Ed Beard Jr.
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Ed Beard Jr. has spent over 42 years as a celebrated self-employed artist, creating hand-painted and hand-drawn works for books, games, puzzles, calendars, and hundreds of licensed products.He began his career in the 1980s as an automotive airbrush artist specializing in portraiture and transitioned into illustration for children's books, board games, and novelty products. His artwork became widely recognized, with pieces featured on everything from dragon-themed calendars in bookstores to cell phone covers at major retailers.
Best known for his work on Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, Ed has illustrated iconic cards like Nicol Bolas and Birds of Paradise. Committed to traditional methods, he continues to create in tangible mediums, with his automotive airbrush art featured at the prestigious SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Preferred Medium:
When working on canvas, I love the speed that acrylics allow. For black-and-white imaging, I prefer graphite pencil. I use a combination of hand brush and airbrush, which provides the perfect blend of smooth transitional tones and clean, crisp lines.
Favorite Piece:
Kairos the Archivist is the most in-depth and largest piece I’ve created within the theme of dragons and the Dragonlord's storyline that I wrote years ago. I loved the opportunity to bring this character to life, showcasing the architectural elements and the elder dragon, who is both a librarian and an embodiment of time itself. The subject matter combines dragons, architecture, science, astrology, mechanical details, and even a bit of steampunk. It also includes over 80 symbols representing actual elements, astrological signs, and inert elements, symbolized in ancient Norse and Celtic on the spine of each book, creating a massive "I Spy" for adults.
Find more of Ed's work @ https://www.edbeardjr.com
