The British fantasy illustrator Wayne Reynolds has painted a set of eight monsters to feature on stamps issued by the Royal Mail to commemorate 50 years of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Although conceived in the United States by Gary Gygax in 1974, the game has enjoyed enduring worldwide appeal and still has legions of players across the UK.
“I’ve played D&D since the early 80s and have had the privilege to illustrate many D&D books since the late 90s,” says Wayne. “Being asked to design the D&D stamps for Royal Mail was a massive honour. As a British artist, it was a wonderful opportunity to contribute artwork to something I consider an iconic institution, and I got to see it on a stamp!”
One of the things that has made D&D so popular over the years is undoubtedly its strange, genre-defying monsters. Appearing alongside the silhouette of King Charles III is original artwork by Wayne depicting a gelatinous cube, a mimic, a mind flayer, an owlbear, and the character Vecna – a lich king. Three further images were chosen from his existing D&D folio, which includes a red dragon, a beholder, and a displacer beast.
“I’d have to say that the mimic is my favourite on the basis that this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to illustrate that particular monster,” says Wayne. “Mimics assume the shape of everyday objects – mainly treasure chests – in an attempt to lure unsuspecting adventurers close so they can make a surprise attack with their many-fanged mouths. I even included the clasp and lock on the mimic because these creatures pay attention to detail.”
In addition, Wayne has painted a piece of key art to accompany some of the Royal Mail’s limited edition stamps. This forms a miniature sheet out of which stamps featuring key characters in the game can be peeled, including a Tiefling Rogue, human bard, halfling cleric, elf fighter, dwarf paladin, and Dragonborn wizard.
A whole variety of special edition sets of the D&D stamps can be purchased from the Royal Mail site, along with postcards of the artwork. Framed editions are available, and Wayne has signed some.
“My art is all hand-painted – pencil and acrylics on artboard – I don’t use any digital techniques at all,” says Wayne. “I start with a very loose sketch, which may just show an outline or form of what I will paint. I then start adding detail until I have a very precise sketch. The final stage is painting over the sketch with acrylic paint. I tend to work in detailed sections rather than painting the whole thing at once. I’m unsure if that’s good, but it works for me.”
The project had a deep personal resonance with Wayne. His father, Terry, was a keen stamp collector, but shortly after Wayne accepted the commission, Terry was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer.