Hi guys. I'm at it again
After interviewing Paul Jaquays (and before Frank Mentzer, Gary Gygax - God bless him - and David Arneson) I'm gonna to interview the great Larry Elmore himself (amazing that Facebook thing!). I have prepared a list of questions but I'd like to ask for your advice and of course some more questions, assuming that mr. Elmore is amenabile to being so much questioned
. here is my first draft:
Larry Elmore is purely and simply one of the best fantasy artists ever and surely one of my favourites. Many, many gamers remember him for the great covers and artwork done for TSR Inc and, especially in Italy, for his amazing work on the Classic Dungeons & Dragons game (from Basic to Immortal boxed sets): his appearances in our country are always packed events and there is a very long line of fans of every age asking for an autograph or a drawing. I discovered Larry Elmore's wonderful talent when, in 1986, I bought my very first copy of the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (the famous ‘red box') and became a great fan of his work. It's a great honour and privilege being able to interview one of the Masters of Fantasy Art.
Q: as usual for our interviews, give us some background info about yourself -- age, studies, favourite pastimes (besides painting and drawing) and so on…
Q: perusing your biography published on Wikipedia, I noticed you grow up in Greyson County, Kentucky. What kind of community was at the time?
Q: when did you develop your love for drawing and painting? What were the artists that influenced you and gave you the impetus for creating art yourself?
Q: were your parents supportive of your decision to be an artist?
Q: you got your bachelor degree in 1971 for Fine Arts in 1971. Assuming there were no fantasy or science fiction classes and perhaps such subjects were somewhat underrated by teachers, what kind of pieces did you create at the time? Historical?
Q: in 1971 you were drafted in the US Army. How was your experience in the service?
Q: always in your Wikipedia biography I read that in 1973 you started working as an illustrator for the US government. What kind of art did you produce for Uncle Sam?
Q: you were published in the National Lampoon and in the Heavy Metal? What kind of pieces did you publish in such magazines? Did your collaboration last?
Q: it seems you were quite busy in the period, but nonetheless you managed to discover Dungeons & Dragons via a friend of yours. What was your first reaction to this amazing game with no boards?
Q: when did you submit some pieces of yours to TSR? How long the company took to contact you?
Q: did you start working for TSR as a contributor or an employee? Did they as you to move to Lake Geneva immediately?
Q: when did you become an employee of TSR? Did you start immediately to work on Dungeons & Dragons new edition, the one written by Frank Mentzer?
Q: did you have any personal contacts with the late Gary Gygax? What were your impressions of him?
Q: tell me something about the project that lead to the birth of the DragonLance saga. Were you involved from the beginning? Was your contribution besides truly fantastic art?
Q: another very interesting project of yours, one I truly love and loved even in the ‘80s when finding Dragon magazine in Italy was a real feat, is SnarfQuest. Did you start the epic adventures of Snarf the Zeetvah when still being a freelancer or after becoming a TSR employee?
Q: besides Dragonlance and the remake of Classic Dungeons & Dragons, in what other projects were you involved in?
Q: is true that TSR retained not the copyrights but the actual works artists created when being employed at the company and that the originals were returned, in part, only when Wizards of the Coast took over?
Q: in 1985 Gary Gygax was ousted from TSR and a new owner took over, Lorraine Dille Williams, noted in fan circles as the Dragon Lady and target of much scorn. Did you had any contacts with her? What kind of memories do you have of the Dragon Lady?
Q: in 1987 you left TSR to pursue a career as a freelance illustrator. Was your decision simply a desire to be your own boss, own everything you produced and to be able to choose the projects to work on or there were problems at the company that made you leave TSR?
Q: after leaving TSR, I remember you being involved with various game companies such as Imperium Games, Sovereign Press and Dynasty Presentations (where the great SnarfQuest was revived in the Games Unplugged magazine). What were your experiences working with these companies, especially Dynasty where Snarfquest got a new story compilation, a card game and a
d20 setting?
Q: your most impressive presentation on your official website (
www.larryelmore.com) list a great number of collaborations with many important fiction and videogame publishers. What is, in your opinion, the main difference in working with gaming and other kind of companies besides -- I assume -- being paid (much) better?
Q: you have a regular presence at various big conventions in the US and it seems that in recent years you started visiting European events too. Did you notice any significant differences between European and American fans?
Q: What one piece of fantasy art from another artist would you most like to have created yourself?
Q: reading your site, I notice you have art classes for young and aspiring artists. Why did you start such projects? Did you find any very promising talents?
Q: did you ever organize art classes in Europe?
Q: in 2003 you were on of the guests of honour at the Lucca Comics & Games convention, the first time (I guess) you were in Italy. During this great event there was an exhibit of various pieces of artwork of yours including the Extremely Famous Red Dragon for the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. How was your experience in Italy?
Q: Emanuele Vietina, convention coordinator for the Lucca Games convention, tells me there is an interesting backstory for this piece of art, something about not being seen in public for almost 20 years… Would you tell me (and to our readers) the story?
Q: after your first experience, you were back in Italy in 2008 -- of course at the Lucca Games convention -- where the late Gary Gygax was celebrated and remembered by many, many Italian fans. What were your feelings about Gary's passing? And how was your second experience in Italy?
Q: in what projects are you involved at the moment? Any chance to see a new Snarfquest book, perhaps collecting all the stories including the ones in Games Unplugged magazine?
Q: is there any chance to see you in Italy again in the future?
Q: thank you very much for your time. It was a privilege and a honour being able to interview you!
