Kevin Long (artist)

Kevin Long is a graphic artist best known for his airbrush paintings and black-and-white illustrations in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. He was the premiere artist at Palladium Books from 1986 until 1995 and served as one of the original contributors to the Rifts role-playing game (RPG) series. Much of his work during this period helped establish the style and tone of Rifts and had a tremendous influence on the quality of art in RPG publications.

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. 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. Certain sources initially made the unequivocal claim that he was "fired", while others have more recently suggested that his separation was voluntary. Whichever the case may be, the circumstances of Long's departure have been the subject of periodic discussion and speculation amongst RPG enthusiasts over the ensuing years.

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). In 2007, Long was the Art Lead on Wolfenstein.

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