Showing posts with label Featured Artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Featured Artist. Show all posts

Friday, October 28, 2022

Witches Larina and Solaine make a potion

Well, this is a fun little treat!

My good friend and wonderful artist Djinn not only created a wonderful little toon of our witches Larina (mine) and Solaine (her's) but she animated them too. And Larina talks!

These are part of her "Dirty Sticky Journal" series, little cartoons like this featuring her character and others she has drawn over the years. She has done a lot of art of Larina, but seeing her come to life like this is really fun.

You can find them on her Instagram page and this one in particular.

The best place though is her Patreon site. And her Linktree.

I have shared her art in the past and she was one of my earliest Featured Artists.

Oh, and speaking of art. I shared The Simbul, Witch Queen of Aglarond yesterday on Twitter and I got this from Ed himself.


All in all a pretty red letter geek day for me!


Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Featured Artist: Brian Brinlee

Time for another Featured Artist post.  I discovered today's artist, Brian Brinlee, in one of the fantasy art groups I frequent on Facebook.  He had a great style and something about his art made me think of some of the old D&D books from the late 90s.   So I got him to commission a piece for me I was calling "Tea with the Witches." It featured five witches from various D&D worlds and it takes place in The Simbul's castle in the Forgotten Realms.

Tea with the Witches

Here are the witches pictured. Left to right (clockwise, never widdershins when dealing with witches):

Sagarassi the Sea Witch (Krynn/Dragonlance), Iggwilv the Witch Queen (Oerth/Greyhawk), The Simbul, Witch Queen of Aglarond (Toril/The Forgotten Realms and where this is taking place), Larina (my OC), Feiya the Pathfinder iconic witch (Golarion/Pathfinder).

They are playing Pentacles, a game played with five people using Tarroka cards.

I loved this one so much I wanted to share more of his art with you.

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Art by Brian Brinlee

Brian Brinlee Korra

Brian Brinlee Valkyrie

You can find Brian online on his Facebook, Instagram and DeviantArt pages.

Thanks so much for sharing these with me Brian!

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Mail Call: Art Package from Djinn

One of the things I feel is my privilege is the ability to share with you my readers and friends all the new and wonderful artists I can find.  I love getting art and if I can help out an artist on the way, well that is even better. 

But when the artist shares something with me?  That is the best of all!

So imagine my delight when the postman rings my doorbell today to have me sign for a package from Italy!

Art Merch is Here! from Djinn in the Shade

And what a package it is!

I had just featured some art from Djinn in the Shade this morning on my Dirty Nellie write-up.  She was the first artist I have ever had make some art for Nell.

And here is what I got!

Art by Djinn in the Shade

Witches going to their Sabbat by Djinn, Art by Djinn in the Shade

This one is one of my favorites and it is based on Witches going to their Sabbath (1878), by Luis Ricardo Falero.  It features her OC sorceress Solaine (who is her Pathfinder/D&D character and star of her own comic strip) and my witch Larina.  There is an uncensored one as well. 

Art by Djinn in the Shade
Halloween

Art by Djinn in the Shade

Stickers! by Djinn in the Shade
Stickers!

Djinn also featured our witches in jail in a new bit of art this week to mark her "shadow ban" from Instagram for having "inappropriate art."  

Larina and Solaine in time out

So I am thrilled to death with these!

You can find Djinn on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (for now!), and most of all on her Pateron site. She was also one of my first Featured Artists here.

Thank you my friend for such wonderful art!

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Featured Artist: Darlene (and This Old Dragon Retrospective)

Darlene
Ask any old school gamer to name four classic D&D artists you are likely to get some combination of Elmore, Easley, Caldwell, or Parkinson.  

Ask the REALLY old gamers and they are likely to include Otus, Dee, Tramp, and Willingham to that list.  Sadly, though this has been changing, one of the artist generally not mentioned despite her work is Darlene.

It has taken a long time, but within the last decade or so Darlene is finally getting to accolades and respect she should have been getting since the dawn of D&D.  Her name may not jump out at you, but her art certainly does.



Darlene's RPG BIO

She is foremost the creator of the full-color map of the Flanaess that came with the World of Greyhawk folio and then again with the boxed set.

Darlene map of the Flanaess


She did the cover art for Mike Carr's module B1 In Search of the Unknown.

In Search of the Unknown by Darlene

Art in the Dungeon Master's Guide,

Darlene DMG Art

Darlene DMG Art

Darlene DMG Art

Darlene DMG Art

Darlene DMG Art


Many of the logos from the classic days of D&D,

Man in the Moon logo by Darlene

Gods of Greyhawk from Dragon Magazine

Jasmine (and This Old Dragon Retrospective)

But her most personal, and certainly longest lived, project was her comic strip Jasmine.  Jasmine appeared in the pages of Dragon Magazine from issues #37 to #48 and no continues on her Patreon site. Darlene retained the copyright to Jasmine.

The Dragon kicked off her debut in style with Darlene's art on the cover.

Darlene Dragon #37

The Dragon #37

In addition to that wonderfully lovey cover, we are introduced to the tale of Jasmine as "a princess marching cheerfully to her doom."  This is one of the very first color comic strips (though "illustrated adventure story" might be better) I remember seeing in the pages of Dragon.  Darlene's style is watercolor dreamlike.  We are viewing this tale through the mists of time.  They are beautiful to behold but sadly too far away to interact with.  

The Dragon #38

The Princess is ambushed and captured by a rider in all black.

Dragon #39

The magazine is now just called "Dragon" but Jasmine continues. With none of her guards perusing the cloaked the rider the Princess begins to realize that help is not coming.

Dragon #40

A bit of recap, and extended to three pages, we learn that Princess Flavia had been placed under a spell and sent to this land because she had refused all other suitors.  After two day straight of riding with her captor, the hooded man in black from #38, they enter a grove.  Their horse rears up throwing them both off. The hooded man is knocked unconscious.  Flavia then meets up with two gnome-like men who introduce themselves as The Guardians and say they are here to help her.  Flavia says she does not need their help. They reply back that she says that because she has no idea what sort of danger she is in.

Dragon #41

We learn that Princess Flavia is destined to become the next Thaumaturgist!  And it appears she already has a mystic ring of some sort on her hand.

Dragon #42

Flavia recounts to Brother Ethelred how the Ring of Emeth came to her possession. We learn of the peril her father the King is now in. We also learn that another seeks this ring.

Dragon #43

(Ah, the Witch Issue!) Here we get more background on the Guardians and the ring.  There are two who seek it, archenemies Bardulf and Thorgall the Ice King.  Only they can remove it from her finger. 

Dragon #44

Flavia spends a few days considering the Guardians' advice.  She feels trapped in destiny and soon wanders off to a bridge to be confronted by bandits!

Dragon #45

The bandits attack and attempt to rape her until they see her ring and their greed overtakes them.  She is "saved" by a Dwarf warrior who kills both bandits, but the bodies already appear to be burned and withered. When he asks her for her name she replies "Jasmine."

Dragon #46

The dwarf warrior, Glynn Kedaroakenheart has also been drawn up in a prophecy about someone named Jasmine.  Meanwhile Jasmines growing enemies plan and plot.

Dragon #47

Glynn discovers more about Jasmine and encounters others hunting for Princess Flavia.

Dragon #48

Jasmine continues her way up the temple. She is pursued by soldiers who try to attack.  When she is discovered by Glynn the soldiers have all been blinded by a powerful light. 

Jasmine the last page

Sadly here ends our tale of Jasmine in the pages of classic Dragon.  Though her tale continues on Darlene's website and on her Patereon.

Links

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Featured Artist: Chris Achilléos

Chris Achilléos in 2013
It has not been a good week.  In addition to Anne Rice and Mike Nesmith, we also lost British Cypriot painter Chris Achilléos.  He was 74.

Achilléos' book Sirens was one of the first art books I ever bought.  I think my brother (who is an artist) still has it.  I'd later go on to pick up his Beauty and the Beast and Medusa books. 

I loved his art from Heavy Metal (and sometimes White Dwarf) magazine as well as the British covers of the Richard Kirk Raven novels.  But it was his art of Taarna of the Heavy Metal movie poster that most people know him.

Links

Taarna
Taarna

Chris Achilleos 01

Chris Achilleos 02

Chris Achilleos "Tanith"
Tanith

Chris Achilleos

Chris Achilleos "Elric"
Elric

Let's not forget his Raven covers for the British publisher Corgi.

Raven: Swordmistress of ChaosRaven: Swordmistress of Chaos

Raven: Swordmistress of ChaosRaven: Swordmistress of Chaos


Corgi Books


Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Featured Artist: Rosaleen Norton

I have not done one of these for so long.  I am watching "The Witch of Kings Cross" the documentary of artist Rosaleen Norton.  The movie is great and it reminded me how much I love her work.  Before I get into talking about Roie, I want to mention that actress Kate Elizabeth Laxton who plays Roie in the documentary is just fantastic.  

Ok. On to Roie.

Rosaleen Norton

Rosaleen Miriam Norton was born October 2, 1917 and lived till December 5, 1979.  She was considered to be an esoteric artist and one of Australia's most notorious artists.  She was one of the first women to ever be charged with obscenity for her art. 

So I guess fair warning for the art that follows.

satanic orgies

She referred to herself as a "witch" and used altered states of consciousness to make her art. She often called herself "Thorn," much like a craft name.  But her friends all called her Roie.

I came to know her via her art "The Seance."  I thought she had tapped into something deep and maybe even a little dark.  For someone young and obsessed with witches and the writings of C.G. Jung she seemed like some sort of prophetess or seeress to me. 

The Seance by Rosaleen Norton

Later I learned her art was fueled by drugs, sex, and trying to commune with other powers, in particular Pan.  Sounds perfect to me.  

If The Seance grabbed me, then her Lilith cemented her in the pantheon of people that influenced my RPG writings.


Lilith

The Spinner by Rosaleen Norton

She does a lot of Jungian archetypes in her art and I use the same ones when I wrote my first books on witches.

Bacchanal by Rosaleen Norton

Firebird by Rosaleen Norton

Fohat by Rosaleen Norton

Her demon Fohat (above) was something of her personal demon or even a Jungian Animus. 

Black Magic

Norton art

Rosaleen Norton



Norton art

Norton art

Norton art

Interviewer: What would be the state of the world if evil ruled?
Roie: Exactly as it is now.

If I could, her art would be the covers for all my books.

"I came into this world bravely, and I will leave this world bravely."

- Last Words of Rosaleen Norton