The Dungeons and Dragons Art Life

How I became an RPG Artist

(The extremely short version)

It was January 2013 when I got the Facebook message. Or at least, that's when I think it was.
Luke Gygax, son of Gary Gygax creator of Dungeons and Dragons, sent me a message asking if I could contribute any images to his first adventure module he was trying to get done for GaryCon V (iirc).
There was something about a bear pooping in the woods. I was pretty fresh to digital art and had how-to videos rolling most of the time I was working from home.
The artwork in that module was just terrible. I had never shot anything directly to print before. Much of it was too dark, anatomically terrible, or just not what I would consider print-worthy today. It was enough to get the wheels rolling though. I was working on art 8 hours a day after coming home from my new office job, that also required 8 hours a day (Plus an hour and a half of driving).

I went all in and attended GaryCon. It was at great expense, maxing out a credit card, eating baloney and cheese in the hotel room that I was sharing, all to get there with a portfolio of images.

I was rewarded with Frank Mentzer, one of the early founders of D&D, thumbing the portfolio within the first few minutes. Since that moment Frank has been a vocal supporter of what I do.
It was at that Con I met many of my connections that have kept me going. Zach Glazar from Lesser Gnome had an idea, a basic module plot, and a commissioned piece from Jeff Dee. He was in dire need of an artist. He missed breakfast that morning and got stuck looking at what I had. Many other friends were made, games played, and art shared.

A month or so later Zach needed a small map, then in trickled the needs. I wasn't the best, but I decided from the beginning that what was needed was to be on time. Every time a deadline came, I made sure to beat it.
I started to get a bit better with each piece. I also began to take the idea of my teen age dream of illustrating fantasy RPGs seriously.

Lesser Gnome ended up entering the market after a super kickstarter with a full on old school box set. Many lessons were learned by everyone. I picked up some new tools and we showed up at GaryCon VI with our new products. Almost a year later I went to telecommuting my office job to keep up, then shortly after to no office job to keep up.

The client list has grown, I was a guest at North Texas RPG Con This year, shared a room with my childhood art Hero Jeff Easley, and have made MANY fast friends doing exactly what I love.

I have been extremely grateful all along this journey, but I have made many sacrifices and have worked at improving myself and my art like a tireless animal. My immediate family has been supportive, and every month brings a nervous moment of making sure the rent is paid.

My own Webstore is always growing with products and these seem like the days of unveiling the dreams. Just waiting for the veil to come all the way off to see what is under there!

Every year I am invited back to illustrate for Luke. We go to Lake Geneva and pay homage to Gary and meet with all our friends. Texas is also on my list every year. The friends and support I have found there cannot be beat.

This short article leaves out the working in the cold basement in Maine, our move to Florida, the many struggles and challenges we faced, and new clients I met. I have lost count of how many times my work has been published in less than 2 years. I am not sure there even is a recipe to follow or share about my journey. It seems like a long string of hard work and accidental friendships.

Now in my down time, when I find some, I produce and print my own Role Playing Game Adventures compatible with the old school AD&D model. Oil paintings don't linger around long before they sell and ship out the door. I am truly humbled by all the support, and I wake up eager every day to improve my work in some way.

Game - on.
Lloyd Metcalf
http://LMetcalf.com

Get some Respite while you can!

Got Respite?

Soon there will be no Respite at all!

Roadside Respite is selling out fast. The first 50 copies will be bagged, signed and numbered.
The collectible type of Mod you want. Many folks are scooping up two at a time. One to play, and one to collect!

Direct from the artist Frank Mentzer advises "Buy his work now while you can afford it, I have an eye for artists to watch."

Don't miss the chance to get your bony fingers on one of the first 50 copies off the press!

http://lmetcalf.com/shop/?post_type=product&p=153

Some of you may have seen 'The Bogey of Swindle' My Mini Mod adventure I created with Ian Graham. Well, those were pretty popular.

The trial run was worth a shot, and we have decided to launch 'Mini Mods' A series of 3 short adventures.
We already have 2 of the 3 written. I have used some of the Kickstarter funds from the greeting card project to help get them moving. I have brought on a professional writer to help us out.... and yes, there is a kickstarter to get them made.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lmetcalf/rpg-mini-mods-role-playing-games-mini-modules
Help us fund Mini Mod adventures. Short one off adventure quests written for unprepared GMs, or side quests, red herrings, or just to add depth to your campaign world.
If you can't back or support I hope you will help spread the word. We are very excited to be part of the new generation of RPG game creators.

The Bogey of Swindle

Faster than expected, 'The Bogey of Swindle' Sold out. 3 things.
1) I Will re-order a print run 2) There is a Kick starter coming up in July / August to support more Mini-Mods 3) You can still grab a .pdf to play through for a couple of bucks.
http://lmetcalf.com/shop/?products_categories=adventures

Bird of a Feather

New Module From Lesser Gnome!

As many folks know Lesser Gnome is one of my main outlets of illustration. Zach and John have written another addition to the world and I have had the honor of illustrating it from front to back.
Alyssa Faden was again recruited to do the overland map, and it comes with a mini!
The Mini included is the Rhacos, similar to an Axe Beak, but generally much more 'Fabulous'.
for more work check the website http://www.lmetcalf.com

To get your module:

http://lessergnome.com/product/bird-of-a-feather-a-thopas-short-1st-print-pre-order/

RPG and Fantasy greeting cards from original art

Fantasy and RPG Greeting Cards

By Lesser Gnome’s Art Goblin
Lloyd Metcalf

This Kickstarter which has nearly hit its base funding level right out of the gate has plenty of room to grow.

The goal of the project is to create, and make available two greeting card designs from original works of art by illustrator Lloyd Metcalf. Once funded the cards will be available at conventions wherever he goes, and hopefully will be available online.

Lloyd is working with the experienced Kickstarters of Lesser Gnome to plan logistics and resources to deliver on time.

 Work has already begun on an original 18x24 oil painting on canvas entitled, “The Druid Casts Entangle” specifically for this project. At $1200 funding level both card designs will be created from oil paintings. Stretch goals include a number of FREE 5x7 prints of digital work from the past. Don’t miss your opportunity to get in now while original art is still affordable and on its way to becoming rapidly collectible.  There are a number of game designers and publishers working with this artist now and over the past year printing his work everywhere.
Clients include: Lesser Gnome, Frog God Games, Luke Gygax and Jim Ward, Center Stage Miniatures, North Texas RPG con, and a number of private collectors.
Through this Kickstarter you can acquire an original oil painting, pen and ink art, and even commission a piece for yourself where the artist works directly with you to illustrate your personal RPG character or scene.

Get in NOW!! Kickstarter ends on March 5^th, 2014
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lmetcalf/fantasy-rpg-greeting-cards

Does Illustration Matter?

If you think maybe Art doesn't sell, and has no effect on your printed book, game module, or product, think again.

Ask a Dungeons and Dragons player to describe in detail a mind flayer, Goblin or beholder and they can use any book they like.
While they talk watch what happens. Their eyes do not scan the page for words, not the paragraph on the subject, not the place-holder in the text.... but an image, a piece of art is where their attention rests.
The gamer will dart his eyes down and up well over a dozen or more times to get through about 10 sentences of descriptive language.
He / she is not reading text, they are looking at the illustration that interpreted the text. They recognized the section they needed that held the monster in the text by recognizing the artwork.
The more engaging the artwork, the more engaging you will find the description become.

Why is it important to game and fantasy writers to try this?
In the web design world it's what we might consider a usability study of a page. Just to sit aside, and record where a visitor looks, what they read, and where they click.
Without directing a reader and user of your product let them have a round of the text without art and it becomes apparent as you sit at the table what happens. Quietly play through your module as someone else is reading and presenting without art. Don't interrupt, don't re-describe your vision for encounters. You won't be sitting at every table after you publish.
The game changes dramatically with no art, and even different artistic interpretations of the exact same text will change the game. Just pop in a couple stick drawings in the text, all with round heads and funny faces, an play through again, it will be a new game.


If I type the name Kitiara, or Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Raistlin etc.... do you immediately recall passages of text from the great writers who created the names, or are you conjuring first artwork of Larry Elmore and his interpretations of dragons and hourglass eyes?
Make no mistake, Weis and Hickman were the creators of those characters, breathed life into them, made them talk, feel and interact with the world, but when someone thinks of those characters, they are thinking in Elmore imagery before they talk.

Now think of the importance of Rich "Uncle" Pennybags to sales of a product. Don't recognize the name in type? What if I said "The Monopoly Man" who looks like J P Morgan? How important is that little piece of art to sales? How many millions of times has that drawing been reproduced and printed? He is an American Icon. Sadly, no one really knows who the original artist was.

How much impact can a little illustration have on people?
Fred Mizen, an artist / illustrator in 1930 who managed to get a one off job painting a sign for a department store to pay his bills.
Oh, you don't don't know the name?
That's ok, most people don't and I had to google it myself.

Describe to yourself, or your kids Santa Clause.

You just described Fred Mizens interpretation, and you possibly have described it to children many times over. Fred Painted the first modern Santa that was rotund, jolly, wearing a red suit.... and... drinking a Coke over the worlds largest soda fountain. Prior to that he was smaller, occasionally gaunt, elf like, a little scary and paranormal. The Saturday evening Post, and later Macy's printed Freds art, and the world was changed.

When an illustration appears in text it is referred to in description, big deal!! Big deal indeed. Especially in Fred's case, and that of role-playing games and fantasy. In these situations it is left to the responsibility of one person describing to others how something or someone looks, what the mood of their setting is, how they interact with the world and how to relate to them. one person tells others.
When the others read that text, the imagery used to describe that scenario is reproduced when they look at the text. They will likely re-tell it again, continuing to use the image they see, their past experiences with it (described from another looking at the art), and the new things they see on closer inspection will be added.
Retold to 3 to 5 people a dozen times using a single image and a certain "expectation" becomes solidified as how something should look. How would you react to a waif thin, sunken eyed, elf draped in animal furs sneaking into your house? That would be the old Santa, not Raistlin sneaking into your bedroom.

So buy art for your writing, buy it often, and consider the value and impact it will have. Treat your artists well and they will strive to make sure your product lives in the memory of people for the long run. They will happily associate their images with your brilliant writing. Slapping in the wrong art, or no art, or even worse... MS office CLIP ART (yes, I have seen it).. will get your product passed over by the readers regardless of the writing quality.

~Lloyd M