Dragonlance "The Women of Dragonlance" -- Larry Elmore's New Dragonlance Painting

Iconic D&D artist Larry Elmore has been working on a new Dragonlance painting. He has been sharing progress pictures over recent weeks. This is apparently a commission for a client, and is entitled "The Women of Dragonlance".

There's a new trilogy of Dragonlance novels coming from authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman featuring "classic Dragonlance" branding.

 

[aco175]

I see the new book will be about 4 paper ghosts. Cool

 

[Sacrosanct]

The thing that folks that write-off digital media seem to not understand is that you cannot make these images without that same skill set as a traditional painter. All of the color decisions, composition, etc, is 100% the artist. The big upside of digital is that it's faster and cleaner but guys like Jacobson can still do oils:View attachment 132428

Exactly right. I do both (as a matter of fact, I literally just upgraded my iPad and got procreate just two days ago. No longer just a GAOMON plus photoshop guy lol)

And while I have nowhere near that skill, with digital art you absolutely still use the same lessons and methods as traditional painting. You just have layers and less paint splatter on your desk with digital lol

 

[dave2008]

..., with all the little imperfections that come through no having photoshop, give the game books a more old vibe since the fantasy tends to replicate an older technology level.

You still get imperfections with photoshop and the like. If you head over to deviantart you can see all levels of digital and traditional art. Many times it is really hard to tell which is which. Here is a nice little time lapse of a digital painting from an artist I follow on deviantart done in a painterly style: Persephone Time Lapse Please note this is not the same level of detail as Larry or Tyler

 

[Laurefindel]

Her pose is a bit stiff, but I like his, and I love the background and setting and such.

Yes, left quite an impression on my young self as well... sigh.

My biggest complaint of art of the period (and still) is the scantly clad women and over sexualization of them. My female PCs are just as well covered and protected as their male counter-parts.

Elmore's DL series definitively has a pulp-fantasy thing going on, but that's something I now appreciate more than it bothers me.

Like how I made peace with pin-up gals art; from "ooh, sexy" to "ewh, objectification" to "ooh, art on body-seduction"

 

[Laurefindel]

Women modeling nude goes back a looong way.

Sex sells along with violence.

and men modeling nude for that matter.

however, modeling nude =/= sex (or sexualisation)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah, digital artwork still requires the same amount of skill, main difference is that you can more easily fix a mistake or experiment with colours.

You can do that with oil paint. It's watercolour (and Egg Tempera if you are an Old Master) that are unforgiving.

 

[Lylandra]

Am I the only one who is quite astonished by the merger of these character sketches with what looks like a very much polished background?
Especially as I am totally capable of producing the former and utterly unable of doing the latter.
(No, really, the poses remind me 100% of my Sailor Moon fanart back in the days)

 

[Blue Orange]

That's why he's Larry Elmore.

I'm sorry Keith Parkinson died...

Who do people think the Larry Elmores and Clyde Caldwells of today are?

 

[Sacrosanct]

That's why he's Larry Elmore.

I'm sorry Keith Parkinson died...

Who do people think the Larry Elmores and Clyde Caldwells of today are?

That's hard because the stable of artists now is much larger than back then. We have the internet for ease of contact/hiring, and many more available artists now. So if you assume the context of "Has to be a D&D artist, and used includes some of the more iconic pieces", I'd say Tyler Jacobson, Jason Rainville, Magali Villeneuve, and John Stanko

 

[bulletmeat]

I like alot of Wei Wang's material. Though that person has drawn a fair amount of Warcraft I think there are interesting ideas in poses & actions. Like a cartoony Brom.
I also love John Hodgson whose done work for the One Ring, Adventures in Middle-Earth, & the original Openquest book. I think those pieces keep the vibe of Parkinson & Caldwell.