Paul Carrick
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Paul Carrick is an American artist and illustrator known for imaginative and otherworldly imagery across freelance illustration, card and roleplaying game art.
Born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, he studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, then began taking freelance work in the early 1990s for the same tabletop and RPG worlds that first sparked his imagination.
He is most well known for his H.P. Lovecraft inspired illustrations, being a featured illustrator for the Call of Cthulhu RPG for many years. His career has included hundreds of pieces for games and magazines, along with children’s book illustration and other creative commissions such as book and album covers.
His background in a highly creative family—parents who were writer/illustrators—helped shape his lifelong focus on combining storytelling with vivid visual craft.
Preferred Medium
I feel the most familiar with Acrylic, it is what I have used the most over the years. It dries quickly, especially with a blast from a hair dryer. That can be very useful when you don’t have spare time to watch the paint dry. Acrylic is also very forgiving, I often wind up repainting sections over until I am pleased with them.
In the midst of an increasingly homogenizing digital world, it was so refreshing to see a game which celebrated traditional art and artists. One thing I did not expect to happen when I started painting for Sorcery is that I found myself encouraged to lean in more to the idea of these being traditional illustration. I began leaving more evidence that this was a physical painting made by a human being, whereas in the past I have at times felt the need to disguise it a little to fit in with the digital art. I’ve been asked what software I use, to which I’ll reply, “Acrylic 1.0”
With Sorcery I am given a lot of free reign to play to my strengths and interests, and there always seems to be plenty of room to put more of myself into the art. I think the outcome speaks for itself!
Find more of Paul's work @ https://www.nightserpent.com/