RALPH HORSLEY
How a childhood of playing D&D led to a successful art career
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background as an artist. Where did you start, and what got you into it?
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I found the world and stories I created on the page an easy place to inhabit. Initially those worlds were inspired by films, or military history. The big influences were reading Lord of the Rings when I was 11, followed by my friend’s Basic Dungeons and Dragons (the blue book) he got for his 13th birthday. We were hooked and then my drawings revolved around the actions and adventures of our characters.
I studied art at school, started contributing pictures to roleplaying fanzines, and then created my own, but for the young man growing up in the small town of Kendal in England’s Lake District, the prospect of a career illustrating roleplaying games was as fantastical as the games themselves. So I left home at 18 to study English Literature and Librarianship at university in Aberystwyth.
Three years later I was still producing my ‘zine, and had received my first professional illustration job contributing work to one of the short-lived RPG magazines that popped up in the late 1980s. That commission, combined with a rapidly declining interest in becoming a
librarian, made me decide to try a career in art after all. Maybe if I’d had the objectivity to realise how poor my skill set was I wouldn’t have embarked down that route, but stubbornness and determination provided the fuel to teach myself, and develop those skills.
Do you play D&D yourself and if so what’s the appeal to you?
I have played D&D enthusiastically from my early teens. I was also inspired to play other role playing games, leading to creating my own systems and campaigns. Now I am far more likely to be found playing the Lords of Waterdeep board game rather than D&D itself.
D&D has a long history for artists, as well as gamers. How has it shaped your creative process and aesthetics?
Where to begin! It has shaped it massively. Firstly as a teen when it influenced the content of my art by focusing it within the fantasy genre, and introduced me to the inked linework of AD&D, causing me to ditch my pencil in favour of a dip pen.
As a developing commercial artist it was the quality benchmark to aim for, and Wizards Of The Coast the aspirational company to be hired by.
Once hired I have been fortunate to receive a broad range of commissions that have developed my abilities and honed my process: character and monster design concepts, mass battle scenes, weird magical effects, maps and charts, miniature designs, and book covers. I feel very fortunate for the opportunities and assignments D&D has given me.
When creating art for D&D, what inspires you? What’s your relationship to D&D from an artist’s perspective?
I am inspired by my peers, and those who preceded us, but the main inspiration is a simple love of the game itself, and an ability to tap back into my teenage enthusiasm. Thinking about the characters and monsters I illustrate as part of the games I’ve played. What kit would my fighter have? Okay, so this picture better include that fall-back dagger, special pouch for potions, oh, and a robust scroll case that can help resist against fireballs… D&D deserves huge credit for directing and shaping my career.
What is it about fantasy art, and D&D in particular, that you enjoy the most? As either an artist or as a consumer?
The clue is in the title – it is fantasy! It depicts the world of our imagination. A world unbounded from the mundane that can take you in any direction, allowing you to create and paint anything.
Engrained within it is a heroic quality. The combat is toe-to-toe, the monsters appear overwhelming, the quests near impossible, the villains writ large.
Aesthetically I also find the costuming, armour and weaponry far more appealing than anything contemporary. Give me a sword over a gun any day.
What changes have you seen in fantasy art over the years?
The content has matured greatly and better reflects the real world and its values. There is a far stronger awareness of the importance of representation as well as the power of the imagery.
Fantasy art also has a far broader appeal and greater presence. D&D is now a household name, similarly the fantasy worlds like those of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and World of Warcraft are global phenomenon. Consequently there is far more fantasy art out there. They say a rising tide raises all boats and I believe that to be very true of fantasy art. More artists are producing work in the genre, and that has had the effect of levelling up the quality across the board.