Ron Spencer is an American

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

whose most famous work has been for the

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards. The genre was introduced with ''Magic: The G ...

'' Magic: The Gathering''.Felt, Kevin (December 17, 2007). "Painter of 'Magic' cards inspiring random acts of kindness", ''

San Gabriel Valley Tribune The ''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' is a paid daily newspaper headquartered in Monrovia, California, that serves the central and eastern San Gabriel Valley. It operated from a West Covina location from 1955 to 2015. The ''Tribune'' is a member of ...

''
Convenience link

Early life

Ron Spencer grew up on a farm in

Aurora, Nebraska Aurora is a city in Hamilton County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,479 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hamilton County. History In 1861, David Millspaw became the first permanent settler in the area of what was to ...

. As a child, his reading material included such

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

as ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...

''.

Artwork

Spencer is primarily self-taught though he did attend a two-year college in Idaho. He uses various elements of

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...

, including colored

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail of ...

ballpoint pen A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Hong Kong, Indian, Indonesian, Pakistani, and Philippine English), or dot pen ( Nepali English and South Asian English), is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) ...

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 ...

s, and

acrylic paint Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Dep ...

. His trademark on a vast majority of his earlier trading cards is a hidden name somewhere in the artwork. For example, the name DALE can be clearly seen in the Alliance expansion card Misfortune. He lists his inspirations as

Richard Corben Richard Corben (November 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film a ...

and ''

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

'' illustrator

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...

. He has also created artwork for several books of the

World of Darkness ''World of Darkness'' is a series of tabletop role-playing games, originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing. It began as an annual line of five games in 1991–1995, with ''Vampire: The Masquerade'', ''Werewolf: The Apocaly ...

series from

White Wolf, Inc White Wolf Entertainment AB, formerly White Wolf Publishing, was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant

, as well as the

Talislanta ''Talislanta'' is a fantasy role-playing game published by Bard Games in 1987 that forgoes many of the tropes used by popular games of the genre in favor of a unique world and many new game mechanisms. There have been six different English-langu ...

line of role-playing games. Ron Spencer lives in

. He has six children with his late wife Stacie who died in 2009. He is also brother to fellow artist

Terese Nielsen Terese Nielsen (born March 11, 1966) is an American freelance fantasy artist and illustrator. Early life, education, and family Nielsen was born in Aurora, Nebraska, in 1966. Nielsen's brother, Ron Spencer, is also an artist. In 1984 Nielsen f ...

Plush toys

Ron Spencer has also actively worked with Toy Vault, Inc. in creating plush toys and slippers, with various designs under their horror and fantasy brands such as

Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon ...

, "Here Be Monsters", and dragons. Among these designs is the rare

Necronomicon The ''Necronomicon'', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. ...

plush book.

Altered cards

Ron Spencer releases periodically altered Magic cards also commonly known as Extreme Alteration. The cards are painted over with different artwork incorporating the original picture. Other ''Magic: The Gathering'' artists such as

and Mark Poole also provide this service for their fans.

Bibliography

''Magic: The Gathering'' sets

Some cards listed are reprinted from set to set. *

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...

(1993) - 1 card *

Beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; or ) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represe ...

(1993) - 1 card * Unlimited (1993) - 1 card * Revised (1994) - 1 card * The Dark (1994) - 10 cards * Fallen Empires - (1994) - 8 cards * 4th Edition (1995) - 4 cards *

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

(1995) - 5 cards *

Alliances An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

(1996) - 2 cards *

Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...

(1996) - 7 cards * Visions (1997) - 3 cards * Fifth Edition (1997) - 10 cards * Weatherlight (1997) - 6 cards * Tempest (1997) - 10 cards *

Stronghold A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

(1998) - 9 cards *

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

(1998) - 7 cards *

Urza's Saga The Artifacts Cycle is a tetralogy of ''Magic: The Gathering'' expansion sets centered on the exploits of Urza Planeswalker. It consists of the expansions ''Antiquities'' (March 1994, anvil), ''Urza's Saga'' (October 1998, pair of gears), ''Urza ...

(1998) - 17 cards * Urza's Legacy (1999) - 5 cards * Urza's Destiny (1999) - 3 cards * Classic (Sixth Edition) (1999) - 4 cards * Mercadian Masques (1999) - 5 cards *

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

(2000) - 3 cards *

Prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

(2000) - 3 cards *

Invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

(2000) - 9 cards * Seventh Edition (2001) - 7 cards * Planeshift (2001) - 3 cards *

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...

(2001) - 5 cards *

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

(2001) - 9 cards * Torment (2002) - 2 cards *

Judgment Judgement (or judgment) is the evaluation of given circumstances to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. In an informal context, a judgement is opinion expressed as fact. In the context of a legal trial ...

(2002) - 3 cards * Onslaught (2002) - 10 cards * Legions (2003) - 3 cards *

Scourge A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather. Etymology The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French ''escorgie ...

(2003) - 4 cards * Eighth Edition (2003) - 8 cards * Ninth Edition (2005) - 3 cards * Tenth Edition (2007) - 5 cards * Magic 2010 (2009) - 1 card * Magic 2011 (2010) - 1 card

''Dungeons & Dragons''

* '' Ghostwalk'' (2003) * ''

Draconomicon The ''Draconomicon'' is the title for several optional sourcebooks for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game, providing supplementary game mechanics for dragons specifically. Different ''Draconomicon'' books have been issued for the 2nd, ...

'' (2003) * ''

Complete Warrior ''Complete Warrior'' is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game, published by Wizards of the Coast. It replaces and expands upon an earlier rulebook entitled '' Sword and Fist''. Contents ''Co ...

'' (2003) * ''

Book of Exalted Deeds The ''Book of Exalted Deeds'' is an optional sourcebook for the 3.0 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) in 2003. It provides supplementary game material for campaigns involving cha ...

'' (2003) * ''

Unearthed Arcana ''Unearthed Arcana'' (abbreviated UA) is the title shared by two hardback books published for different Editions of Dungeons & Dragons, editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the co ...

'' (2004) * ''

Races of Stone ''Races of Stone'' (sometimes abbreviated to RoS) is an optional sourcebook for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents ''Races of Stone'' focuses on gnomes, dwarves, and a new race, called goliaths, ...

'' (2004) * ''

Complete Divine ''Complete Divine'' is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast. It replaces and expands upon earlier rulebooks entitled '' Masters of the Wild'' and ...

'' (2004) * ''

Complete Arcane ''Complete Arcane'' is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. It expands upon and replaces an earlier soft-cover rulebook entitled ''Tome and Blood''. Contents ''Complete Arcane'' presents a ...

'' (2004) * ''

Sandstorm A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transported b ...

'' (2005) * ''

Lords of Madness ''Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations'' is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) in 2005 that details "aberrations" — creatures said to ...

'' (2005) * ''

Complete Adventurer ''Complete Adventurer'' is a supplemental hard-cover rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game system published by Wizards of the Coast. Contents It focuses on the skill based character classes of D&D, replacing and expand ...

'' (2005) * ''

Player's Handbook II ''Player's Handbook II'' is the title of a third edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplement. It is a handbook of rules and guidelines for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. As the name implies, the book is a supplement to the edition's ...

'' (2006)

''Hearthstone''

*''Master of Disguise (Classic Set)''

References

Notes

:1.Includes 2 versions of Swamp.

External links

*
An Interview With Ron Spencer
*
Magic: the Gathering - Cards illustrated by Ron Spencer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Ron American fantasy artists American game artists American horror artists American illustrators American role-playing game artists Ballpoint pen art Living people People from Aurora, Nebraska Year of birth missing (living people)