Meredith Dillman is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

artist and illustrator from Minnesota who specializes in

fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

and

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

paintings. She has published multiple art books and illustrated the covers and interiors of art books and novels.

Biography

Training and influences

Dillman graduated from the

Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...

with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

in 2002, and part of her time studying was spent in Japan. Her works have been partially inspired by

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

. She has stated her influences include

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and other Asian influences, and the

Pre-Raphaelite movement The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

, as well as

and

s she enjoyed as a child.

Personal life

Dillman was born and raised in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. She now lives in Wisconsin, along with two cats and her husband.

Works

Dillman has illustrated the covers and interiors of a number of different

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

s, and art instruction works. While most of her works are created in

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

, she also uses acrylics and pen-and-ink. Prints and originals of her works regularly appear in science fiction and fantasy convention art shows. In 2005, some of her works were available at the chain store

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. is an American fast-fashion company specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, and most of the ...

Art and reference books

*''Watercolor Made Easy: Fairies & Fantasy'' (2009, Walter Foster Publishing, ) *''Fantasy Fashion Art Studio'' (2013, Impact, ) *''Trace & Color in Any Medium: Fairies'' (2015, Walter Foster Publishing, ) *''Foxes & Fairies'' (2017, self published, ) *''Fanciful Fairy Fashion'' (2018, self published, )

Cover illustrations

*''The Dragon Prince'' by Terri Pray (2005, Final Sword, ) *''FaeBorn'' by Terri Pray (2005, Final Sword, ) *''Mercury Brightman: The First Sign'' by Mary E. Gober (2007,

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

, )

Interior illustrations

*''ArtWanted.com Creative Minds'' (2004, Art Slam Press, ) *''Watercolor Fairies'' by David Riche and Anna Franklin (2004,

Watson-Guptill Watson-Guptill is an American publisher of instructional books in the arts. History The company was founded in 1937 by Ernest William Watson, Ralph Reinhold, and Arthur L. Guptill. They also published the magazine ''American Artist''. Their head ...

, ) *''500 Fairy Motifs'' by Myrea Pettit (2005, Collins & Brown, ) *''How to Draw and Paint Fairies'' by Linda Ravenscroft (2005, Watson-Guptill, ) *''Mermaid of Thera'', edited by Ellen Million (2005, Ellen Million Graphics, ) *''How to Draw and Paint Fairyland: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the World of Fairies'' by Linda Ravenscroft (2008,

Barron's Educational Series Kaplan, Inc. is an international educational services company that provides educational and training services to colleges, universities, businesses and individuals around the world. Founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, the company offers a variety o ...

, ) *''Vampire Art Now'' by Jasmine Becket-Griffith and Matthew David Becket (2011, Harper Design, ) *''Watercolor Fairy Art: How to Bring Your Fairy Realm Art to Life'' by Sara Burrier (2014, Barron's Educational Series, ) * ''

Pentacle A pentacle (also spelled and pronounced as ''pantacle'' in Thelema, following Aleister Crowley, though that spelling ultimately derived from Éliphas Lévi) "The Pantacle of Frater V. I. O." is a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and ...

'', various illustrations

Game illustrations

*''Book of the Fantastical'' by Steven C. Brown, part of '' The Everlasting'' role-playing game (2003, Visionary Entertainment Studio, ) *''The Magician's Companion'' by Steven C. Brown, part of ''The Everlasting'' role-playing game (2004, Visionary Entertainment Studio, ) *''Final Twilight CCG''

Recognition and reception

During college, Dillman won several awards from the Minnesota Newspaper Association for her illustrations and comic strips in the university's student paper. She will be the artist guest of honor at MarsCon 2019. Her works have been accepted at and displayed in a number of galleries, including The Galallery in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and the Eight and Sand Gallery in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

in 2016, the

Minneapolis Institute of Art The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the List of largest art museums, largest ar ...

in 2010, and multiple shows at the Eye of Horus Gallery from 2006-2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillman, Meredith American fantasy artists Living people Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni Year of birth missing (living people)