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Kevin Long (artist)

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Kevin Long is an American graphic artist best known for his airbrush paintings and black-and-white illustrations in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. He was a principal artist at Palladium Books from 1986 until 1995 and served as one of the original contributors to the Rifts role-playing game (RPG) series.

Biography

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Kevin Long grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where he majored in advertising illustration. Upon graduating, Long worked in the local advertising industry. Having completed a five-year stint in his chosen profession, he was lured away by the artistic and creative freedom offered by Palladium Books.[1][2] While there, Long built his reputation as one of the most popular illustrators in the role-playing industry. In addition to having created the dynamic look of various characters, vehicles, and equipment in Rifts, he co-authored a number of other Palladium RPG titles. However, Long left Palladium in August 1995 for unspecified reasons.[citation needed]

In October 1997, Raven Software hired Long as a 2-D artist. He was responsible for some of the graphics in Hexen II: Portal of Praevus (1998), Heretic II (1998), Soldier of Fortune (2000), Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force (2000), Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002), and Quake 4 (2005).[3] In 2007, Long was the Art Lead on Wolfenstein.[4][5]

Reception

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In 2014, Scott Taylor of Black Gate, named Kevin Long as Honorable Mention in a list of The Top 10 RPG Artists of the Past 40 Years, saying "Robotech, even above Rifts in my mind, reflects the soul of Palladium, and over the course of three decades Long's work has helped bring the fabled Japanese animation series into the forefront of American science fiction role-playing."[6]

In his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, RPG historian Stu Horvath reviewed the multi-genre role-playing game Rifts and noted, "The real star of Rifts' art is the clean, technical line work that Kevin Long provided for the game's first five years. He does a masterful job making all of the disparate elements seem cool and cohesive — magic and tech and high tech and super-high-tech and psionics and animal peeople and faction and after faction — and so many skulls!"[7]

Role-playing game artwork credits

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Works are listed in order of publication date within their respective categories.

Palladium Books

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Beyond the Supernatural

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  • McCall, R.; Siembieda, K. & Wujcik, E. (October 1987). Beyond the Supernatural: A Role-Playing Game of Contemporary Horror. ISBN 978-0-916211-18-9. [Out of Print] – Interior art.
  • Siembieda, K.; Long, K.; Wujcik, E. & Garwood, B. (October 1990). Boxed Nightmares: An Adventure Sourcebook for Beyond the Supernatural. ISBN 978-0-916211-41-7. [Out of Print] – Additional text and ideas, interior art and photographs.
  • Siembieda, K. (January 2005). Beyond the Supernatural, Second Edition. Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-57457-083-0. – Interior art.

Heroes Unlimited

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  • Long, K.; Siembieda, K.; Sheiring, S.; Marciniszyn, A.; Rosenstein, J.; Wujcik, E.; Gustovich, M. & Donald-Siembieda, A. (May 1992). Villains Unlimited: A Sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited (1st ed.). ISBN 978-0-916211-49-3. [Out of Print] – Coauthor, cover and interior art.
  • Breaux, W. Jr. & Siembieda, K. (December 1994). Aliens Unlimited: A Sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited (1st ed.). ISBN 978-0-916211-76-9. [Out of Print] – Cover art.
  • Siembieda, K.; Breaux, W. Jr.; Wujcik, E.; Long, K.; Oliver, A. & Trustrum, S. (March 1998). Heroes Unlimited, Revised Second Edition. ISBN 978-1-57457-006-9. – Additional text and concepts, interior art.
  • Siembieda, K. & Breaux, W. Jr. (June 1999). Heroes Unlimited G.M.'s Guide. ISBN 978-1-57457-035-9. – Interior art.
  • Breaux, W. Jr. & Siembieda, K. (January 2000). Aliens Unlimited: A Sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited, Second Edition (Rev. ed.). ISBN 978-0-916211-76-9. – Cover art.
  • Coffin, B. & Siembieda, K. (February 2000). Century Station: An Adventure Sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited, Second Edition. ISBN 978-1-57457-040-3. – Interior art.
  • Long, K.; Siembieda, K. & Gustovich, M. (March 2005). Villains Unlimited: A Sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited (Rev. ed.). Palladium Books. ISBN 978-0-916211-49-3. – Coauthor, interior art.

Macross II

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  • Siembieda, K. (July 1993). Macross II: The Role-Playing Game. ISBN 978-0-916211-62-2. [Out of Print] – Cover art.
  • Ouellette, M.; Vézina, M. & Carrières, J. (March 1994). Macross II: Spacecraft and Deck Plans—Volume One. ISBN 978-0-916211-66-0. [Out of Print] – Cover art.
  • Ouellette, M.; Vézina, M. & Carrières, J. (July 1994). Macross II: Spacecraft and Deck Plans—Volume Two. ISBN 978-0-916211-74-5. [Out of Print] – Cover art.
  • Ouellette, M.; Vézina, M.; Carrières, J. & Pelletier, C. J. (December 1994). Macross II: Spacecraft and Deck Plans—Volume Three. ISBN 978-0-916211-75-2. [Out of Print] – Cover art.

Nightbane

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Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game

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Rifts

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Core
World
Dimension
Source
  • Siembieda, K. (February 1991). Rifts Sourcebook (RSB) Number One. ISBN 978-0-916211-51-6. [Out of Print] – Cover and interior art.
  • Siembieda, K. (September 1992). RSB Two: The Mechanoids. ISBN 978-0-916211-55-4. – Cover and interior art.
  • Siembieda, K. (July 1994). RSB Three: Mindwerks. ISBN 978-0-916211-69-1. – Cover and interior art.
  • Siembieda, K.; Marciniszyn, A.; Rosenstein, J.; Coffin, B.; Sheiring, S. & Smith, W. (September 2002). Rifts Bionics Sourcebook. ISBN 978-1-57457-075-5. – Cover and interior art.
  • Siembieda, K. (February 2007). RSB One, Revised & Expanded. ISBN 978-1-57457-151-6. – Interior art.
  • Siembieda, K.; Campbell, B.; Clements, M. & Kluge, C. (April 2013). Rifts Vampires Sourcebook. ISBN 978-1-57457-187-5. – Interior art.
Conversion
Other
  • Carella, C. J. & Siembieda, K. (July 1994). Rifts Mercenaries. ISBN 978-0-916211-70-7. – Cover and interior art.
  • Crawford, C., ed. (February 1996). Rifts Index & Adventures—Volume One. ISBN 978-0-916211-95-0. [Out of Print] – Interior art.
  • Crawford, C., ed. (December 1997). Rifts Index & Adventures—Volume Two. ISBN 978-1-57457-008-3. – Cover and interior art.
  • Siembieda, K. & Coffin, B. (June 2000). Rifts Coalition Wars: Siege on Tolkeen—Chapter One: Sedition. ISBN 978-1-57457-045-8. – Interior art [uncredited].
  • Coffin, B. & Siembieda, K., eds. (September 2001). Rifts Game Master Guide. ISBN 978-1-57457-067-0. – Interior art.
  • Coffin, B., ed. (October 2001). Rifts Book of Magic. ISBN 978-1-57457-069-4. – Interior art.
  • Siembieda, K. & Coffin, B. (April 2002). Rifts Aftermath, 109 P.A.: Life After Tolkeen and a World Overview. ISBN 978-1-57457-068-7. – Interior art [uncredited].

Robotech

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Illustration of a Veritech Alpha Fighter in battloid mode, from The Robotech Role-Playing Game Book Five: The Invid Invasion (May 1988).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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The Rifter

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Miscellaneous

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Shadowrun

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Other games

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ User: Erick Wujcik (May 9, 2004). "Thread: Kevin Siembieda apologizes". RPGnet tabletop roleplaying forum. Berkeley, CA: Skotos Tech. Post 134. Retrieved February 6, 2011. ... I introduced Kevin Long to Kevin Siembieda, back around 1983 or 1984 (I had 'discovered' Long from some of his work in a student art show). {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ Siembieda, K. (June 6, 2008). "Erick Wujcik's health is in fast decline". Forums of the Megaverse: Murmurs from the Megaverse. Taylor, MI: Palladium Books. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2011. I keep thinking about all the real life adventures and good times Erick and I have shared ... [his] discovery of Kevin Long....
  3. ^ Accardo, S. (May 6, 2005). "The Art and Design of Quake 4". GameSpy. San Francisco, CA: IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  4. ^ "Developer Bio: Kevin Long". MobyGames. Santa Monica, CA: GameFly. September 15, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  5. ^ "Staff Detail: Kevin Long". Raven Culture—Our People. Middleton, WI: Raven Software. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  6. ^ "Art of the Genre: The Top 10 RPG Artists of the Past 40 Years – Black Gate". 12 February 2014.
  7. ^ Horvath, Stu (2023). Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 208. ISBN 9780262048224.
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