Ron Spencer

Ron Spencer is an American illustrator whose most famous work has been for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.
Early life
Ron Spencer grew up on a farm in Aurora, Nebraska. As a child, his reading material included such Marvel Comics as Conan the Barbarian.
Artwork
Spencer is primarily self-taught though he did attend a two-year college in Idaho. He uses various elements of mixed media, including colored pencils, ballpoint pens, watercolors, and acrylic paint. 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 and Swamp Thing illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
He has also created artwork for several books of the World of Darkness series from White Wolf, Inc, as well as the Talislanta line of role-playing games.
Ron Spencer lives in Aurora, Nebraska. He has six children with his late wife Stacie who died in 2009. He is also brother to fellow artist Terese Nielsen.
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, "Here Be Monsters", and dragons. Among these designs is the rare Necronomicon 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 Terese Nielsen 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 (1993) - 1 card
Beta (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 (1995) - 5 cards
Alliances (1996) - 2 cards
Mirage (1996) - 7 cards
Visions (1997) - 3 cards
Fifth Edition (1997) - 10 cards
Weatherlight (1997) - 6 cards
Tempest (1997) - 10 cards
Stronghold (1998) - 9 cards
Exodus (1998) - 7 cards
Urza's Saga (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 (2000) - 3 cards
Prophecy (2000) - 3 cards
Invasion (2000) - 9 cards
Seventh Edition (2001) - 7 cards
Planeshift (2001) - 3 cards
Apocalypse (2001) - 5 cards
Odyssey (2001) - 9 cards
Torment (2002) - 2 cards
Judgment (2002) - 3 cards
Onslaught (2002) - 10 cards
Legions (2003) - 3 cards
Scourge (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 (2003)
Complete Warrior (2003)
Book of Exalted Deeds (2003)
Unearthed Arcana (2004)
Races of Stone (2004)
Complete Divine (2004)
Complete Arcane (2004)
Sandstorm (2005)
Lords of Madness (2005)
Complete Adventurer (2005)
Player's Handbook II (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
Plush Toys
American illustrators
Ballpoint pen art
Fantasy artists
Game artists
Living people
People from Aurora, Nebraska
Role-playing game artists
Year of birth missing (living people)