Let's talk about Fantasy art and the talented people who make them. What are your favorite pieces of fantasy artwork or your favorite artists within the genre?
My first pick is none other than the father of modern fantasy himself, JRR Tolkien. The man didn't just write on paper the world he created, he drew numerous illustrations that gave readers a better understanding of how he imagined these scenes and landscapes looked.
There's a simple charm and wealth of detail in Tolkien's artwork that I enjoy. But to be fair, I think the Professor's vision of Middle Earth was better realized by the likes of artists such as John Howe:
And Alan Lee:
Director Peter Jackson also thought highly of Howe and Lee's work, so much so that he hired them as conceptual artists for both The Lord of Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.
Getting away from Tolkien, I'm a big fan of the the legendary Frank Frazetta, who gave us the iconic image of Conan the Barbarian:
Frazetta's take on Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery character was so definitive it would become everyone's image of the titular barbarian. Since then, all Conan media have followed Frazetta's template.
And when talking about modern fantasy art, one has to mention Dungeons & Dragons. DnD maker TSR in the 80's would hire the likes of Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson and Clyde Caldwell to help in the visualization of their game. My favorite of the bunch though, would be Larry Elmore:
Elmore's hyperdetailed and classic looking art has always defined DnD for me. Though in recent years, with TSR's acquisition by Wizards of the Coast, DnD would employ the likes of Todd Lockwood, whose work too I also enjoy.
Not only did he update the look of DnD for the new millennium, Lockwood would give us the definitive look of everyone's favorite Dark Elf, Drizzt Do'Urden.
But fantasy art doesn't have to come just from the West. The Far East, particularly Japan, has produced some great fantasy art. My favorite being Yoshitaka Amano, the man who would define the look of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series:
And we have to mention too the late Kentaro Miura. Whose work on his dark fantasy manga opus, Berserk, would haunt our dreams.
So what are your favorite fantasy artworks? And which fantasy artists are your favorites?
My first pick is none other than the father of modern fantasy himself, JRR Tolkien. The man didn't just write on paper the world he created, he drew numerous illustrations that gave readers a better understanding of how he imagined these scenes and landscapes looked.
There's a simple charm and wealth of detail in Tolkien's artwork that I enjoy. But to be fair, I think the Professor's vision of Middle Earth was better realized by the likes of artists such as John Howe:
And Alan Lee:
Director Peter Jackson also thought highly of Howe and Lee's work, so much so that he hired them as conceptual artists for both The Lord of Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.
Getting away from Tolkien, I'm a big fan of the the legendary Frank Frazetta, who gave us the iconic image of Conan the Barbarian:
Frazetta's take on Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery character was so definitive it would become everyone's image of the titular barbarian. Since then, all Conan media have followed Frazetta's template.
And when talking about modern fantasy art, one has to mention Dungeons & Dragons. DnD maker TSR in the 80's would hire the likes of Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson and Clyde Caldwell to help in the visualization of their game. My favorite of the bunch though, would be Larry Elmore:
Elmore's hyperdetailed and classic looking art has always defined DnD for me. Though in recent years, with TSR's acquisition by Wizards of the Coast, DnD would employ the likes of Todd Lockwood, whose work too I also enjoy.
Not only did he update the look of DnD for the new millennium, Lockwood would give us the definitive look of everyone's favorite Dark Elf, Drizzt Do'Urden.
But fantasy art doesn't have to come just from the West. The Far East, particularly Japan, has produced some great fantasy art. My favorite being Yoshitaka Amano, the man who would define the look of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series:
And we have to mention too the late Kentaro Miura. Whose work on his dark fantasy manga opus, Berserk, would haunt our dreams.
So what are your favorite fantasy artworks? And which fantasy artists are your favorites?
