Erol Otus: Freaking Gamers Out Since 1976
To my knowledge, this creature does not appear in any Monster Manual, ever. Thank god.
Artist Erol Otus’ singular style was an integral part of Dungeons & Dragons in the early years of 1st Edition. Rather than aim for the verisimilitude of a Fields or an Elmore, or the idealized heroes of a Brom or a Frazetta, Otus created surrealist depictions of the fantasy worlds in our imaginations. They bordered on “whimsical,” but usually settled firmly on “weird” with a heady blend of “delightfully creepy.”
Matt Staggs has a great interview with Otus over at Tor.com, which touches on the artist’s style and inspirations, as well as his history with D&D (he’s not a just a painter, he’s a gamer). Incidentally, Matt is overseeing the gaming column for the resurrected Realms of Fantasy Magazine, which is certainly worth some attention. A magazine full of fantasy short stories delivered to my house every month? Sign me up.
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May 1st, 2009 8:39 AM
My friend has been talking about this guy all week– synchronicity, huh?