Magic: The Gathering (MTG) artist Dan Frazier has admitted he “painted over” the work of Marta Nael when creating a new version of The One Ring card for Wizards of the Coast’s upcoming The Hobbit set.
When Wizards of the Coast pulled back the curtain on its upcoming plans to continue its run of cards themed after characters, items, and locations from Middle-earth last week, fans were quick to raise concerns related to a reprint of The One Ring. Specifically, many feared that the updated Magic art, which featured similar ring positioning and even almost identical reflections, had been lifted without proper credit.
Reddit user Stiggy1605 shared side-by-side comparisons of the art featured on both cards shortly after the announcement. They noted that the one from The Hobbit set was illustrated by Frazier, a 30-year Magic veteran, while the piece from the 2023 The Lord of the Rings collection was drawn by Nael.
Frazier confirmed fans’ fears with a statement published to social media yesterday. It followed what Wizards of the Coast says were “similarities between The One Ring by Marta Nael and the newly released image of The One Ring by Dan Frazier.” The company added that “those similarities are not coincidental, unfortunately.”
“I made a mistake, and I feel awful,” Frazier said. “I especially feel for Marta, whose work I adore. In trying to create an iconic version of The One Ring, while looking at references online, I ended up using Marta’s ring as a reference and painted over it to try to depict the item fans hold dear to their hearts. In doing so, I didn’t make it my own.”
It was a shocking revelation for longtime Magic players and collectors who have followed Frazier’s work in the tabletop world for decades. He concluded his statement by saying he would be reaching out to Nael to apologize “artist to artist.”
