Larry Elmore On Composing The Companions Of The Lance Art

This iconic Dragonlance illustration by Larry Elmore was the subject of a post by the artist this week, as he talks about things behind the scenes!

​

Elmore: "I think you guys will like this one!! One day I got an assignment at TSR to do a painting and I had only ten days to do it in....and it had ten characters in the painting, i nearly panicked!!! I called downstairs to my wife, Betty and told her to grab Stephanie ('cause she was tall) and come upstairs to the art room....I got all the artists there, Clyde, Jeff, Jeff Butler, and Keith, then I took everyone over to this empty large office room. We shot photos there a lot, there were some fold up chairs and I think we still had a couple of lights set up...maybe just one light that I moved around. I had an ideal of what kind of arrangement of everyone that would work for ten people in one painting. I did the painting and met my deadline, but I never dreamed it would be such a popular piece... I just wish that they had given me more time to do the painting a lot better!!"

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

This picture is a true classic of fantasy art. We can't mention Dragonlance without remembering this picture, full with this special glamour only geek fans can appreciate.

Dragonlance in the hands by the right movie producers could be a great blockbuster and a fabulous hook to attract new followers. I bet Warner Brothers would love to use this world for a new cinematographic saga but I am afraid they aren't found the right formula.

My theory is Wotc is waiting because they want a Dragonlance movie, a good movie, in the cinemas before to publish the 5th Ed.

* Do you think a uchronias (alternative timelines or parallel earths) about Krynn should be allowed to be canon?

* But the fifth age was a "jump the shark". And it isn't easy to add new things (races and classes) from post-2nd editions.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

A classic work, even if it stiff Tas and Flint, two of my favorites, while putting Tryhard Edgelord Raistlin up front.

Bringing Dragonlance back as an official campaign setting and as a movie has some hurdles, I think. I think there’s no world where they do anything but the War of the Lance as a movie or movie series, if they’re going to do Dragonlance. But there’s an awful lot that’s come and gone since then. Does the setting focus on the War of the Lance era, thus making said alternate timeline, or does it go with where Dragonlance last left off, and create a disconnect between the movie setting and the game setting?

Crucible 7 managed a similar situation with LOTR pretty well, but LOTR is perhaps a different case.

My theory is Wotc is waiting because they want a Dragonlance movie, a good movie, in the cinemas before to publish the 5th Ed.

* Do you think a uchronias (alternative timelines or parallel earths) about Krynn should be allowed to be canon?

* But the fifth age was a "jump the shark". And it isn't easy to add new things (races and classes) from post-2nd editions.

 

[NeuroZombie]

I got a signed print of that very piece when I met Larry ages ago. Its been framed and on my bedroom for over a decade now and will always be one of my all time favorite pieces of fantasy art! Larry was amazingly gracious as well, a true gentleman!

 

[Sacrosanct]

I am less impressed by the actual artwork, but tremendously impressed by the photo with all of those people in it. Oh man, for a chance to have all them together for an hour of conversation...

 

[mach1.9pants]

Lots of love for Elmore art having started with BECMI, and my first real fantasy books after LotR was Dragonlance

 

[PabloM]

One can dream... An officially 5e Dragonlance setting book would be amazing! But I think it´s impossible, at least for now.

 

[guachi]

If you get a chance to meet Larry Elmore at a convention, do so.

I have his huge collected artwork signed and he also signed my coverless Red Basic set Players Book and its eBay replacement with a cover.

 

[Travis Henry]

Classic. Thank you Larry Elmore for your archetypally D&D way of painting.

 

[guachi]

One thing I loved about Elmore's art is how easily it translated to black and white line drawings.