Pathfinder 1E Artwork for Pathfinder and others

[MACLARREN]

Ok, I know that many of you may like the art that is being done today. However, is there anyone out there like me that misses seeing the quality of artwork that was done in the Forgotten Realms books of 3rd edition or quality art work similar to that? I love the PF stuff and the writing will sell me on that alone. However, I just don't care for the style being presented today. Maybe It's me but it seems as though 4th edition and PF are both going down that direction anymore. Maybe it is what will bring in new people which is great but it is just to cartoonish for my taste. Just my opinion and what I like. If it is your style, great! It's just not mine and want to see if there are others out there with similar thoughts.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I always thought the 3e FRCS was perhaps the most truly 'tome-like' D&D book (in the 3e range), from its cover to much of the artwork featured in it, to the layout and so on. In a good way, I mean. Mostly very pretty, all up.

So yeah, as far as D&D goes, that's a good-looking one, IMO. And it certainly wouldn't hurt to see more of this kind of thing in D&D (or D&D-family) books, I reckon:

I don't own that book (Unapproachable East), but, as I was looking through the galleries, that one leapt out. There are plenty of other nice ones, of course, many of them B&W (well, closer to sepia, actually).

 

[RangerWickett]

I personally love Pathfinder's art style, whereas I think a lot of the stuff in 4e are like weeds - I'd rather have nothing at all than have them. I don't want to see for the 37th time a picture of a class using one of their powers. They all look the same. A warrior guy hits someone. A magic guy does some magic. Bah.

Pathfinder's act is evocative of a setting, and for me, most pieces could inspire bits of adventure. 4e's art often just looks like production stills from a B-grade action flick.

 

[JeffB]

I'm the total opposite of RW- I absolutely hated 3E's dungeonpunk art direction , and PF unfortunately takes everything I disliked about 3E and pumps it up on steroids- including the art style.

I much prefer 4E's art direction (if not all the artists styles) - There are of course some of the lame "check me out in this cool pose" pieces ala 3e/PF here and there, but there are plenty of "landscape" pieces, and general "adventurers doing their thing" pieces. To me it has a similar tone of 2E's art style. It's not my ultimate choice, but I'm relieved to be buying D&D books I enjoy looking at again instead of wishing they were artless and B&W.

differen' stokes and all

 

[JeffB]

Double Post. ENWORLD acting screwy

 

[Gothmog]

I'm the total opposite of RW- I absolutely hated 3E's dungeonpunk art direction , and PF unfortunately takes everything I disliked about 3E and pumps it up on steroids- including the art style.

I much prefer 4E's art direction (if not all the artists styles) - There are of course some of the lame "check me out in this cool pose" pieces ala 3e/PF here and there, but there are plenty of "landscape" pieces, and general "adventurers doing their thing" pieces. To me it has a similar tone of 2E's art style. It's not my ultimate choice, but I'm relieved to be buying D&D books I enjoy looking at again instead of wishing they were artless and B&W.

differen' stokes and all

I have to agree with you Jeff. 4e's art is far more evocative to me than 3e's was.

3e's dungeon punk art with spikes and buckles, and "kewl poze" pieces really turned me off, and Wayne Reynolds was the king of this kind of horrible art. From what I've seen so far, Pathfinder has embraced this sort of art and WAR, as well as using very cartoony looking illustrations (that look like they were done by teenage boys what with all the clevage and bare midriff females), including elves with foot-long pointy ears. The one art-related thing I did like about the 3e books was the tome look- that was pretty cool.

4e's art has been much, MUCH better. Dungeonpunk pieces are nearly all gone (as is most of the cheesecake/beefcake stuff), and I love the emphasis on showing adventurers in a landscape or scene rather than with a flat white background behind them. In particular, I am really enjoying Lucio Parrillo's, Dan Scott's, Howard Lyon's, and Michael Komarck's stuff (that painting on page 4 of the 4e MM has to be one of the coolest D&D art pieces EVER). I'm even starting to like William O'Conner more as he is using more drab earth tones and painting more scenes rather than "kewl poze" stuff with time. I like that the art direction is somewhat darker in theme and color scheme (reflecting a PoL setting), with a context in the world. I wish WotC would hire Pat Loboyko for more stuff- his art just oozes the PoL feel and that classic AD&D feel to me (he did the Witch Hunter books for Paradigm, some of the stuff in the WHFRP2 books, and a lot of the art in the new Changling books).

 

[JeffB]

Double post again

 

[JeffB]

Actually In general I love WAR's work (especially his 3.5 Eberron covers). I first recall seeing his work back in the late 2E GH books and liked him immediately. He is about the only artists in 3.x core books I liked at all.

However, while it's technically excellent as always, the style of the art I've seen him doing for PF is about as far from my preferences as you could possibly get.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Forget 3rd, I miss the art from 2e. DiTerlizzi's Planescape and BROM's Dark Sun made the setting come to life and gave them that perfect touch with all the right differences to make them stand distinct so perfectly.

 

[Shemeska]

I adore the artwork of a large number of artists that have contributed to Pathfinder so far (specifically Wayne Reynolds, Julie Dillon, Sarah Stone, and Andrew Hou, among others). I don't have any particular feelings towards liking 'in action' pictures, or just still shots, really depends on if it's there to just illustrate a place, or a specific character or monster, or just provide atmosphere for the book that it's in.

Some recent ones I really like (that have been posted online either on paizo's page, or the artists' galleries):

Others as just links to avoid a gigantic sized post:

Astradaemon by Sarah Stone

http://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1112-PreviewMonster6.jpg

http://njoo.deviantart.com/art/Queen-Gets-Possessed-82056013

http://yanimator.deviantart.com/art/Ghost-and-the-Throne-of-Bones-99693568

http://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1112-PreviewMonster1.jpg

http://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1112-PreviewMonster3.jpg

http://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderChronicles/PZO9210-Cover.jpg