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When Jeff Dee ruled the gaming world...
I’m not sure how many words have been written concerning artist Jeff Dee and his influence on the early days of D&D, but I know it is a lot. Heck, I’ve written two articles myself on the subject and both did very well among my OSR gaming audience. Still, that doesn’t mean it isn’t always a good thing to talk even more about his art.Today I’m looking at just his black & white illustrations from TSR, and feeling that once again this ‘Young Turk’ had something to prove when he finally got the call from the burgeoning TSR. I mean,...
The eyes have it, a look at a few fun Erol Otus illustrations
Erol Otus and I have a complex relationship, which is to say we don't have a relationship at all, but that's okay. I nonetheless have a good time looking at his work whenever the mood strikes, as it did this morning. There is nothing more fun than having a good dose of Otus with your morning workload to help push you through to the creative process of the afternoon. So, today I found myself enjoying some of his work and getting inspired for yet another day of gaming creation here at AotG. Ah, if all art could be this nostalgic,...
When I think of Jim Roslof, it is often in Black & White...
Today, as I enjoy work on ROS3 and my Roslof Keep series in The Folio, I can’t help thinking about Jim Roslof and all the incredible black & white illustrations he did over the years. To say that I’m a fan is obviously a huge understatement, so I thought I’d just take a few moments to share some of Jim’s images that have always appealed to me. Having had the honor of sitting in his drafting chair at his studio and going over how his process worked, I can’t help but see the joy he felt in creating for the...
A look into the military past of humanity, and beyond, with Angus McBride
There are great fantasy artists, and then there is Angus McBride. That is how I see things at least, and I’m always incredibly impressed with the amount of work this incredible South African [by way of England] artist was able to produce in his lifetime.For me, Angus was how I was introduced to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien with the Middle-Earth Role-Playing game by Iron Crown Enterprises, but realistically he was much better known for his historical paintings done for Osprey.Whatever way you managed to view a McBride, his ability to capture the power of a scene was beyond question....
If Clyde Caldwell went to KFC, he'd order the thigh...
I once took a trip to Wisconsin to spend a few days with artist Jeff Easley at his home. It was a great trip, and I got to see lots of outstanding artwork, but one thing that always stood out to me was when Jeff would discuss other artists he’d worked with over the years. As we talked about them, Jeff always seemed to come up with an interesting anecdote or nickname, but of all these, his nonchalant utterance concerning Clyde Caldwell was my favorite. He affectionately referred to Clyde as ‘The Thigh Master’.To this day, I still get an...