{{short description|British illustrator (died 2023)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox artist | name = Russ Nicholson | image = Russ book signing.jpg | image_size = 250 | caption = Nicholson at a book signing session. | birth_date = | death_date = 10 May 2023 | field = Fantasy art }}

'''Russ Nicholson''' (died 10 May 2023) was a British illustrator, best known for his black and white fantasy art. 275px|thumb|left|Street scene, Russ Nicholson 275px|thumb|left|''Sorceress'', Russ Nicholson, 2011

==Early life and education== Nicholson was born in Scotland, and studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (which later became part of Dundee University). He moved to England in the 1970s where, save for a brief sojourn in Papua New Guinea, he lived for the rest of his life.

==Career== Following graduation, Nicholson became a freelance illustrator, but found "the work was meagre, so I had to find a weekly paying job, this came in the form of an advertising sweatshop (so to speak) in London, with very little money. It was not the best of times." In order to survive, Nicholson took post-graduate training in order to become an art teacher and art college lecturer, which became his full time occupation for much of his life.<ref name=rogue>{{cite web |url =https://www.roguesgaming.com/index.php?route=extension/d_blog_module/post&post_id=32 | website=Rogue's Gaming |title=Artist Interviews: Russ Nicholson| date=2019-08-30}}</ref>

===Fantasy artist=== Nicholson became an important contributor to early fantasy game-related titles such as ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'', the first in the illustrated series of Fighting Fantasy game books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.<ref name=tresca2010>{{citation | first1=Michael J. | last1=Tresca | title=The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games | publisher=McFarland | year=2010 | isbn=978-0786458950 | page=104 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&pg=PA104 }}</ref> As the Fighting Fantasy series grew in popularity, he illustrated sixteen more books in the series. He also illustrated many creatures in the ''Fiend Folio'', the original UK contribution to the first edition of ''Advanced Dungeons and Dragons''.<ref name=tresca2010/>

He illustrated the six original published "episodes" of the ''Fabled Lands'' created by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson, and in 2015 also to the 7th episode "The Serpent King's Domain" (written 20 years after the original entries).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Serpent-Kings-Domain-Fabled-Lands/dp/1909905305|title=The Serpent King's Domain (Fabled Lands)|website=www.amazon.com}}</ref> He also lent his distinctive style to numerous Games Workshop products, including ''Warhammer Fantasy Battle'', ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'',<ref name=tresca2010/> ''Warhammer 40,000'' and in their house magazine ''White Dwarf''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.roguesgaming.com/index.php?route=extension/d_blog_module/post&post_id=32 | title=Russ Nicholson &#124; Interview }}</ref>

For over forty years Nicholson produced work for a wide range of companies and publishers, including Puffin, Pan, Collins, Hodder and Stoughton, TSR,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goodman-games.com/5070artpreviewnicholson.html |title=Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game (OGL) |accessdate=2015-06-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312021856/http://www.goodman-games.com/5070artpreviewnicholson.html |archivedate=2015-03-12 }}</ref> Games Workshop, Hoggshead Publishing, DC Thomson, Le Grimoire and {{Interlanguage link multi|Scriptarium|fr}}. His work has been reproduced in over twenty countries. In addition, he drew the album cover (False Weavers) for Santa Cruz anarcho-folk punk band, Blackbird Raum.

From 2011 to 2020, Nicholson regularly published ''The Gallery: Art of Russ Nicholson'', an illustrated blog of his work including explanations of his creative processes.<ref>{{cite web | last=Nicholson |first = Russ | url= https://russnicholson.blogspot.com/ | title = The Gallery: Art of Russ Nicholson}}</ref>

==Death== Nicholson died on 10 May 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russ Nicholson – The Passing of a Legend |url=https://officialfightingfantasy.blogspot.com/2023/05/russ-nicholson-passing-of-legend.html |website=Fighting Fantasy |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=17 May 2023}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://russnicholson.blogspot.com/ Russ Nicholson's blog] *{{cite web|url=http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=684 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101220401/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=684|archivedate=1 January 2009|title=Russ Nicholson :: Pen & Paper RPG Database}}1 *[https://www.blackgate.com/2011/06/22/art-evolution-2011-russ-nicholson/ Art Evolution] at ''Black Gate''

{{D&D topics}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Russ}} Category:20th-century births Category:2023 deaths Category:Alumni of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design Category:Alumni of the University of Dundee Category:British fantasy artists Category:British illustrators Category:Fighting Fantasy Category:Games Workshop artists Category:Role-playing game artists Category:Year of birth missing