard? wizard?).



Where character concept and rules met, sometimes awkwardly, was in the art. From time to time, they had to reflect certain quirks about the rules, such as wizards requiring assorted ingredients in order to cast their spells. So what to do if you're a wizard and you know a score of spells, and need maybe as much in spell ingredients -- different ingredients -- that were often used up each time you cast the spell, so you also needed several of them?



The answer... pockets.

The Fantasy Art of Dungeons and *DRAGONS*

(This was originally posted at WordPress before we moved to Blogger)



Hi Everyone!



As you know, my website, Fantasy Art and Portraits, is focussed on the fantasy art of computer games. So you can imagine that I often run into tons of great art... but "can't" use it. Here's a sample from the roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, specifically their 3rd Edition Monster Manual.



You'll notice the "unimaginative" names of the dragons. This is in part practical, and in part D&D world setting: In the D&D mythology, developed over many, many, editions and setting spin-offs, "chromatic" or colour dragons (red, blue, green...) were "evil" and "metallic" or metal-colour dragons (gold, silver, bronze...) were "good". This scheme appears the most enduring (perhaps boosted considerably during the immense popularity of the Dragonlance novels and subsequent sequels and spinoffs). There were others, such as "gemstone" dragons that were "neutral" and had psychic/mental powers, but those have failed to become canon.



Click on the images below to go to the Monster Manual gallery. From there, you can navigate out to their full gallery. Earlier stuff from pre-Wizards-of-the-Coast D&D isn't available on the site. If I have some time, I'll try to dig it out from the web and put it in another blog post.



Enjoy!