Interview with Larry Elmore

[Michael Pfaff]

http://www.nerdlouisville.org/episode-1 ... re-part-1/

Part I Highlights:

Introductions
Legendary fantasy artist Larry Elmore
Born and raised in Kentucky
Baptist upbringing
College at Western Kentucky University
Vietnam, the lottery system, being drafted
Success of senior show fantasy art
Throwing away a get out of Vietnam card
The promise of becoming a tunnel rat
Escaping being sent to Vietnam with art
Drawing portraits of wives and girlfriends at Basic
Working on training aids at Fort Knox and Germany
Getting some work in National Lampoon and Heavy Metal
Being a leader of artists and hurting people’s feelings
“Manson and his family” introducing Larry to Dungeons & Dragons
Larry’s first game as a dwarf fighter — “Elrod the Red”
Where’s the board?
Having a Thief in the party
Larry’s interest in Fantasy
Frazetta’s impact on Larry
Sense of adventure and exploration
Larry’s life of crime
Getting into fantasy fiction, Conan the Barbarian, Lord of the Rings, etc.
Painting fantasy covers that don’t match the actual book
“If the book sucks, the cover should suck too!”
Coming up with a signature
Getting published and getting work in fantasy art
Turning down TSR originally and then…
Being hired at TSR, the original publishers of Dungeons & Dragons

http://www.nerdlouisville.org/episode-1 ... re-part-2/

Part II Highlights:

Getting Jeff Easley hired and meeting Keith Parkinson
The art department’s D&D campaign
Working with the game designers at TSR
How fun it was working at the place that made D&D
The woes of management at TSR
Doing freelance during Larry’s time at TSR
Designing Dragonlance!
The fight for Dragonlance when Greyhawk was the primary setting of D&D
Celtic influence on Larry’s work and Dragonlance
Character design and using character models
Preordained and fate
Playing in the woods as a kid; adventure and excitement
You can’t “out Frazetta” Frazetta
Not being able to do the AD&D covers
The slew of non-D&D freelance work Larry has done; Thundercats, etc.
Surviving on 3 hours of sleep and finally having a stroke
The heavy mental strain of freelancing
Being known but not rich
Being obsessed with art and painting

Part 3 forthcoming.