Dungeons and Dragons artist dies

David Sutherland, an artist whose work appeared in various Dungeons and Dragons rule books, has died. He was 56 years old.

Sutherland passed away at his home in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., on June 6 from chronic liver failure.

Although he remained faceless to Dungeons and Dragons players, a generation of gamers grew up with Sutherland's otherworldly images in the 1970s and '80s.

Perhaps his best-known illustration is the one that appeared on the cover of the first Dungeons and Dragons set.

A simple composition, it shows a wand-waving magic user and a knight, his longbow drawn, squaring off against a dragon who sits la Smaug from The Hobbit atop a vast pile of gold coins and jewels.

Sutherland's clean, expressive artwork helped players picture their own imaginary "campaigns," as the ongoing games of Dungeons and Dragons were called.

Working at the company Tactical Studies Rules under the game's co-inventor, Gary Gygax, Sutherland was part of a team of illustrators that produced pictures of battles and monsters.

His fellow artists included Erol Otis, Darlene Pekul, David Trampier and others.

Sutherland's work also appeared on the cover of the Dungeon Masters Guide, the book used by the referee who would oversee each gaming session.

He also did the cover for the Monster Manual, the compendium of foes that players fought for treasure.

A Minneapolis native, Sutherland trained as a commercial artist before going to Vietnam to serve as a military policeman. After his return, he launched a career as a fantasy artist while working odd jobs.

Eventually, a university professor involved in developing Dungeons and Dragons put him in touch with TSR, the Wisconsin firm that emerged as the dominant publisher of role-playing games.

Sutherland also served as TSR's artistic director, but preferred working on his own art.

Sutherland's career stalled after Wizards of the Coast, another gaming concern, bought TSR in the late 1990s and did not rehire him. He recently divorced, and was reportedly still upset at the dissolution of his marriage when he died.

An auction of Sutherland memorabilia was held last year, raising $22,000 US that was used to set up a trust fund for his two daughters. He is also survived by his mother, a sister and a brother.

Following a visitation, Sutherland will receive a military burial on June 22 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.