Recreate history
Award-winning illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi conjures up a charismatic creature from his past to be painted anew, to see what he’s learned in 20 years of illustration
Tony DiTerlizzi conjures up the past.
Although many may know me from the books that I’ve written and illustrated for children, I began my career as a freelance artist working on games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Last year, Dark Horse Comics and Kitchen Sink Books released REALMS: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi, which collected the best of my early work.
Although I was happy to see some of these old images back in print again, I yearned to return to the fantastic characters that I drew way back when. I was curious to see how my technical ability had progressed over the 20 years that I’ve been illustrating professionally.
Tieflings are a race of half-fiends created for the RPG Planescape, and were showcased when the game debuted in 1994. These uncanny beings have remained popular ever since, having been featured in all subsequent editions of Dungeons & Dragons. My old drawings of the tiefling were the first ever to be published, so I wanted to revisit the subject for a formal portrait.
These annotations are from a 40-something artist with some years of experience behind a paintbrush, but still with much to learn. However, if I could go back in time to 20-something Tony, here are some the tips and tricks that I would suggest…