ImagineFX

DAVID TRAMPIER AND THE MONSTER MANUAL

-

It wasn’t really tattoo style, but it had a graphic, woodcut look to it

“In the early ’80s there was a lot of artistic inspiratio­n to choose from, but Dungeons & Dragons was absolutely one of the big ones for me,” says Tony. “The art wasn’t as slick and profession­al as the Frazetta, Hildebrand­t or Vallejo imagery that dominated back then. D&D had an abundance of pen and ink drawings, and I thought, ‘Maybe I could draw that!’”

One of Tony’s favourites was David Trampier. His work featured in numerous D&D modules, especially in the 1977 Monster Manual. “He did this iconic drawing of a fire giant. Even by today’s standards, it’s such an amazing piece,” explains Tony. “He did a great rendition of a goblin, and his pseudo-dragon is amazing. It’s this tiny dragon looking out a window, but there is storytelli­ng there. He used heavy, thick lines. It wasn’t really tattoo style, but it had a graphic, woodcut look to it. My guess is that he was influenced by undergroun­d comics.”

?? ?? FIRE GIANT US artist David Trampier’s fire giant featured in the 1977 Monster Manual, as well as other early D&D rulebooks.
FIRE GIANT US artist David Trampier’s fire giant featured in the 1977 Monster Manual, as well as other early D&D rulebooks.
?? ?? PSYONIC CAT The thick line work of David Trampier’s displacer beast made an impact on Tony early on.
PSYONIC CAT The thick line work of David Trampier’s displacer beast made an impact on Tony early on.
?? ?? ACCURATE REPLICATIO­N Copying David Trampier’s artwork is one of the ways Tony honed his skills, before developing his own style.
ACCURATE REPLICATIO­N Copying David Trampier’s artwork is one of the ways Tony honed his skills, before developing his own style.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia