If clothes are what make the man, then artwork is what makes the fantasy book/game/RPG. Yes, I know that content & imagination is really what matters, and that’s true - but have you ever bought a book based on its cover? I know I have.
Fantasy art is a genre where a booster-shot of someone else’s vision and imagination can expand your mind and creativity as well as titillate the senses.
According to the famous mythologist, Joseph Campbell:
“The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it.”
I especially love experiencing fantasy art. It draws you in without words, or touch or feel or taste. It starts purely visual before infusing your whole being with adventure, curiosity, mystery, astonishment, fear & sensuality like quicksilver.
I guess I could have boiled all that description down to one 80’s style word: Badass
(Featuring artwork from Clyde Caldwell & Luke Eidenschink!)
Fanattik, a British collectibles store, recently released a portfolio of Dungeons & Dragons™ artwork, which I had to check out. It’s a set of 7 black & white linen lithographs of decent size (11”x13”) that features fantastical images of warriors, castles and beasts in an homage to classic D&D™ imagery.
Limited to 1,974 - odd number? Nope. The year that Dungeons & Dragons™ was unleashed on the world . . . 1974!
I really like these prints. The linen texture is a solid choice that makes the black ink illustrations even more appealing in person.
The only thing I can’t figure out is who the artists are. They’re not labelled on the prints, packaging or website. A reverse image search didn’t reveal anything either.
The best I can figure is since the style of all 7 seem similar enough, these were commissioned by a recent artist to channel the look and feel of old school fantasy gaming.
It’s also possible that this could be older artwork that is no longer laid claim to. Whoever it was, this artist did an amazing job of capturing the nostalgia of classic fantasy. I thank you, Oh Nameless One! If anyone knows the artist, let me know in the comments.
“It is I! I am the artist. I am the maker of dragons and gryphons and breaker of castles and warriors!”
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BTW: Which is your favorite lithograph above? I think I like “Angry Guy with Hammer”, but “Groping Dragon” is a close second.
UPDATE: The artist has been identified (thanks to fellow fantasy friend & writer,
Tomás Giorello, is a comic artist from Buenos Aires known for his work on Conan, X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, and Ninja-K. According to Christian, he also “did a lot of work for Wizards [of the Coast] during the 3rd and 4th edition era [of Dungeons & Dragons] and these particular images are taken from the covers he did for the Premium re-release of the Original D&D Boxed Set.”
Tomás Giorello
Mystery Solved!
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According the Steve Winter, who was at Wizards at the time, the artist on this images is Tomas Giorello. He did a lot of work for Wizards during the 3rd and 4th edition era and these particular images are taken from the covers he did for the Premium re-release of the Original D&D Boxed Set.
According the Steve Winter, who was at Wizards at the time, the artist on this images is Tomas Giorello. He did a lot of work for Wizards during the 3rd and 4th edition era and these particular images are taken from the covers he did for the Premium re-release of the Original D&D Boxed Set.