Meredith Dillman is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

artist and illustrator from Minnesota who specializes in

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...

and

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, 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 beings. In most cult ...

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. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM is a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities ...

with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

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

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

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) 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 prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

. She has stated her influences include

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

and other Asian influences, and the

Pre-Raphaelite movement The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (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 Rossetti, James ...

, as well as

and

s she enjoyed as a child.

Personal life

Dillman was born and raised in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

. 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 a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

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

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

, 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. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain 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 ...

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, )

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. The company was founded in 1937 by Ernest Watson, Ralph Reinhold, and Arthur L. Guptill. They also published the magazine ''American Artist''. Their headquarters are at 17 ...

, ) *''500 Fairy Motifs'' by Myrea Pettit (2005,

Collins & Brown HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

, ) *''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 American for-profit corporation 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 of test pre ...

, ) *''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'', 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 (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

and the Eight and Sand Gallery in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

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 largest art museums in the United State ...

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

References

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