I have always been a voracious reader. One of the first fantasy series that had a huge impact on me was the Dragonlance chronicles. I remember diving into the library on a five minute time schedule, looking for any new Dragonlance books that had come in.

Larry Elmore's paintings of the Heroes had a major impact on me... though I don't think I realized it for a long time. I remember copying his drawings of the main characters over and over. I still have sketchbooks with some of my early drawings of the Heroes of the Lance--from middle school.

Of all the heroes, Raistlin was my favorite. He was mysterious and sarcastic and complicated and I adored him. I cried so hard the night I finished the last of the Legends trilogy--I felt like my best friend had died.

I'm no longer such a Dragonlance fan... at least not of the new books. The original chronicles still hold a special place in my heart. And it's been many many years since I last drew any of the characters. But after Dragon*con last weekend, and getting a chance to talk to Larry Elmore, I was obsessed with drawing Raistlin again. It was all I could think about the whole way home.

So here you go, some Raistlin fan art. If you're a fan yourself, you may even recognize the scene. Bonus points if you can tell me what's happening in the background.

My only regret with this painting is that with his head tilted down and him looking at the book, it's hard to see his hourglass eyes. They are there, though.

Raistlin is ©Weis and Hickman, Wizards of the Coast

No I don't do prints of fan art.