Peter Dennis has been drawing for as long as he can remember and creating striking illustrations for decades. He is perhaps best known for his association with Osprey, who credit him with an astonishing 241 items on their website. But his work has covered many subjects, and in fact he spent 30 years illustrating children’s books, perhaps surprising given the subject matter he is best known for today.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find a box of plastic miniatures or a popular ruleset that doesn’t bear his artwork and, based in the Nottingham area, he is firmly embedded in ‘The Lead Belt’ where he finds constant calls for his skills in an environment which, in wargaming terms, could be said to echo Renaissance Florence. Warlord Games, Gripping Beast, the Perrys, Plastic Soldier Company and now Wargames Atlantic have all called on his superb ability to capture the thrill and terror of battle.
We discuss Peter’s career, the illustrators who have inspired him and the breadth of subject matter he has depicted. We even delve into the technical side of his craft, revealing some fascinating insights into his technique, some inspired by the late Rick Scollins whose artwork graced the pages of wargames magazines until he was taken from us at much too young an age.
But as well as an illustrator, Peter is also a wargamer, and our discussion reveals his friendship with the late, great Paddy Griffith who clearly was a mentor of sorts and with whom Peter worked on a number of memorable projects. The love of the hobby was also the reason for his astounding creation of his “Paperboy” armies of paper flats, an idea seized upon by Helion & Co to produce their delightful series of A4 format full colour books, providing simple rulesets by Andy Callan and complete armies for budget-conscious gamers, together with buildings, scenery and more.
You’ll hear a great deal more about the art of illustration and, I believe, come away with a much deeper understanding of the challenges facing the illustrator and the many considerations that have to be taken into account when fulfilling a brief. I found Peter to be a fascinating interviewee and I’m sure you’ll enjoy listening to him describe the secrets of his craft.
Henry
Peter’s work for Osprey Publications
Interview with Peter on Analog Games
A Pinterest Board showing a huge selection of Peter’s work [do not use without permission!]
Look & Learn History Picture Library
Peter Dennis credits on Amazon
(This book coming February 2020)
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