Tony DiTerlizzi's Blog, page 2
May 29, 2024
Behind The ‘Monstrous Manual’: PART 1
It has been eons since I wrote a new blog post. In fact, it was two presidents and a pandemic ago since I’ve added anything new. Wow.
I still love sharing what I am up to…but over the years, social media has come to replace posts like this. Most of us read little snippets of text as we scroll through an endless stream of media. I’ve adapted the best I can in supplying interesting tidbits, which is fun…but the result is that ongoing threads are scattered into the four winds of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter X and YouTube. That in mind, I will attempt to gather these loose threads and post them here as complete articles.
One subject that I’m particularly excited to share with you is (surprise) my illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons.
Why? This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Best Role-Playing Game of All Time. And last year was the 30th anniversary of my Big Illustration Debut, with 1993’s boxed set adventure, Dragon Mountain followed by the first-colorized edition of the Monstrous Manual. Since then, I’ve periodically dusted off my old D&D drawings to share sketches and stories of how some of my monster illustrations came to be. And so I’m collecting what I’ve posted over the past few years, along with additional context and more behind-the-scenes stories.
1992: the year before the monstrous ManualAs a recent art school graduate, in spring of 1992, I returned home and sent out portfolio submissions to book publishers, magazines, film studios and, eventually, TSR–creators of all things D&D. I received countless rejections from all, including TSR…but, through persistence, I was eventually hired to illustrate an epic deluxe adventure titled, Dragon Mountain that November.
I’ve often recounted how little I knew as an illustrator when I worked on Dragon Mountain. I must also point out how little I had as well, especially with regard to materials. Therefore the color illustrations for Dragon Mountain, like the Monstrous Manual, were accomplished in leftover art school supplies: ballpoint pens, colored pencils and alcohol-based art markers (a few surviving originals seen here ) rendered on loose sheets of bond paper.
Why bond paper? Well, the thinner the paper weight, the more you can saturate it with pigment from the markers, as well as add rubbing alcohol to blend colors. You can see how the blending worked when we take a peek at the backside of the Displacer Beast:
This rendering technique was similar to what I’d done for advertisement comps and other quick color sketches during my years at art school. To further the blending effect, I’d fill in areas with my secret weapon: pastel pencils. Below is the set I’ve had since art school, used on the Monstrous Manual, Planescape, the Spiderwick Field Guide and .
Now, TSR art director, Peggy Cooper, had not seen a whole lot of my color work. If I recall, there was only one color sample in my submission, but I used my marker technique in Dragon Mountain for the color inserts and the miniature game pieces (more on those game pieces later).
As I said, my work on Dragon Mountain was amateurish. Looking back, I was overwhelmed at the size of the job while anxiously trying to impress Peggy and the team at TSR. What I needed to do was impress myself. That self-discipline would start with the Monstrous Manual. Speaking of, it was the monsters that I’d illustrated for the Dragon Mountain monster compendium that caught the eye of TSR game designer, Tim Beach.
I don’t keep a journal or a diary but I have many sketchbooks that chronicle creative periods throughout my life. In April of 1992, I’d begun sketching characters and monsters from D&D that would eventually be redrawn and refined to become my first art submission to TSR. These sketches were not in a single sketchbook but, instead; drawn on sheets of paper, scraps of graph paper from gaming sessions, and even restaurant napkins. I was doodling D&D in evenings after work and on weekends during game play. I was obsessed.
By the end of that summer, I’d collected these loose sketches and taped them into an 8.5 x 11″ horizontally-bound sketchbook. I distressed the cover and even glued strips of leather to it in an attempt to give the illusion of medieval binding (whatever that was). This became my scrapbook of preparatory sketches for D&D and was already about 1/3 full by the time I sent off my first submission to TSR late in September. While I anxiously awaited a response, I spent my free time copying text from the 1989 AD&D Monstrous Compendium to accompany my drawings. It was as if I was assembling some fantastic tome–done in the spirit of Brian Froud and Alan Lee’s Faeries–while dreaming of one day becoming an artist who worked for TSR.
But, wait, you say. There’s finished art on these spreads, right from the Monstrous Manual. True. The following year I went back and added those color laser prints throughout to show the connection between these early sketches and the final artwork. Why? Well, because I took a crazy chance early in 1993 when that game designer I mentioned earlier, Tim Beach, gave me a call.
Do you want to get paid to draw monsters?Tim was intrigued by my artistic approach for Dragon Mountain as well as my initial art submission to TSR. As he would later recount in the book REALMS: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi:
“I was coordinating efforts on the ‘AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual’ and getting ready to create an art order when TSR’s art director, Peggy Cooper, showed me a portfolio she had received from Tony. He had taken a published adventure (one I had written, coincidentally) and replaced the artwork with his own pieces to show how they would look in a finished book.
I noticed and appreciated Tony’s unusual style, but one piece in particular caught my eye: Medusa with her snakes pulled back in a ponytail–an original take on an image with literally thousands of years of history. We added Tony to the artist list, and I assigned him several monsters that I felt would benefit from his style.”
Tim asked if I’d ever drawn any other monsters from D&D beyond these samples. I promised I’d show him exactly what I’d sketched the following day. He sounded excited as we hung up, probably expecting a pile of faxes from me (it was the ’90s, after all) but instead, on his desk the next morning was my coveted D&D sketchbook.
Tim called immediately, wanting to assign the entire Monstrous Manual to me! But time was not on our side. The deadline for the book to go to press was fast approaching. On Tuesday, February 2, 1993, the day after I turned in the last pieces for Dragon Mountain, Tim ordered 100 illustrations(!) with a focus on certain monster types: humanoids, fey-folk, lycanthropes and aberrations.
All artwork was due on March 23, 1993.
I had a A LOT of drawing to do–two finished pieces a day, to be exact. (This scenario continued into Planescape, but that’s another story.)
The Big Book of MonstersRight before I dropped my sketchbook in a FedEx box and sent it off to Tim, I quickly numbered the pages. That way, if he wanted to refer to a certain sketch we’d both have a point of reference. Was I glad I did so.
My sketchbook returned home from TSR, packed with my contract, reference sheets (mostly from the Monstrous Compendium) and notations from Tim. He approved sketches right out of my sketchbook allowing me to proceed to finished illustrations! It was a little break in what would become a marathon of illustration.
*by the way, in the photo below, a yellow strikethrough meant the sketch was completed, and a red strikethrough meant the final art was completed. This was a quick way to keep tabs on how close I was to completing the assignment.
I was 23 years-old and getting paid to draw my favorite subject matter. I was fired up, ready to show Tim, Peggy and the whole TSR team what I could really do.
In coming posts, I will share with you some of my favorite D&D illustrations. I’ve dug up sketches, reference material, rejected artwork and much more. So join me as we journey behind the Monstrous Manual!
COMING UP NEXT: Part 2: Humanoids!
December 18, 2017
Never Abandon Imagination: The Fantastical Art of Tony DiTerlizzi
If you’ve been following me on social media for the past year, you know that in November I celebrated the opening of a retrospective exhibition at The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
To say that the experience was surreal would be an understatement. Having grown up copying Rockwell’s iconic images, it is an amazing experience just to stand in the presence of his original oil paintings, let alone hang alongside them. Several of his most beloved images (like “Triple Self-Portrait” and “No Swimming”) are interspersed with my drawings of dragons, fairies and other monsters.
Speaking of monsters, this exhibition marks the first time Dungeons & Dragons art has hung in a museum. This is a milestone I am proud to reach (but frankly, I would LOVE to see a show dedicated to the history of the game) and was doubly proud to share the opening events with folks that I worked with from that early part of my career.
Fellow artists, writers, editors, game designers, teachers, family and friends also joined in the opening festivities. Most importantly, the event was open to the public allowing fans to attend. This meant so much to have all my favorite people in one place to celebrate this accomplishment. Your support through kind thoughts and cheerful letters have encouraged me for the past 25 years and will fuel me to continue for another 25.
Of course, the exhibition showcases art from my many children’s books, including The Spider & The Fly, Kenny and The Dragon, the WondLa trilogy and The Spiderwick Chronicles. There are interactive features which allow you to dive deeper into my influences as well as see how I created the artwork for the WondLa books.
On top of that, I created an installation piece in the form of a 8 x 10′ mobile swarming with hundreds of fairies. I painted new depictions of sprites from Spiderwick, D&D and even Tinsel–the Christmas fairy from my upcoming picture book, The Broken Ornament. Each fairy was printed on a thin sheet of clear plastic then hung from twisted willow branches.
This installation was an aspect of the show I was especially excited about. I wanted to create something unique for the museum. I also painted a new piece for the exhibition poster and helped design the 100-page catalog.
If you could not make the opening, fear not, for I will be attending monthly events at the museum throughout the duration of the show. I’ve added details to a few upcoming events with additional dates to follow. I hope to see you there.
Have a wonderful holiday season. Here’s to a happy 2018!
July 11, 2017
San Diego Comic-Con Schedule
Who else is attending SDCC? Here’s my schedule of events. I’m really excited to discuss heroes with comics legend Frank Miller, give away free exhibition posters (yes, the one I am currently painting), tour the Laika Studios exhibition and hang out with a couple of my favorite booksellers. I hope to see you there!
July 4, 2017
Welcome to the NEW DiTerlizzi Website!
Its hard to believe its been over 20 years since this site launched. Over the last two decades it has been amazing to watch the growth of the internet and how it has shaped our world.
My early online presence is due to Jim Gaynor, who was a computer specialist at Ohio State University back in 1995. Jim was also a fan of my illustrations for the role-playing game, Changeling, so he created a fan page dedicated to the game’s fairy-inspired art. We soon became fast friends. By 1996, Jim switched his focus to my newly purchased website, which he updated frequently over a dial-up connection.
Jim volunteered his time or traded it for original artwork. As my career in gaming expanded and my dreams of creating children’s books started to become a reality, it was obvious I was going to need a dedicated web designer. Frank Rust took over Jim’s responsibilities and streamlined the site by introducing the Adobe Flash plugin, which allowed for simple rollover animation–like an automatic slideshow of new releases on the home page. That was handy because, in a just a few years, my children’s books were soon being released at breakneck speed. Quite often I’d announce multiple projects at once.
Frank also created a dedicated Jimmy Zangwow site and “Ted’s Playground”. Both highlighted my first two picture books and offered free downloadable activities, like coloring pages. Nowadays, it seems pretty commonplace for these sorts of features on a website, but in the early 2000s it was cutting edge.
As the site neared its 10th birthday and The Spiderwick Chronicles grew in popularity, I commissioned a complete website redesign. I worked with the wildly inventive Anthony Salimbene, who gathered my various book characters into an online “Imaginopolis”. It also featured a slew of silly introductory videos, usually of me, acting like an idiot.
I began blogging in 2007 and merged my blog into yet a another redesign of the site in 2011. For the first time since the site’s creation I was able to write articles about any and every thing without having to send material through my web designer.
Hoping to inspire a new generation of storytellers I shared my artistic process along with books and toys that had influenced me.
As the popularity of blogs waned in the surge of social media, I decided to rethink the site once again. I’d been working as a professional illustrator for nearly 25 years and longed to create a site that celebrated and acknowledged all of my fans, both past and present.
Website wizard, Deena Warner, has done just that. She’s crafted this new website that allows you to view my artwork, larger than ever, on your desktop or mobile device. We’ve collected all the free fun stuff and downloadable activities that I have offered over the years and put them in one place so you can easily browse, grab and go. There are even links to purchase my books, game supplements, apparel and other licensed goodies. So revisit some old friends, check out my latest projects and–most of all–have fun!
Thank you for visiting DiTerlizzi.com for over 20 years. Here’s to another 20!
January 13, 2017
Happy New Year!
I know the site looks like a ghost town. I haven’t updated it in almost a year. Fear not, I am in the process of a new design for the site which I am planning on relaunching very soon. In the meantime, I do have some newsy bits I’d love to share:
2016 marked the 150th birthday of beloved children’s book author & illustrator, Beatrix Potter. To celebrate, a gaggle of illustrators have re-imagined their favorite woodland characters. I was honored to be among those contributing and rendered the amphibious angler, Jeremy Fisher, purchasing a new bobber for his next outing. A Celebration of Beatrix Potter is now available in bookstores everywhere.
Also available in bookstores is The Complete WondLa Trilogy, now in paperback. I love hearing that readers, young and old, are enjoying the adventures of the intrepid Eva Nine. For my fans in Brazil, the Portuguese edition of the third book A Batalha por WondLa finally hits shelves this month.
As for any updates on the WondLa film all I can say at this time is that we have a script and an amazing director who has been meeting with movie studios. The producers have created some tantalizing pre-production art showing how my linear illustrations would look when rendered in a live-action film with CGI effects. Hopefully we’ll have more news to share on this very soon.
For the book collectors reading this, you may be interested in the limited edition sketchbook I published for last fall’s Lucca Comics & Games convention. To my delight, the interest for this title was such that I expanded the initial print run and offered it to my favorite specialty bookshops Stuart Ng Books and Bud Plant’s Art Books, both of which ship internationally.
If you could not attend Lucca, or last year’s Gen Con gaming convention, Noble Knight Games offers most of my limited editions that I have created. And, yes, Noble Knight ships internationally as well.
Ever wondered what my work space looks like? The January issue of ImagineFX magazine has a feature on my studio and all the clutter I’ve hoarded in it over the years.
Speaking of magazines, there is a new title that we love in the DiTerlizzi household called Illustoria, aimed at creative kids and parents. And hey, the second issue has an interview with yours truly. I miss that ringer tee that I’m wearing in my old school photo, but at least now I can sport an official The Spider & The Fly tee from Out of Print:
Phew! I hope that is enough fun stuff to enjoy over the winter. If you are inclined to venture out, I will be doing a couple of events in New England including a presentation and signing with Diary of a Wimpy Kid author, Jeff Kinney.
Happy New Year! I promise I’ll be posting more soon.
May 9, 2016
George R.R. Martin & Tony DiTerlizzi: The Minds & Processes That Build Fantasy Worlds
Fast Company magazine recorded a conversation with Game of Thrones creator, George R.R. Martin, and myself on fantastical world building, creative process and finding inspiration.
Thanks to Chuck Salter, George (and Raya), Jim Ludwig and the staff at the Jean Cocteau Cinema for capturing this moment. The event at the Cocteau was a fun and memorable event. Many thanks to all the readers, young and old, who attended. I hope to visit again soon!
January 27, 2016
Special Event hosted by George R.R. Martin
I’m super excited to announce my first event for the new year!
On March 1st I’ll be at the Jean Cocteau Cinema for a special night of art, film, Q&A and book signing–hosted by Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin.
Join us in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico for an unforgettable evening of fantastic storytelling. I’ll have prints, player character sheets, books and miniatures for sale. Seats are limited, so reserve your spot. The details are here.
December 9, 2015
DiTerlizzi Masterworks Miniature Line Now Available!
Dark Sword Miniatures has released all the figurines in the “DiTerlizzi Masterworks” line just in time for the holidays!
As I mentioned earlier this year, these figures were inspired by both new and old unpublished drawings – although some have since been featured in Realms. Longtime fans may also recognize some personalities from my Player Character Sheets, which debuted at Gen Con back in 2000 and were redesigned and re-released this year. Here is Dark Sword owner, Jim Ludwig, and I talking about the line (and being silly):
Below are some photos of some of my favorite figures (painted by Jessica Rich and Aaron Lovejoy).
Hans the Loner, human rogue.
Ari, the birdman (or kenku)
Ash Firefeather, elven mage.
The Herbalist, human druid.
Yip, the kobold.
Elle Lind, human paladin.
Grolsch, dwarven warrior.
Grug, goblin warrior.
Hobgoblin warrior of the Sutherlands.
Orc of the Otus clan.
…and my lovely model for “Portrait of a Young Tielfling” with her pet couerls (or displacer beasts). The tiefling and many more miniatures are available in select hobby shops or direct from Dark Sword Miniatures. Jim and his team have been busy working away on some larger spectacular new pieces that will be revealed very soon, so check back for more news…
October 15, 2015
Jack-o’-Lantern Parade 2015
The leaves are changing color. There’s a chill in the air. We’ve placed a cluster of pumpkins on our doorstep, stretched a giant spiderweb across the porch railing and hung rubber bats and spiders from our porch roof. Now its time to decorate for Halloween inside.
I loved the old wall-hangings that adorned my classroom walls back in grade school (especially ones involving brass fasteners). I’ve offered coloring pages in the past, as well as color-n-make characters–like Ms. Fly– from The Spider and The Fly (follow the link and scroll down to download the entire cast).
This year, I’d like to share with you colorized versions of my Jack-o-Lanterns done in a vintage Halloween palette. Each image is 11×14″, so you should be able to get a nice-sized print from each. Click each thumbnail for a hi-res image.
Send me pics if you hang them up and Happy Halloween!
August 6, 2015
Gen Con Wrap Up
This time last week the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis was jammed full of 60,000+ gamers and I was happy to be among them.
I haven’t attended “The Best Four days of Gaming” in over a decade and was delighted to see how it had grown in numbers of attendees and game companies. Our family loves to play board games and I was delighted that there were so many to choose from. (We’ve been playing Rumble in the Dungeon every day since our return home).
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I created all sorts of new gaming goodies to feature at my booth along with copious copies of REALMS.
I was thrilled to reunite with old fans and meet new ones. I drew and signed hundreds of books, prints and portfolios over the four days.
Below are some photo highlights from the DiTerlizzi booth:
That’s me and Jim Ludwig (owner of Dark Sword Miniatures) geeking out over Jessica Rich’s painted samples of the “DiTerlizzi Masterworks” mini line, scheduled for release this fall. I can’t wait to game with these little guys!
Cosplayer Clare came dressed as the “Portrait of a Young Tiefling” complete with pet Displacer Beast! The tag on his collar revealed his name as “Thaco”. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Speaking of cool stuffies, Angela purchased this Owlbear muppet for me from the folks at The Puppet Forge. It is two of my favorite things mashed together in one awesome ball of foam, fleece and fake fur.
We had plenty of visitors at our booth, including this Drow Elf. I had no idea my books were popular in the Underdark.
This Shambling Mound (or is it Man Thing?) shuffled over to say hi to Ang. (There was no fire at our booth so he felt comfortable.)
While we are talking of monsters, this is Tim Beach. He was the Project Developer at TSR responsible for hiring me to work on the AD&D Monstrous Manual back in 1993: a book which certainly changed the course of my career as an illustrator.
…and this is another person who changed my career. This is Peter Adkison, founder of Wizards of the Coast and publisher of the card game, Magic: the Gathering.
This is David LaForce, also known as “Diesel”. He’s helped run the Gen Con Art Show for years and is one of the original illustrators for Dungeons & Dragons. Here’s a favorite from the AD&D Dungeonmaster’s Guide:
Not all visitors were necessarily game designers. Here’s Holly Conrad (“Commander Holly”) getting her copy of The Planewalker’s Handbook signed while I flip over her Lady of Pain tattoo:
In fact, there were a few tattoos that were shared at our booth. Holly’s Lady of Pain brought out longtime fan, Ian’s:
…which inspired another fan to show off her AD&D sylph (from my rendition in the Monstrous Manual):
My favorite tat was displayed on another longtime DiTerlizzi fan, Randy, who has been rocking Mr. Moon (from Jimmy Zangwow) since the book was published in 2000!
I was honored and humbled by the many visitors to our booth who came by to shake my hand and share thier stories. By far, my favorite visitors for Gen Con this year were these two guys:
The fella on the right is Rob, whom I have known since 2nd grade. He loaned me his AD&D Monster Manual back in 1982 to copy pictures from and we often hung out and painted minis while obsessing over all things D&D. The guy in the middle is Mike. After graduating art school in 1992, he encouraged me back into gaming and to send samples to TSR. I dedicated REALMS to both of them and was super-psyched to have them join me at Gen Con–for their first time!
Many thanks to the organizers of Gen Con for having me back and featuring me as Guest of Honor. It was an amazing moment for me, Angela and my friends. For those who traveled far to visit us, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. For those who could not attend, we are working on offering some of the overstock at an online store. I’ll post news of it once we sort it out. In the meantime, I’m off to another round of Rumble in the Dungeon.
