Todd Lockwood
Encyclopedia
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. His art has also appeared in books from Tor Books
, DAW Books
, and on magazine covers, including Satellite Orbit magazine in 1984-1985, Asimov's Science Fiction
, Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact, Realms of Fantasy
, Dragon Magazine
, and Dungeon Magazine.
. Lockwood received his education at the The Art Institute of Colorado, in Denver, Colorado
, graduating in 1981 with the award for "portfolio par excellence," and went to work immediately in the design and advertising world. Lockwood worked for a design agency for a year and a half, and won numerous awards in the Art Directors Club of New York's annual show. He then focused his career on illustration, doing freelance illustration for about fifteen years: "Coors
was one of my biggest clients... I could paint beer cans in my sleep. At one point I had some covers I had done for Satellite Orbit magazine. For years after that I was 'the satellite dish guy.' I came to really hate satellite dishes and beer cans. If I had ever had a painting with both a beer can and a satellite dish in it, my ad career would have been complete."
Lockwood was an avid Dungeons & Dragons
game player, and a fan of fantasy art. "I flipped when TSR started having really good art in their products... Jeff Easley
's stuff particularly interested me: so moody and fluid, so deft. Then Brom
came along and really blew my doors off." Lockwood decided to try fantasy and science-fiction illustration: "My first artistic influence, like so many in this field, was Frank Frazetta
. Later came Michael Whelan
, though I had some ad-world influences, too, particularly after I started art school. But I really wanted to be Michael Whelan." Lockwood first did some covers for Asimov's Science Fiction
magazine: "That was the beginning. I felt revived. I was finally painting things that interested me!"
In 1994, he attended Worldcon
, his first science fiction convention
, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, taking some of his Asimov's covers and some other work to show to artists and art directors in hopes of making contacts with people in the science fiction and fantasy publishing world. "It was a revelation! ... I met other artists and saw so much amazing work. I met Michael Whelan, who responded very favorably to the black and white work I had done, particularly Cerberus. I went home inspired and determined to do more and better work. I got more magazine work and started building a portfolio of published work in the field I had always wanted to be a part of." Lockwood began illustrating cards for Chaosium
and Phil Foglio
's XXXenophile
card game, and soon his friend David Martin
suggested him to an art director at TSR, the publisher of the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
. "I had sent TSR portfolios in the past, but now I had a real fantasy portfolio. The art director, Stephen Daniele
, gave me a bunch of character portraits for one of the Spellfire
decks, then some book covers for TSR. An opportunity to work for TSR full-time came along in 1996, and I jumped at it." In 1997, Wizards of the Coast
acquired the TSR properties and moved Lockwood and his family to Washington state, where he continued to work on the D&D line and on Magic: The Gathering
.
Lockwood produced art for the Ravenloft
, Forgotten Realms
, and Dragonlance
campaign settings, as well as cover art for novels based on the Forgotten Realms setting. His work is included in the book Masters of Dragonlance Art. Lockwood also became the Vice President of ASFA (the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists), which sponsored the Chesley Awards for fantasy art at the World Science Fiction Convention. In 1999, he helped to redefine the look of the Dungeons and Dragons game for the Third Edition release. In 2002, after Hasbro
bought Wizards of the Coast, Lockwood returned to freelancing.
He and his wife and three children reside in Washington state.
, including one for Artistic Achievement, two World Fantasy Art Show Award
s, and numerous other industry awards.
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, is an American artist specializing in 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...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
illustration. He is best known for his work on the 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...
Dungeons & Dragons
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...
, and for his covers for the books of R.A. Salvatore. His art has also appeared in books from Tor Books
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, DAW Books
DAW Books
DAW Books is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company therefore claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy." The first DAW Book published was...
, and on magazine covers, including Satellite Orbit magazine in 1984-1985, Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
, Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact, Realms of Fantasy
Realms of Fantasy
Realms of Fantasy is a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Damnation Books, which specializes in fantasy, nonfiction, and art. The magazine publishes short stories by some of the genre's most popular and most prominent authors...
, Dragon Magazine
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...
, and Dungeon Magazine.
Biography
Todd Lockwood was born in Boulder, ColoradoBoulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
. Lockwood received his education at the The Art Institute of Colorado, in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, graduating in 1981 with the award for "portfolio par excellence," and went to work immediately in the design and advertising world. Lockwood worked for a design agency for a year and a half, and won numerous awards in the Art Directors Club of New York's annual show. He then focused his career on illustration, doing freelance illustration for about fifteen years: "Coors
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...
was one of my biggest clients... I could paint beer cans in my sleep. At one point I had some covers I had done for Satellite Orbit magazine. For years after that I was 'the satellite dish guy.' I came to really hate satellite dishes and beer cans. If I had ever had a painting with both a beer can and a satellite dish in it, my ad career would have been complete."
Lockwood was an avid Dungeons & Dragons
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...
game player, and a fan of fantasy art. "I flipped when TSR started having really good art in their products... Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
's stuff particularly interested me: so moody and fluid, so deft. Then 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...
came along and really blew my doors off." Lockwood decided to try fantasy and science-fiction illustration: "My first artistic influence, like so many in this field, was Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media...
. Later came Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years he worked as an illustrator specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art...
, though I had some ad-world influences, too, particularly after I started art school. But I really wanted to be Michael Whelan." Lockwood first did some covers for Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
magazine: "That was the beginning. I felt revived. I was finally painting things that interested me!"
In 1994, he attended Worldcon
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
, his first science fiction convention
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, taking some of his Asimov's covers and some other work to show to artists and art directors in hopes of making contacts with people in the science fiction and fantasy publishing world. "It was a revelation! ... I met other artists and saw so much amazing work. I met Michael Whelan, who responded very favorably to the black and white work I had done, particularly Cerberus. I went home inspired and determined to do more and better work. I got more magazine work and started building a portfolio of published work in the field I had always wanted to be a part of." Lockwood began illustrating cards for Chaosium
Chaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
and Phil Foglio
Phil Foglio
Philip "Phil" Foglio is an American cartoonist and comic book artist best known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy work.-Early life and career:...
's XXXenophile
XXXenophile
XXXenophile is an American comic book series, published by Palliard Press and later Studio Foglio. It is an anthology of short, whimsical, erotic fantasy and science fiction stories, written and penciled by Phil Foglio. Each story is inked by a different artist.XXXenophile was originally...
card game, and soon his friend David Martin
David L. Martin
-Works:David Martin has produced interior illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons books since 1990, as well as cover art for Domains of Dread . He has also produced artwork for other games including Earthdawn and Shadowrun ....
suggested him to an art director at TSR, the publisher of the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
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...
. "I had sent TSR portfolios in the past, but now I had a real fantasy portfolio. The art director, Stephen Daniele
Stephen Daniele
-Works:Stephen Daniele has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1995, as well as cover art for Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs , the Dark Sun Campaign Setting , and Den of Thieves...
, gave me a bunch of character portraits for one of the Spellfire
Spellfire
Spellfire: Master the Magic is a collectible card game created by Tactical Studies Rules and based on their popular Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. The game first appeared in 1994, shortly after the introduction of Magic: The Gathering, and was created as a response to the success of...
decks, then some book covers for TSR. An opportunity to work for TSR full-time came along in 1996, and I jumped at it." In 1997, Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
acquired the TSR properties and moved Lockwood and his family to Washington state, where he continued to work on the D&D line and on 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...
.
Lockwood produced art for the 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...
, 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 Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
campaign settings, as well as cover art for novels based on the Forgotten Realms setting. His work is included in the book Masters of Dragonlance Art. Lockwood also became the Vice President of ASFA (the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists), which sponsored the Chesley Awards for fantasy art at the World Science Fiction Convention. In 1999, he helped to redefine the look of the Dungeons and Dragons game for the Third Edition release. In 2002, after Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
bought Wizards of the Coast, Lockwood returned to freelancing.
He and his wife and three children reside in Washington state.
Works
His first art book, Transitions: Art of Todd Lockwood, from the British publisher Chrysalis Books, was released in September 2003.Awards
His work has been honored with multiple appearances in Spectrum and the Communication Arts Illustration Annual, twelve Chesley AwardsChesley Awards
The Chesley Awards were established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists to recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later renamed to honor famed astronomical artist Chesley...
, including one for Artistic Achievement, two World Fantasy Art Show Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
s, and numerous other industry awards.
- 1995: World Fantasy Art Show AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
Best monocrome for Cerberus - 1996: World Fantasy Art Show Award Best monocrome for Kali
- 1996: Chesley AwardsChesley AwardsThe Chesley Awards were established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists to recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later renamed to honor famed astronomical artist Chesley...
Best Monochrome for Cerberus - 1997: Chesley Award Best Interior Illustration Death Loves Me, magazine Realms of FantasyRealms of FantasyRealms of Fantasy is a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Damnation Books, which specializes in fantasy, nonfiction, and art. The magazine publishes short stories by some of the genre's most popular and most prominent authors...
, June 1995 - 1998: Chesley Award Best Cover, for Black Dragon, magazine DragonDragon (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...
, August - 1999:Chesley Award Best Gaming Product, cover for Dragonlance 15th Anniversary Game Module
- 2001: Chesley Award 2001 Best Cover, for Swashbuckler, magazine Dragon, July 2000
- 2003: Chesley Award 2003 Best Cover Illustration, hardback book The Thousand Orcs for Wizards of the Coast
- 2003: Chesley Award 2003 Best Cover Illustration, Hellfire Dragon for the magazine Dragon, December 2002
- 2003: Chesley Award 2003 Best Gaming-Related Illustration, cover for City of the Spider QueenCity of the Spider QueenCity of the Spider Queen is an adventure module for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:...
, Dungeons & Dragons game module - 2004: Chesley Award 2004 Artistic Achievement
- 2004: Chesley Award 2004 Best Cover Illustration, paperback book Tangled Webs for Wizards of the Coast
- 2004: Chesley Award 2004 Best Interior Illustration Crossing Into Empire, for Realms of Fantasy magazine
- 2004: Chesley Award 2004 Best Gaming-Related Illustration Draconomicon, Dungeons & Dragons accessory for Wizards of the Coast