Fred Fields
Encyclopedia
Fred Fields is an artist whose work has appeared largely in the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
from TSR
.
. He grew up in the small town of Burlington, Kentucky
. Fields wanted to be an artist since childhood: "I don't know that becoming an artist is a decision you can make... I've been drawing since before I can remember, and I started painting at age nine. I used to do all these monsters and stuff, and my mom was frankly a little concerned about it. Now that I'm making a living at it, I think mom's OK with it. My parents always encouraged me to draw and do what I wanted with it. They've always been 100% behind me." Fields attended the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, and moved to Chicago after graduation. He worked there for about a year in advertising, producing illustrations and concept sketches for both television commercials and print ads. He worked at Leo Burnett Advertising
in Chicago as a storyboard comp artist.
Fields continued painting on his own time, and began sending out samples of his work; Dragon
magazine was among the clients those who were interested in his work. Fields painted his first cover for Dragon in 1988, for issue #142. He applied to TSR
's art department soon after and was hired. "I went from freelancing, completely on my own, to sitting in a room with the likes of Clyde Caldwell
, Brom
, Tony Szczudlo, Robh Ruppel
, Dana Knutson
, Randy Post
, and Todd Lockwood
. I just sort of stopped and thought, 'Wow, I've arrived.'" Fields worked on scenes from worlds such as Forgotten Realms
, and even Ravenloft
, saying "It was fun donig the Gothic horror stuff. In some cases, I think I took it further than other artists. I put a lot more blood in there."
His work was represented in the 1996 collection The Art of TSR: Colossal Cards. Critic Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times
singled out Fields's work "Dragon Claw" as "stunning", and later named the collection as the year's "Best Trading Card Release Based on Fantasy Art". Archangel Entertainment released a book of his artwork in 1999, entitled The Art of Fred Fields.
In May 2010, artwork by Fields appeared as part of the "Lucid Daydreams" Exhibition at Gallery Provocateur in Chicago.
. His artwork has appeared on numerous D&D covers, such as Greyhawk Ruins
and Book of Artifacts
.
Fields has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering
collectible card game.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
from TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
.
Biography
Fred Fields was born in northern KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He grew up in the small town of Burlington, Kentucky
Burlington, Kentucky
Burlington is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,779, at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. Fields wanted to be an artist since childhood: "I don't know that becoming an artist is a decision you can make... I've been drawing since before I can remember, and I started painting at age nine. I used to do all these monsters and stuff, and my mom was frankly a little concerned about it. Now that I'm making a living at it, I think mom's OK with it. My parents always encouraged me to draw and do what I wanted with it. They've always been 100% behind me." Fields attended the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, and moved to Chicago after graduation. He worked there for about a year in advertising, producing illustrations and concept sketches for both television commercials and print ads. He worked at Leo Burnett Advertising
Leo Burnett Worldwide
Leo Burnett Worldwide is an American advertising company, created in 1935 by Leo Burnett. The company was opened in Chicago in 1935. In 1950 the company started its two first major advertising projects, for Kellogg’s and P&G....
in Chicago as a storyboard comp artist.
Fields continued painting on his own time, and began sending out samples of his work; Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine was among the clients those who were interested in his work. Fields painted his first cover for Dragon in 1988, for issue #142. He applied to TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
's art department soon after and was hired. "I went from freelancing, completely on my own, to sitting in a room with the likes of Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell is an American artist. Self described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters.-Early life:...
, Brom
Gerald Brom
Gerald Brom is an American gothic fantasy artist and illustrator, known for his work in role-playing games, novels, and comics.-Early life:Brom was born March 9, 1965, in Albany, Georgia. As the son of a U.S...
, Tony Szczudlo, Robh Ruppel
Robh Ruppel
Robh Ruppel is an artist best known for his work on role-playing game products. Critic Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times has referred to him as a "horror genius".- Early life :...
, Dana Knutson
Dana Knutson
-Career:Dana Knutson has had a long career as an artist on role-playing games. He worked at FASA Corporation for 10 years, producing art on numerous works for their Star Trek and Shadowrun RPGs. He came to work for TSR in 1993 to produce artwork for the Dungeons & Dragons game, initially largely...
, Randy Post
Randy Post
-Background:Randy Post was born September 28, 1968 in Davenport, Iowa, the oldest of two children. Post was born in the Quad Cities area of Illinois. He was raised in rural Illinois on a very small farm. Being fairly isolated allowed Randy's imagination to soar...
, and Todd Lockwood
Todd Lockwood
Todd Wills Lockwood, born in Boulder, Colorado, is an American artist specializing in fantasy and science fiction illustration. He is best known for his work on the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and for his covers for the books of R.A. Salvatore...
. I just sort of stopped and thought, 'Wow, I've arrived.'" Fields worked on scenes from worlds such as Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, and even Ravenloft
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
, saying "It was fun donig the Gothic horror stuff. In some cases, I think I took it further than other artists. I put a lot more blood in there."
His work was represented in the 1996 collection The Art of TSR: Colossal Cards. Critic Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
singled out Fields's work "Dragon Claw" as "stunning", and later named the collection as the year's "Best Trading Card Release Based on Fantasy Art". Archangel Entertainment released a book of his artwork in 1999, entitled The Art of Fred Fields.
In May 2010, artwork by Fields appeared as part of the "Lucid Daydreams" Exhibition at Gallery Provocateur in Chicago.
Works
Fred Fields has had his art appear in various Dungeons & Dragons game books and their associated novels throughout the 1990s, as well as in other games such as ShadowrunShadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
. His artwork has appeared on numerous D&D covers, such as Greyhawk Ruins
Greyhawk Ruins
Greyhawk Ruins is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published in 1990 by TSR, Inc...
and Book of Artifacts
Book of Artifacts
The Book of Artifacts is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book, published by TSR, Inc. in 1993, details 50 different artifacts, special magic items found within the game at the Dungeon Master's...
.
Fields has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
collectible card game.