The award was named "Best Painter" from 1993 to 1999, "Best Painter/Multimedia Artist" from 2000 to 2019, and "Best Painter/Digital Artist" from 2020 to present. The term "(interior art)" has been inconsistently added to the end of the award's name.
Year |
Nominee |
Titles |
Ref. |
1993 |
Dave Dorman |
Aliens: Tribes (Dark Horse Comics) |
[1] |
Simon Bisley |
"Lair of the Lizard Ladies" in Mr. Monster Attacks #3 (Tundra Publishing) |
John Bolton |
Army of Darkness (Dark Horse Comics) |
Dan Brereton |
Clive Barker's Dread (Eclipse Comics) |
Teddy Kristiansen |
Tarzan: Loves, Lies, and the Lost City (Malibu Comics) |
Dave McKean |
Signal to Noise (VG Graphics/Dark Horse Comics) |
Jim Woodring |
Frank in the River (Tundra Publishing), "Frank" in Pictopia #2 (Fantagraphics Books) |
1994 |
Alex Ross |
Marvels (Marvel Comics) |
[2] |
Mark Chiarello |
Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop (DC Comics) |
Scott Hampton |
The Upturned Stone (Kitchen Sink Press) |
Teddy Kristiansen |
Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell (Dark Horse Comics) |
1995 |
Jon J. Muth |
The Mystery Play ([[DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
[3] |
Christopher Moeller |
Shadow Empires: Faith Conquers (Dark Horse Comics) |
Miguelanxo Prado |
Streak of Chalk (NBM Publishing) |
Jim Silke |
Rascals in Paradise (Dark Horse Comics) |
Jim Woodring |
Jim (Fantagraphics Books) |
1996 |
John Bolton |
Batman: Manbat (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
[4] |
Dan Brereton |
The Nocturnals (Malibu Comics/Bravura Comics) |
Teddy Kristiansen |
Bacchus Color Special (Dark Horse Comics) |
David Wenzel |
Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (NBM Publishing) |
Phil Winslade |
Goddess (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
1997 |
Alex Ross |
Kingdom Come (DC Comics) |
[5] |
Dan Brereton |
Batman: Thrillkiller (DC Comics) |
Joseph Michael Linsner |
Dawn (Sirius Entertainment) |
Miguelanxo Prado |
Tangents (NBM Publishing) |
1998 |
Alex Ross |
Uncle Sam (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
[6] |
John Bolton |
Menz Insana (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics), "The Flowers of Romance" in Vertigo: Winter's Edge (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
Gene Ha |
"Free Fall" in Shadows & Light (Marvel Comics) |
Scott Hampton |
Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty (DC Comics), Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold Book Two (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
David Wenzel |
The Wizard's Tale (Homage Comics) |
1999 |
Alex Ross |
Superman: Peace on Earth (DC Comics) |
[7] |
Kyle Baker |
You Are Here (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
Dan Brereton |
Batgirl and Batman: Thrillkiller '62 (DC Comics) |
David W. Mack |
Kabuki (Image Comics) |
2000s |
2000 |
Alex Ross |
Batman: War on Crime (DC Comics) |
[8] |
Kyle Baker |
I Die at Midnight (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics), "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" in Elseworlds 80-Page Giant (DC Comics) |
John Bolton |
Gifts of the Night (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics) |
Jill Thompson |
Scary Godmother: The Mystery Date (Sirius Entertainment) |
2001 |
Jill Thompson |
Scary Godmother (Sirius Entertainment) |
[9] |
Christian Gossett and Team Red Star |
The Red Star (Image Comics) |
David W. Mack |
Kabuki #9 (Image Comics) |
George Pratt |
Batman: Harvest Breed (DC Comics) |
Charles Vess |
Rose #1 (Cartoon Books) |
Yslaire |
From Cloud 99: Memories, Part 1 (Humanoids Publishing) |
2002 |
Charles Vess |
Rose (Cartoon Books) |
[10] |
Allen Coulter and Snakebite Cortez |
The Red Star (Image Comics) |
Dave McKean |
Pictures That Tick (Hourglass Studios/Allen Spiegel Fine Arts) |
David W. Mack |
Daredevil #16-19 (Marvel Comics) |
John Van Fleet |
Batman: The Ankh (DC Comics) |
2003 |
George Pratt |
Wolverine: Netsuke (Marvel Comics) |
[11] |
Eric Drooker |
Blood Song: A Silent Ballad (Harcourt) |
David W. Mack |
Kabuki: The Ghost Play (Image Comics) |
Lorenzo Mattotti |
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (NBM Publishing) |
2004 |
Jill Thompson |
"Stray" in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings (Dark Horse Comics) |
[12] |
Juanjo Guarnido |
Blacksad (ibooks) |
Ladronn |
Hip Flask: Elephantmen (Comicraft) |
Miguelanxo Prado |
"Dream" in The Sandman: Endless Nights (Vertigo Comics/DC Comics) |
Frank Quitely |
"Destiny" in The Sandman: Endless Nights (Vertigo Comics/DC Comics) |
2005 |
Teddy Kristiansen |
It's a Bird... (Vertigo Comics/DC Comics) |
[13] |
Juanjo Guarnido |
Blacksad, Book 2: Arctic Nation (ibooks) |
David W. Mack |
Kabuki (Marvel Comics) |
Ben Templesmith |
30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow (IDW Publishing) |
Michael Zulli |
Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse Comics) |
2006 |
Ladronn |
Hip Flask: Mystery City (Active Images) |
[14] |
Paul Guinan |
Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate (IDW Publishing) |
Ben Templesmith |
Fell (Image Comics) |
Kent Williams |
The Fountain (Vertigo Comics/DC Comics) |
2007 |
Jill Thompson |
"A Dog and His Boy" in The Dark Horse Book of Monsters (Dark Horse Comics), "Love Triangle" in Sexy Chix (Dark Horse Comics), "Fair Division" in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (Vertigo Comics/DC Comics) |
[15] |
Nicolas de Crécy |
Glacial Period (NBM Publishing) |
Melinda Gebbie |
Lost Girls (Top Shelf Productions) |
Ben Templesmith |
Fell (Image Comics), The Looking Glass Wars: Hatter M (Desperado Publishing/Image Comics), Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse (IDW Publishing) |
Brett Weldele |
Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga (Graphitti Designs), Silent Ghost (Markosia) |
2008 |
Eric Powell |
The Goon: Chinatown (Dark Horse Comics) |
[16] |
Ann Marie Fleming |
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group) |
Bryan Talbot |
Alice in Sunderland (Dark Horse Comics) |
Ben Templesmith |
Fell (Image Comics), 30 Days of Night: Red Snow (IDW Publishing), Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse (IDW Publishing) |
2009 |
Jill Thompson |
Magic Trixie (Harper Children's Books), Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (Harper Children's Books) |
[17][18] |
Lynda Barry |
What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly) |
Eddie Campbell |
The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard (First Second Books) |
Enrico Casarosa |
The Venice Chronicles (Ateliér Fio/AdHouse Books) |
Scott Morse |
Tiger!Tiger!Tiger! (Red Window) |
2010s |
2010 |
Jill Thompson |
Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse Comics), Magic Trixie and the Dragon (Harper Children's Books) |
[19][20] |
Émile Bravo |
My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) |
Mauro Cascioli |
Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC Comics) |
Nicolle Rager Fuller |
Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation (Rodale Books) |
Carol Tyler |
You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics Books) |
2011 |
Juanjo Guarnido |
Blacksad (Dark Horse Comics) |
[21][22] |
Lynda Barry |
Picture This: The Nearsighted Monkey Book (Drawn & Quarterly) |
Brecht Evens |
The Wrong Place (Drawn & Quarterly) |
Janet K. Lee |
Return of the Dapper Men (Archaia Entertainment) |
Éric Liberge |
On the Odd Hours (NBM Publishing) |
Carol Tyler |
You’ll Never Know Book 2: Collateral Damage (Fantagraphics Books) |
2012 |
There was no Eisner Award for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist in 2012 as the judges "didn't find enough contenders that reached the level of quality they were looking for."[23] |
2013 |
Juanjo Guarnido |
Blacksad (Dark Horse Comics) |
[24][22] |
Brecht Evens |
The Making Of (Drawn & Quarterly) |
Teddy Kristiansen |
The Red Diary/The RE[a]D Diary (Man of Action Entertainment/Image Comics) |
Lorenzo Mattotti |
The Crackle of the Frost (Fantagraphics Books) |
Katsuya Terada |
The Monkey King, vol. 2 (Dark Horse Comics) |
2014 |
Fiona Staples |
Saga (Image Comics) |
[25][22] |
Andrew C. Robinson |
The Fifth Beetle (Dark Horse Comics) |
Sonia Sanchéz |
Here I Am (Capstone Publishers) |
Ive Svorcina |
Thor (Marvel Comics) |
Marguerite Van Cook |
7 Miles a Second (Fantagraphics Books) |
Judith Vanistendael |
When David Lost His Voice (SelfMadeHero) |
2015 |
J. H. Williams III |
The Sandman: Overture (Vertigo Comics/DC Comics) |
[26][22] |
Lauri Ahonen and Jaakko Ahonen |
Jaybird (Dark Horse Comics) |
Colleen Coover |
Bandette (MonkeyBrain Books) |
Mike del Mundo |
Elektra (Marvel Comics) |
Juanjo Guarnido |
Blacksad: Amarillo (Dark Horse Comics) |
2016 |
Dustin Nguyen |
Descender (Image Comics) |
[27][22] |
Federico Bertolucci |
Love: The Tiger (Magnetic Press), Love: The Fox (Magnetic Press) |
Colleen Coover |
Bandette (MonkeyBrain Books) |
Carita Lupattelli |
Izuna (Humanoids Publishing) |
Tony Sandoval |
A Glance Backward (Magnetic Press) |
2017 |
Jill Thompson |
Wonder Woman: The True Amazon (DC Comics), Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In (Dark Horse Comics) |
[28][22] |
Federico Bertolucci |
Love: The Lion (Magnetic Press) |
Brecht Evens |
Panther (Drawn & Quarterly) |
Manuele Fior |
5,000 km per Second (Fantagraphics Books) |
Dave McKean |
Black Dog: the Dreams of Paul Nash (Dark Horse Comics) |
Sana Takeda |
Monstress (Image Comics) |
2018 |
Sana Takeda |
Monstress (Image Comics) |
[29][22] |
Federico Bertolucci |
Love: The Dinosaur (Lion Forge Comics/Magnetic Press), Little Tails (Lion Forge Comics/Magnetic Press) |
EFA |
Monet: Itinerant of Light (NBM Publishing) |
Jean-Pierre Gibrat |
Flight of the Raven (EuroComics/IDW Publishing) |
Cyril Pedrosa |
Portugal (NBM Publishing) |
2019 |
Dustin Nguyen |
Descender (Image Comics) |
[30][31] |
Lee Bermejo |
Batman: Damned (DC Comics) |
Carita Lupatelli |
Izuna, book 2 (Humanoids Publishing) |
Grégory Panaccione |
A Sea lof Love (Magnetic Press/Lion Forge Comics) |
Tony Sandoval |
Watersnakes (Magnetic Press/Lion Forge Comics) |
2020s |
2020 |
Christian Ward |
Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics) |
[32][33] |
Didier Cassegrain |
Black Water Lilies (Europe Comics) |
Alexandre Clérisse |
Diabolical Summer (IDW Publishing) |
David W. Mack |
Cover (DC Comics) |
Léa Mazé |
Elma, A Bear’s Life, vol. 1: The Great Journey (Europe Comics) |
Julie Rocheleau |
Wrath of Fantômas (Titan Books) |
2021 |
Anand RK/John Pearson |
Blue in Green (Image Comics) |
[34][35] |
Benjamin Adam |
Soon (Europe Comics) |
Alice Chemama |
The Zolas (Europe Comics) |
Jared Cullum |
Kodi (Top Shelf Productions) |
Decur |
When You Look Up (Enchanted Lion Books) |
Antonio Lapone |
Gentlemind (Europe Comics) |