DAVID TRAMPIER AND THE MONSTER MANUAL
It wasn’t really tattoo style, but it had a graphic, woodcut look to it
“In the early ’80s there was a lot of artistic inspiration to choose from, but Dungeons & Dragons was absolutely one of the big ones for me,” says Tony. “The art wasn’t as slick and professional as the Frazetta, Hildebrandt or Vallejo imagery that dominated back then. D&D had an abundance of pen and ink drawings, and I thought, ‘Maybe I could draw that!’”
One of Tony’s favourites was David Trampier. His work featured in numerous D&D modules, especially in the 1977 Monster Manual. “He did this iconic drawing of a fire giant. Even by today’s standards, it’s such an amazing piece,” explains Tony. “He did a great rendition of a goblin, and his pseudo-dragon is amazing. It’s this tiny dragon looking out a window, but there is storytelling there. He used heavy, thick lines. It wasn’t really tattoo style, but it had a graphic, woodcut look to it. My guess is that he was influenced by underground comics.”