LARRY ELMORE :: Biography

Larry Elmore grew up in Grayson County in midwestern Kentucky. His rural school did not offer an art program, and Larry was a self-described "pretty bad student" who preferred hot rods over studying, and frequently got into trouble for drawing in class. “The rural school I attended didn’t have any art program, so I spent my time drawing-and daydreaming. I was a pretty bad student. ... I was always getting into trouble for drawing in class. I wish I had a quarter for every drawing of mine a teacher destroyed.”He majored in art at Western Kentucky University, explaining "I didn't think I could do anything else." Although fantasy art was not a line of study at the time, Larry knew that he wanted to work in a field different from the norm. It was the Celts and Celtic influence that led him into fantasy artwork. In 1971 he received his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, married and was drafted into the army all within 4 months. After the army in 1973, Larry began his career in art, working as an illustrator for the United States government, and then married his wife Betty. In the late 70s he was first published commercially, getting his art published freelance in National Lampoon and Heavy Metal magazines.

One of Elmore's friends introduced him to the Dungeons & Dragons game while he was freelancing; this friend was planning to send some art submissions to Dragon Magazine and wanted Elmore to do the same. “I had enough freelance work at the time, and wasn’t really interested, but the guy kept it up, and finally I sent a few pieces along with his submission.” Elmore joined the staff of TSR, Inc., the producers of Dungeons & Dragons, and has done covers for adventure modules, game books, and novels, as well as paintings for posters and calendars and more. Elmore created the SnarfQuest comic which appeared in Dragon, and was also in charge of creating a look for the Dragonlance saga, and did much of the early sketches for the series. Elmore moved to Lake Geneva, WI, and while at TSR, he played a key role in developing a completely new look for the products - a look that carried over into the rest of the role-playing game industry. His covers on the Dragonlance series helped put these books on the bestsellers lists. Besides creating covers for Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D and other gaming books, he may be best known for his work with the world of Dragonlance. Since 1987, he has been working as a freelance illustrator, doing covers for comics, computer games, magazines, fantasy and science fiction books. Elmore has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game. He also provided cover art for the MMORPG EverQuest.