Robin Wood (artist)
Encyclopedia
Robin Wood is an American artist specializing in game art and fantasy. She is best known for her portraits of characters from Anne McCaffrey
's Dragonriders of Pern
series, the Robin Wood Tarot Deck and the cover art for several of Scott Cunningham
's books on neo-Paganism.
in 1976 with a degree in Special Education for the Visually Impaired. Her interest in fantasy and science fiction art stemmed from a visit to Detroit Triple Fanfair in 1972. After being a "convention
artist" for a number of years, she got her first professional commission in 1983 from Mayfair Games
to design the character cards for their Dragonriders of Pern
board game
. In 1984, Robin Wood met Anne McCaffrey
at a convention and in the following years, artist and author frequently exchanged their ideas about what the Pern characters
would really look like which subsequently led to the development of the book People of Pern published in 1988.
Aside from her Pern artwork, Robin Wood also did book covers for Dragon magazine
and Llewellyn Publishing
between 1985 and 1993 and designed a Tarot deck. Her career as an artist was interrupted in 1993 by illness, and in 1995 she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia
. This chronic condition forced her to quit doing artwork outside of computer-generated pieces. In early 2005, she was able to push the fibromyalgia into remission. Since then, she has started drawing again.
Robin Wood has also become heavily involved in content creation within the virtual world of Second Life
, creating a texture tutorial and library available within the game, and providing templates and other information on her own website.
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
's Dragonriders of Pern
Dragonriders of Pern
Dragonriders of Pern is a science fiction series written primarily by the late American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. The series comprises 22 novels and several short...
series, the Robin Wood Tarot Deck and the cover art for several of Scott Cunningham
Scott Cunningham
Scott Douglas Cunningham was a U.S. writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects....
's books on neo-Paganism.
Biography
Robin Wood graduated from Michigan State UniversityMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in 1976 with a degree in Special Education for the Visually Impaired. Her interest in fantasy and science fiction art stemmed from a visit to Detroit Triple Fanfair in 1972. After being a "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...
artist" for a number of years, she got her first professional commission in 1983 from Mayfair Games
Mayfair Games
Mayfair Games is a publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games. They also license German-style board games and publish them in English throughout the world...
to design the character cards for their Dragonriders of Pern
Dragonriders of Pern
Dragonriders of Pern is a science fiction series written primarily by the late American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. The series comprises 22 novels and several short...
board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
. In 1984, Robin Wood met Anne McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
at a convention and in the following years, artist and author frequently exchanged their ideas about what the Pern characters
Characters in Dragonriders of Pern
Characters in the Dragonriders of Pern series of science fiction novels by Anne McCaffrey.-AIVAS:An advanced computer called AIVAS...
would really look like which subsequently led to the development of the book People of Pern published in 1988.
Aside from her Pern artwork, Robin Wood also did book covers for 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 Llewellyn Publishing
Llewellyn Worldwide
Llewellyn Worldwide is a New Age publisher, currently based in Woodbury, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereby aiding in the quests of expanded human potential,...
between 1985 and 1993 and designed a Tarot deck. Her career as an artist was interrupted in 1993 by illness, and in 1995 she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and allodynia, a heightened and painful response to pressure. It is an example of a diagnosis of exclusion...
. This chronic condition forced her to quit doing artwork outside of computer-generated pieces. In early 2005, she was able to push the fibromyalgia into remission. Since then, she has started drawing again.
Robin Wood has also become heavily involved in content creation within the virtual world of Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
, creating a texture tutorial and library available within the game, and providing templates and other information on her own website.
External links
- Robin Wood's Homepage
- http://pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=2314