Episode 19 – Larry Elmore (Part 3)

Nerd Louisville sat down with legendary fantasy artist, Larry Elmore, for the podcast. We visited him at his home and studio in Leitchfield, KY. Larry was born in Louisville and holds a very special place in many nerds’ hearts for his evocative and immersive fantasy paintings. Larry is an incredibly gracious and kind host. He’s also a natural storyteller. Joe and I chatted with him for close to two hours, so we decided it’d be best to break this interview up into three parts. For the best art and art business related information view more here.

Part One chronicles Larry’s upbringing and beginnings as a fantasy artist. We end right as Larry is hired to TSR, the company that created the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.

In Party Two, Larry tells us about his time at TSR and working to become one of the best-known fantasy artists in the industry. He also tells us about freelancing, the physical toll it took on him, and his obsession with art.

In Part Three, Larry explains how he figured out the trick to freelancing, his success with Kickstarter, and new project he has in the pipe.

We hope you enjoy!

Part III Highlights:

• Figuring out how to freelance without killing yourself
• Digital tools for art and continuing to paint
• Collecting original works
• The evolution of Larry’s process for art
• Paiting at 100% instead of 70% and changing up style, experimenting
• SnarfQuest and “bigfoot” comics
• Self-publishing on Kickstarter and surpassing all expectations
• What’s “making it”?
• Nomination for HUGO Award
• Larry’s wife unfriending him on Facebook
• Keith Parkison and working together to get better
• Movies & CGI versus traditional art
• Breaking the traditional rules of cover art
• Earning your way up in D&D and the first Dragon Larry encountered in the game
• Inspiration for Joe’s favorite painting
• Larry’s website redesign and selling art online
• Mortality and painting
• Why Larry draws women more than men?
• A special new project where Larry wants to impact wisdom called Places of Power
• Writing more and publishing a book of stories

You can find some of Larry Elmore art at www.larryelmore.com.

The Crew:

• Mike Pfaff
• Joe Dunman

Intro / Outro music is The White of Noon by STRFKR, graciously provided by Polyvinyl Records.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:08 — )

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Episode 18 – Larry Elmore (Part 2)

Nerd Louisville sat down with legendary fantasy artist, Larry Elmore, for the podcast. We visited him at his home and studio in Leitchfield, KY. Larry was born in Louisville and holds a very special place in many nerds’ hearts for his evocative and immersive fantasy paintings. Larry is an incredibly gracious and kind host. He’s also a natural storyteller. Joe and I chatted with him for close to two hours, so we decided it’d be best to break this interview up into three parts.

Part One chronicles Larry’s upbringing and beginnings as a fantasy artist. We end right as Larry is hired to TSR, the company that created the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.

In Party Two, Larry tells us about his time at TSR and working to become one of the best-known fantasy artists in the industry. He also tells us about freelancing, the physical toll it took on him, and his obsession with art.

In Part Three, Larry explains how he figured out the trick to freelancing, his success with Kickstarter, and new project he has in the pipe.

We hope you enjoy!

Part II Highlights:

• Getting Jeff Easley hired and meeting Keith Parkinson
• The art department’s D&D campaign
• Working with the game designers at TSR
• How fun it was working at the place that made D&D
• The woes of management at TSR
• Doing freelance during Larry’s time at TSR
• Designing Dragonlance!
• The fight for Dragonlance when Greyhawk was the primary setting of D&D
• Celtic influence on Larry’s work and Dragonlance
• Character design and using character models
• Preordained and fate
• Playing in the woods as a kid; adventure and excitement
• You can’t “out Frazetta” Frazetta
• Not being able to do the AD&D covers
• The slew of non-D&D freelance work Larry has done; Thundercats, etc.
• Surviving on 3 hours of sleep and finally having a stroke
• The heavy mental strain of freelancing
• Being known but not rich
• Being obsessed with art and painting

You can find some of Larry Elmore art at www.larryelmore.com.

The Crew:

• Mike Pfaff
• Joe Dunman

Intro / Outro music is The White of Noon by STRFKR, graciously provided by Polyvinyl Records.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:52 — 34.7MB)

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Episode 17 – Larry Elmore (Part 1)

Nerd Louisville sat down with legendary fantasy artist, Larry Elmore, for the podcast. We visited him at his home and studio in Leitchfield, KY. Larry was born in Louisville and holds a very special place in many nerds’ hearts for his evocative and immersive fantasy paintings. Larry is an incredibly gracious and kind host. He’s also a natural storyteller. Joe and I chatted with him for close to two hours, so we decided it’d be best to break this interview up into three parts.

Part One chronicles Larry’s upbringing and beginnings as a fantasy artist. We end right as Larry is hired to TSR, the company that created the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.

In Party Two, Larry tells us about his time at TSR and working to become one of the best-known fantasy artists in the industry. He also tells us about freelancing, the physical toll it took on him, and his obsession with art.

In Part Three, Larry explains how he figured out the trick to freelancing, his success with Kickstarter, and new project he has in the pipe.

We hope you enjoy!

Part I Highlights:

• Introductions
• Legendary fantasy artist Larry Elmore
• Born and raised in Kentucky
• Baptist upbringing
• College at Western Kentucky University
• Vietnam, the lottery system, being drafted
• Success of senior show fantasy art
• Throwing away a get out of Vietnam card
• The promise of becoming a tunnel rat
• Escaping being sent to Vietnam with art
• Drawing portraits of wives and girlfriends at Basic
• Working on training aids at Fort Knox and Germany
• Getting some work in National Lampoon and Heavy Metal
• Being a leader of artists and hurting people’s feelings
• “Manson and his family” introducing Larry to Dungeons & Dragons
• Larry’s first game as a dwarf fighter — “Elrod the Red”
• Where’s the board?
• Having a Thief in the party
• Larry’s interest in Fantasy
• Frazetta’s impact on Larry
• Sense of adventure and exploration
• Larry’s life of crime
• Getting into fantasy fiction, Conan the Barbarian, Lord of the Rings, etc.
• Painting fantasy covers that don’t match the actual book
• “If the book sucks, the cover should suck too!”
• Coming up with a signature
• Getting published and getting work in fantasy art
• Turning down TSR originally and then…
• Being hired at TSR, the original publishers of Dungeons & Dragons

You can find some of Larry Elmore art at www.larryelmore.com.

The Crew:

• Mike Pfaff
• Joe Dunman

Intro / Outro music is The White of Noon by STRFKR, graciously provided by Polyvinyl Records.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:01 — 42.1MB)

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