I have been creating fantasy and science fiction art for over 20 years. I worked as a staff artist for TSR, Inc. from 1981 to 1987. While at TSR, I helped set the standards of gaming art in the role-playing genre. Besides creating covers for Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D and other gaming books, I may be best known for my work with the world of Dragonlance. Since 1987, I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator, doing covers for comics, computer games, magazines, fantasy and science fiction books and many more projects too numerous to list here.

My time at TSR, Inc. is best exemplified on the covers of the DRAGONLANCE book series. Since then, I have worked for other publishers such as BAEN books, Bantam, Warner Books, ACE/Berkley, Doubleday, and Del Rey. I am also the co-author of "Runes of Autumn" and creator of the "Sovereign Stone" series. In the gaming and comic industries, I have freelanced for TSR, Inc, FASA, Mayfair Games, Game Designer’s Workshop, White Wolf, Iron Crown Enterprises, Dragon Magazine, Amazing Magazine, Wizard Press, D. C. Comics, First Comics, Eclipse Comics and Frank Frazetta’s Fantasy Illustrated. Miscellaneous credits include: LJN Toys, Mattel, Lucas Films, Tonka, Monogram Models, Western Publishing, Sony Entertainment’s Ever Quest, and various computer game covers.

Grant Cooley is a California born artist that is rising up from middle Tennessee. After graduating from MTSU with a Degree in Graphic Design and a focus in Illustration, he started up a freelance design/illustration company. From there he purchased a Comics and Games store in Murfreesboro, TN and focused his art talents on commission painting for wargame miniatures.

Five years later, the birth of his daughters and the inspiration of a colleague turned Grant's attention back to his true love: Book Illustration. With few credentials to his name, he nevertheless continues to march forward in an effort to share his visions with the rest of the world. Grant currently hosts a blog for aspiring artists and his work can be found at www.grandadventurescomics.com.

Ash Evans is the creator of things with horns, fur and wings living in the Charm City, Baltimore MD ,with her husband and menagerie of pets. Her mediums vary depending on her mood but she is proficient in: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, digital and mixed media. Her avid love for animals and fantasy seem to compliment each other well. Her use of color, unusual choices of subjects and mediums set her apart from the rest of the fantasy pack. Ash’s most popular creations to date are the adorably wicked Purrsnicketys, her magical dragon cats.

Ash plans on expanding that vision into a graphic novel. She collects unicorns and loves horseback riding.

www.ashevans.com

Sam Flegal has been fascinated by the strange and the macabre from a very young age. Fortunately for his budding morbid creativity, he was raised in a household that encouraged his interest in all things weird—Sam’s father was a magician and his mother a ventriloquist and clown. As a youth Sam often got in trouble at school for drawing what some of his teachers would call “dark creatures”; however, the encouragement of his friends and family far outweighed the discouragement of a few naysayers.

In December 2003 Sam graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, released out into the world to pursue his own strange art. Since that time Sam has vigorously summoned the dark creatures of his mind to make the unreal, tangible and the imagined, concrete.

Sam currently uses his strange imagination to help others realize their dreams of undeath through the power of Zombie Portraits (www.samflegal.com). Like a caricature from a dark carnival, Sam takes the living and brings out their inner dead. In addition, Sam helps writers and creators bring their visions of fantasy to reality through his strange art and illustration. Recently, Sam’s strange art has been featured in books from Alluria Publishing (www.alluriapublishing.com) and serve as the visual building blocks for the world of Gaeana (www.gaeana.com).

If you are interested in having a Zombie Portrait done of you or a loved one or if you are interested in hiring Sam Flegal as an illustrator, contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Christina Lynn Myers is an self-representing artist based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

She creates art of whimsy and fantasy featuring fairies, angels, mermaids, curious girls and fantastical creatures.

Her characters are bright and cheery, cute and mischievous. She works in a variety of media, but most predominantly in acrylics. The mermaid painting is titled "Underwater Friend."

Christina attended and studied painting, drawing and illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design and the School of Visual Arts.

She also holds a BS in Business Administration from Shorter College. Her art has been featured in numerous on-line publications and has sold her artworks to collectors worldwide.

Christina spends the majority of her time working on her art and running her business.

You can find her on-line at http://www.HeartsAFlutter.net or http://www.ChristinaLynnMyers.com

The violet-colored painting is titled "Violet Wings Get You Nowhere"

Kelly Smith was born in the foothills of South Carolina where she stills resides today. She can’t remember a time when she hasn’t been creating some form of art or another and she is usually not happy unless doing so. Mediums she uses include watercolors, ink, colored pencils and various others. And LOTS of glitter, of course!

Kelly draws her inspiration from many things, including the nature around her, myths, fairy tales and rock and roll music. She specializes in dark fantasy with a gothic, rock and roll flair to it.

Currently the Fantasy Art world is saturated with art that largely features female images-fairies and warrior babes, etc. Kelly’s goal is to provide more eye candy for the ladies! She strives to bring the men of your imaginations to life on paper! Some girls dream of a knight in shining armor, some can't resist the bad boys! Whether you wish for an angel or secretly desire a vampire, look for him in Kelly’s Fantasy Men Collection!

Kelly’s art has appeared in 3 books to date: Enchanted Artists; Visions of Atlantis, Faeries Through the Seasons and Imagine 2006.  You can view and purchase her art online at her website Moon Glow Haven http://www.moonglowhaven.com   or at her Etsy Shop www.MoonGlowHavenArt.etsy.com . In addition to art, you will now be able to purchase jewelry handcrafted by Kelly as well! She also sells on EBay occasionally under the user ID hippiechic567.

Kelly owns and maintains a forum (with the help of Carol Ochs and April Vansickle) for emerging artists: Fantasy Artists Emerging http://www.faeforum.com where artists of all levels of expertise are welcome.

Kelly’s goal is to one day soon be able to support herself and her loved ones by creating the art that she loves. For now, she will continue to amuse herself with her hobbies/weaknesses which include pretty long-haired boys, chocolate and 80 hair bands!

With humble beginnings in rural Kentucky, award winning artist Billy Tackett freelanced tirelessly for 12 years to receive international recognition as an accomplished artist and illustrator.  His numerous works include fine art paintings, portraits, and various other commercial illustrations.  His work has been showcased in publications such as Horrorhound Magazine and ImagineFX and his client list includes authors Shane Moore, Curt Siodmak, Richard Lupoff and Fran Friel, pro wrestler Jerry Lynn and death-rap musician Necro.

After publishing more than 200 book covers he created his signature piece, Zombie Sam, which gave birth to his Dead White & Blue series and has amassed a loyal fan base that transcends all genres and stereotypes.

In addition to creating art in his studio he also attends more than 20 events per year, most by invitation as Artist Guest of Honor, and has launched a line of apparel and merchandise featuring his art. His book, For the Love of Monsters is scheduled for release in early 2010 followed by his first graphic novel, Dead White & Blue Comics, shortly thereafter.

Avoid visiting www.BillyTackett.com if you suffer from heart problems, weak stomach, fear of the dark or a shortness of a sense of humor.

From the artist, "I am an artist based out of Atlanta, Georgia who grew up in a multicultural family.  I spent much of my life traveling as a military brat. It was overseas in Germany at a young age that I fell in love with my first taste of fantasy in the collected stories of the Grimms Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen.  I grew up with the dream that one day I might be able to follow in their footsteps and tell stories to awe and terrify future generations, to capture that sense of danger, triumph, and hidden magic.

I’ve woven my way through an education that includes three degrees, a BA in English, a BA in Studio Art, and a MA in Arts Administration. It seems I could never choose between my love of writing, of illustration, and for helping other artists.  Nowadays, I’m living my dream and hope to have my first illustrated book out in stores in December, with many more to come!"

April Robinson was born in Memphis, Tennessee but grew up in upstate New York and eventually spent 16 years in Florida before moving to Arkansas where she now resides. Her mother was a commercial artist and April started drawing at a young age.

One of her first memories is of drawing ghosts in purple crayon on every available surface in the house, walls, sheets, upright piano, etc. She then moved on to creating and illustrating books for her family. She sold my first piece of art in middle school, a pegasus she drew in study hall, to another student and soon after that parents started commissioning her to do art. Since then she has done commission work off and on, everything from abstracts to portraits, and when she had time the pieces she found more interesting and typically less conventional.

She worked in pencil for years but recently started painting after being commissioned to do a painting and now her apartment is almost overflowing with oil paintings in various stages of completion.

She currently lives in Little Rock, less than a mile from her daughter Shannon, who is also an artist.   April can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chris Hamer is an imaginative illustrator, painter, and sculptor who is driven by an incredible passion for self-expression through art. His works are often noted for their unique style. Chris has developed an innovative style that blends Modern Street art with Comic Books and Cartoons.

His use of vibrant colors and strong lines make his work an excellent choice for a wide range of projects and purposes. Chris is accomplished in using traditional methods as well as modern technique.

His sculptures have been featured in galleries and Comic book Conventions across the nation.  For more information on Chris please visit- www.urbnpop.com

I am often asked when I started drawing and painting. I have a vague memory as a child of suddenly realizing that it was much easier to bring a piece of paper to an adult to show them what I had created, rather than dragging them to the wall upon which I’d finger painted. Oddly enough, their responses to my work improved as well.

I am a Birmingham native, having been classically trained in Painting by Steve Cole at Birmingham Southern College. As well, I spent a summer as an apprentice to internationally known artist, Nall. My months working in Nall’s studio in Vence, France inspired a series of fantasy creatures (that many may refer to as “dragons”) that were inspired by the wonderful flora growing all along the hillside upon which we lived. With the skills gathered from my teachers, I have continued to produce art that is ever evolving, from the inks motivated by my love of Chinese calligraphy to the dragons that are the children of even the smallest of flowers.

After over a year of working with mentally ill clients all around Birmingham (and I do so enjoy my other passion: people), I was able to purchase a home with room to work and create. But, as neither psychology nor art are one to make a girl rich, I invited fellow artist, Kelli Hovanes of Silver Cicada Designs, to take up residency with me. We share a studio and, as she is a designer/sculpture/seamstress/McGuyver of Crafts, I have begun to think more and more in the realms of the third dimension. We have begun experimenting in cooperative works and have had the utmost pleasure playing off one another's dreams and ideas. So, I’ve not just been painting on paper, but developing skills in Henna, in collage, and in our newest projects, leather masks. This has us challenging our abilities, both technically and creatively, and we can’t wait for the next.

For more pieces and contact information, visit http://christinue.deviantart.com/

David LaRocca was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1980. As a child he developed a passionate interest in art that paralleled a growing fascination with fantasy, darkness and mystery.

LaRocca’s formal training began early and was fully realized when he received a Degree in 3D Animation in 2003. He has been working as a professional 2D and 3D artist for over 10 years in the Web Development, Animation and Video Game industries. In this time, he began illustrating his own worlds of fantasy and horror. The spectral, haunting quality of his paintings reflects his interest in the darker side of the human psyche.

It is no surprise that LaRocca finds inspiration in the works of artists in diverse media: musicians like Tool, authors like H.P. Lovecraft, and fellow illustrators like Brom and H.R. Giger. Like these artists, LaRocca is unafraid to explore the shadowy worlds of the mind without regard to the polite tastes of the mainstream. This gallery represents digital, traditional, and conceptual pieces from that exploration.

www.Cerebral-Art.com

Frank Amthor is a professional neuroscientist and amateur science fiction illustrator and writer.  His research on the visual nervous system and visual prostheses for the blind is motivated by ideas and images from his and others' science fiction imaginations. 

When not doing lab research at UAB he generates 3-D digital graphic images using programs like Bryce, which is also used for helping to design laboratory devices and neural implants. 

His graphics art has been used for several book and magazine covers, and has been exhibited at forums like DragonCon.  Most of the art is conventional science fiction, such as space and planetary scenes, with a few abstract and surreal pieces.  He has written a novella, and with his daughter Rachel Amthor, who is a medical student, several children & young adult illustrated stories in various pre-publication.  Mr. Amthor's Web site is located HERE (http://amthorfr-scifi-art.weebly.com/) as well as http://www.redbubble.com/people/amthorfr and ImageKind        

Georgiana is lifelong resident of Birmingham, Alabama. She was raised in stories of the Old South and ghost stories. As a child she had fondness for writing horror stories while other children were reading Dr. Seuss. Photography was a passion for her for most of her life starting with an old used 620 Brownie camera. In 2008 she had her first taste of working with Wet Plate Collodion photography and she never looked back.

Her favorite subjects to photograph are people.

Lyric was born and raised in the Deep South where she developed a passion for the darker side of art from her studies of old Southern cemeteries. She started out as a sketch artist and move to 19th Century Wet Plate Collodion photography after making a trek to New York to study with the legendary tintypist John Coffer.

Though Lyric mostly prefers dark subjects, some weekends find her alter ego near the battlefields of Civil War reenactments where she strikes the images of living historians.

Their Web site:  http://silverandcyanide.webs.com/

In his work, James Hill tries to explore and discover new worlds through different mediums, whether it be pencil or pen and ink, oil paint or spray paint. There are always new ways of doing things and new places to discover.

James is a graphic novel illustrator as well as a fantasy illustrator. He loves to explore new mediums and ways to achieve the look he wants for each of his pieces.

He is mostly self taught , learning by studying the paintings of such artists as Brom, Luis Royo, Frazetta and Billy Tackett.

James is currently finishing his run on the graphic novel adaptation of the movie "Yesterday Was a Lie," by James Kerwin. As well as finishing the graphic novel adaptation of "The Wererats Tale," based on the novel by Author Shane Moore. 

James Hill's Web site can be found: http://darkdaysartist.deviantart.com/

Jean Alexander is an artist/illustrator from Atlanta, GA. She has a BFA from the University of GA in Visual Arts/Illustration and is a member of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators and also Oil Painters of America. 

While a student at UGA, she was able to participate in the Study Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy, and has been trying to find a way to get back over there ever since! In addition to architectural illustration, Jean also paints commissioned artwork, including portraits, murals, and even the occasional  fresco. She works in oils, acrylics, and watercolor.

Jean is married to Bill, and has two sons, David and Ryan.

Her websites: www.artworksbyjean.com and www.architecturalrenderingatlanta.com   

As a child I played dress up and made a mess of myself in makeup.  Rather than grow out of it, I went to UAB for a degree in technical theatre and studio art.  As an Alabama native, I mix fine art with my redneck streak.  I have to have my hands on some sort of project or else I do something that will get me in trouble – like constructing a trebuchet and baiting it to fling the squirrels across the yard.

I would say most of my work is multimedia, and by that I really mean that I’ll work in any medium that I can get my dirty little hands on. I never know when I’ll need to know how to weld, spin yarn or throw clay.  I am driven to create.  It’s the most positive outlet I have found and I know the squirrels appreciate it.   

I have most recently delved back into leather working for my mask making.  One of the things that I enjoy most about theatre is the transformation.  It can be of a stage into a set, fabric into a costume, the audience throughout the production or of an actor into his character.  Time and again I have heard actors say that the character really doesn’t come completely to life until they put on their costume.  It is through this mindset that I have been drawn to making masks.  I love that a mask can both hide who you are and transform you into who you would like to be, or show a side of yourself you never let out.

After I graduated, life got in the way and rather than moving away and becoming a famous costumer I moved in with Linsey Martin so she won’t be living off ramen and potatoes while she finishes grad school. I drool over her watercolor and borrow her face paint when she isn’t looking.  With sharing a space has come the sharing of ideas and the creation of art.  

In my spare time I love to make my friends up as zombies and set them loose on the local villages, take pictures of people’s shoes and make clothes for my creepy Japanese ball-jointed doll.

http://silvercicada.deviantart.com/

http://silvercicadadesigns.com/

Nigel Sade was born on a bright and sunny day nearly to some, and exactly to others, 40 years after D-day. Some consider this meaningful whilst the rest laugh at those people, but I digress. He was raised in hell ... or rather Ohio but I don't want to split hairs. In a smallish county called Portage. As a child he could be found drawing on any surface he could make a mark on, and with all the moving security deposits were more like donations. In School this A.D.H.D. Toth wannabe (but with hands) was considered a bit strange by his peers, ... a malady that never left him as it turned out. As a teenager he was a rebellious youth, A Technicolored street Freak, delving into every aspect of art, from Drawing to painting to Music to Religion to Science to Philosophy in general.

Then there were the dark times ... the marriage! When his soul was crushed by evil and doubt. He Dreamt of being an artist but that was not a real job ... how could you feed a family with that pipe dream? However, In just 6 and a half long agonizing years it was over. On the Up side His torment was not without reward; He now has 2 lovely Spawn with which to explore life. Shortly after his divorce Nigel graduated college with a degree in Philosophy. So Armed with his freedom, his offspring, and an amazing ability to argue points that even he may not believe, he set out on the high seas of art! This was a joyous thing! There was much weirdness, art, travel, debauchery and Success. Stories were made and told. Now he Currently travel the amber waves of grain, questioning whatever reality he is presented with, chewing that up and spitting it out in the form of art. Then Nigel shows that art to the hapless masses in hopes that it moves them as much at it moved him to create it.

His art in form is Symbolism represented in either a realism fashion or Symbolic Abstracts, and in function it questions basic ideas we hold dear as a people. It is mostly driven by philosophical motifs and just plain old strangeness. Nigel's belief is that art should spur conversation, not just match ones curtains. Now you may ask, "What does all this have to do with piracy?"  Well, he was always a grungy, bandana wearin freak. His family was and is highly Piratical What with their last name Rogers all the family businesses are Jolly Roger this and Jolly Roger that ... Not to mention their propensity for Rum. So with his families' nautical background and the new Pirate craze, the public proclaimed him a pirate, and a pirate he was. Yet, having always loved pirates, one can say Nigel got peanut butter in his chocolate!

www.nigelsade.com