Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons Kickstarter is Live
The art of Dungeons & Dragons has been inspiring us for decades. Whether it’s the iconic image of a Viking warrior battling a dragon from the classic beginner box or the more modern depiction of heroes facing off with powerful giants or even just a favorite image from the Monster Manual, these images have shaped the way that all of us approach and play the game. Every picture tells a story, but every picture also has a story behind it, an artist’s vision that we rarely get to see or hear about. Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons is an upcoming documentary that will let us see that vision and hear those stories, and it’s being funded on Kickstarter as I write.
Behold the art of Dungeons & Dragons
Co-produced by Cavegirl Productions, producers of the award-winning fantasy series The Broken Continent, and X-Ray Films, the creator of Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys, Eye of the Beholder is a feature-length documentary that explores the history, influence and stories behind Dungeons & Dragons artwork and profiles not only the artists but also the game designers, authors and fans who took inspiration from it. Filmmakers Kelley Slagle, Brian Stillman and Seth Polansky have spent the last three years conducting interviews with some of D&D’s biggest artists past and present to make sure that Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons is the best inside look at the art of Dungeons & Dragons that it can possibly be.
I got the chance to ask Brian Stillman some questions about his inspiration for the film and learned that Eye of the Beholder is the result of a lifelong passion for D&D’s artwork.
“I spent as much time flipping through the books to look at the art as I did to learn the rules. These weren’t just gaming books, they were art books.” – Brian Stillman, talking about his early experiences with D&D
The classic Paladin in Hell illustration appears in the first edition Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. [Art by David C. Sutherland III]
When I asked about Brian’s favorite pieces of D&D art, he showed enthusiasm for and an impressive knowledge of the work.
“As a kid, I was always fascinated by David Sutherland III’s ‘Paladin in Hell’ from the first edition Player’s Handbook. It’s a wonderfully rendered black and white illustration of a paladin fending off a horde of devils. I was always struck by what a noble, but terribly lonely, struggle that must be.”
The whole conversation was great and I saw that the creators were devoted gamers, fans of the hobby who wanted to share their love of this part of the hobby with other gamers.
And really that’s the most exciting thing about Eye of the Beholder for me. It’s nerdy gamers talking about nerdy gamer stuff. It’s looking at this hobby that I love and showing its culture in a way that honors not only the contributions of the creators but also the passion of the players who whose lives have been influenced by this art. It’s shining a light on parts of the gaming hobby that can easily be missed and it’s showing the art of Dungeons & Dragons the way it deserves to be seen, as positive and significant pieces of history.
I’m excited about this documentary and I want you to get excited about it too, so go check it out on Kickstarter here, or on its official website, here. Also check out some of the other work by Cavegirl Productions and X-Ray Films on their websites.
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