The Quintessential D&D Artist.

[BronzeDragon]

So, after long discussions in the MM2 art gallery thread, I decided to post a poll to discover who people consider the quintessential D&D artist, past and present.

Since I don't have many of my books with me right now, I probably will forget someone, so I will put those forgotten people in the convenient bag of "others".

I will present 10 choices plus "other".

 

[Blackthorne]

I voted for Lockwood, although I missed Lars Grant-West, who did LOTS of art for the core rulebooks.

Easley and Elmore are classics, of course, but Elmore doesn´t do D&D any longer and Easley...well...his dragons are all right, I guess, but it gets kinda boring.

And Tony DiTerlizzi: His demons are cool, but his characters suck. Overrated.

My favorite is Jason A. Engle from Dungeon Magazine, anyway.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

While Tony DiTerlizzi is probably not many people's idea of the definitive D&D artist ( not real enough etc... ) he has fired my imagination on amore consistant basis than anyone else. The man!

 

[Agamon]

I went Lockwood, but Jason Engle would be a close second (funny, I used to game with a guy named Jason Engle...definitely not the same guy).

 

[Teflon Billy]

I picked Wayne Reynolds.

I consistently like his stuff and it looks just "realistic" enough for me.

While I can recognize the artistry of guys like DiTerlizzi, I find their work not to my taste.

Sam Wood would hace been my second choice, but I am really only familiar with his work from Legions of Hell
(which was Phenomenal)

 

[Lizard]

How could forget him?????

EROL OTUS!!!!

Gawd dammit, man, Erol Otus is the DEFINITION of "D&D art". I only wish the D20 thing had somehow lured him out of retirement like it did a lot of the other old hands.

 

[shadowthorn]

Lizard: Hear, hear!! Erol Otus is da man; my favorite D&D artist of all time. I actually saw his credits in a computer game in the last few years (or was it Jeff Dee?). Who could forget Erol's kelpies from White Plume Mountain?

 

[hong]

Just wondering, am I the only guy who keeps getting Sam Wood and Todd Lockwood mixed up? I mean, not only are their names similar, but their actual artistic styles also don't seem very different. What's the easiest way to tell a Wood from a Lockwood?

 

[Ashrum the Black]

Okay, maybe I'm showing my age here, but it has to be Elmore all the way. His artwork was one of the magor sources of fuel for my imagination during my "formative DnD years" shall we say.

Of course maybe I just love the way he paints woman as well!

Seriously though. To me, no other artist has nailed DnD like Elmore.

 

[JeffB]

I voted other...

I feel that the "Second Generation" 1E artists were what defined how the game looked (and still does look)for me.

Jeff Dee
Bill Willingham
Erol Otus
Jim Roslof

Of course DS and DAT defined the games look, period.

As far as the new guys go...It's all hit or miss with me....I think they are all very talented, but the 3E style just doesn't float my boat. I'd have to give my nod to Reynolds though, he often pays homage to the old 1E "look", and I pick up on it. Generally I don't like Sam Woods work at all..but on occasion he puts out something that to me is perfect...the goblin in the MM, The Valley Elf he did in LGJ, that one dragon he did in Monsters of Faerun. Lockwood and Easley are similar to me, in that as long as they are doing Undead, they are excellent, other than that I don't care much for their stuff.

For Dragons (and hot chicks ) Elmore has everyone beat. I suspect to many on this board he is probably THE D&D artist they grew up with.