Larry Elmore

            Larry Elmore is an American artist who specialized in fantasy art. He was born on August 5, 1948 in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended Western Kentucky University, where he had majored in art. He then was drafted and stationed in Germany. After serving his contract, he became an illustrator for the government but then quickly switched to freelance work. He has illustrated for many popular fantasy-themed games, most well known for the games Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Everquest, and etc. He has also released his own book Reflections of Myth and writes his own comic strip Snarfquest.

            In Elmore’s piece “Basic D&D The Red Dragon”, you see a Viking warrior in battle with a large red dragon. They appear to be within the ruins of castle, with a sea of gold coins and antiques beneath the dragon. The long-haired warrior sporting a horned helmet, fur, and metal armor strikes his gleaming sword against the fangs of the dragon. The curiously one-horned dragon bears diamond shaped scales and a pair of ruby eyes with slit pupils. This is one of the most iconic pieces for the game Dungeons and Dragons, and rightfully so as it is a classic depiction of what one would imagine battling a dragon would be like.

            In his piece “Dragons of Deceits”, a knight on the back of a dragon can be seen next to a mage. The knight has long flowing hair and wields a large sword. The two-horned dragon is bright red with a pointed face framed with spikes. The wizard is aged, wears a pointed hat, and is gripping a long staff. They are surrounded by greenery with rolling hills behind them. This is another classic scene with classic character class types depicted beautifully in this picture. It is interesting that this piece’s name is Dragons of Deceit, adding a possible imagining of this work. I’d like to think that the dragon in capture eventually earns the trust of the knight to turn on him at the end, freeing itself.

            In the painting titled “Through the Dragon Pass”, a party comprised of different fantasy character types trek through a mountain riding a horse, woolly mammoths, and a dragon with wolves following by their side. The character on the left is a hooded silver-haired woman riding a horse with a large ornate sword. The character on the right is a blonde blue-skinned woman riding behind two woolly mammoths with a long wooden spear. In the middle, a woman knight wielding a flame sword rides the back of a wide winged skinny red dragon on its hind legs. Surrounding them is snow and large stone statues of dragons. I personally love the concept, as it is a group of strong intimidating women on a quest together. Also, it is a very intricately detailed scene in fantasy, with the stone dragon statues at the sides of the picture being a wonderful additive feature.

            In “The Last Dragon Mage”, you see a female mage standing in front of an emerald dragon. The mage has long black hair, is adorned in Native American clothing. The dragon behind her is bright green with two horns and spikes framing its face. They both are overlooking the kingdom, with mountains and a castle in the distance. I thought this was an interesting character design, with a clear distinction of both ethnicity and character class. I also love how you can see the clear connection between the dragon and the woman, as they bear the same color scheme and mirror each other’s facial features and body language.

            Lastly, “The Dragon Lady” is a bare sketch of the side profiles of a dragon and a woman. The woman is dark-skinned with pointed ears and half corn-rowed hair pulled back with a crown of spikes. The dragon has a long face and short fangs, and mirrors the lady’s crown with many spiked features of it’s own. This is my favorite picture as the simplicity of it really highlights the symmetry of features between the woman and the dragon, not to mention the delicate details Elmore implements in the two.

            Overall, Larry Elmore follows our art gallery’s vision as he depicts dragons in the most classic European-American form. They are also iconic as they are showcased everywhere in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Elmore clearly puts much care and close attention to detail in not only his design of dragons but also the fantasy setting surrounding it. Game designer Graeme Davis best puts it: “[Larry Elmore] should get some kind of award for drawing so many dragons and making them all different.” A long-standing forefront runner of the fantasy illustration industry, Elmore stands proud as one of the most notable illustrators of dragons.