Manticore

I used to be a game illustrator. This was long ago in another century, before role-playing games became video and computer extravaganzas. You had a book and a bunch of dice, and a game master who would present scenarios for your characters to fight through. The dice determined what happened in the action.

This illustration is for a game called "The Evil Ruins" which was published by Mayfair Games in 1983. In this scene the characters (here a dwarf warrior and an elven archer) are attacked in a black cave by a huge Manticore, which is a monster with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. It also has a spiked tail which can impale you if it connects.

I also did game art for a company called "Gamelords" in Maryland near DC. I'll try to find some of that art to show you later on. I'd love to do art for modern games, but the quality of videogaming art is far beyond what I can currently scratch out on Photoshop. Maybe someday I'll be good enough to be a game illustrator again. It would help if I actually played any of these games, but I regret to say I haven't. I don't have the time. I'm busy trying to improve my digital art skills.

"Manticore" is ink on Bristol board, about 10" x 8", fall 1983.