D&D 5E The 5E Art is Awesome

[bogmad]

I will admit to liking all the art pretty well, with the standard aside of not really digging the halflings very much

BUT
I do chuckle to myself every time I see one of the worst offending pieces and can't shake the idea that they used This Guy as a reference.

 

[Jester David]

Its OK. Some really good, some awful. The halflings are horrid, they went from 3e mini elves which I hated, to these grotesque monsters. If I ever saw something like that I'd run over and kill it. But a lot of really good stuff. Could use some Otis but then again so could every D&D book.

Every toddler in the world ducks for cover.
(They have the proportions of a 3yo.)

 

[JeffB]

I can't agree with you at all and don't get how you could think this..

Wasn't looking for agreement from anyone. It's a personal preference, you don't need to "get" it.

 

[Leatherhead]

I am quite fond of the air cultist balloon sketch.

(They have the proportions of a 3yo.)

I doubt that.

 

[Jester David]

They have the proportions of a 3yo.

I doubt that.

So... the moral is 3-year-olds would look creepy as f*** with adult features and quasi-medieval clothing.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's not necessarily the proportions that bug me, but the artist's style. I'm sorry, but just about every piece that artist did I really don't like. It looks half finished and amateur. The half orc and tiefling are other examples of art like that.

 

[Grainger]

.

 

[rosing-bull]

I'm a bit of an art snob, but the books definitely have some good illustrations in them, and I prefer them overall to the 3d and 4th edition art. I actually think that the best piece in each book got used for the title pages: the whirling dervish looking fellow in the PHB, the red dragon in the MM and the modron march in the DMG. I almost wish each of those had composed the books' respective covers. I do really like the Player's Handbook cover, though.

Overall, I really like the full-page and half-page pieces, and in particular I love all of the background illustrations of landscapes and cityscapes--really good stuff that adds a lot for atmosphere. In general, my least favorite art is in the Player's Handbook and my favorite pieces are in the DMG, though the Monster Manual is most consistent overall--I guess I'm less into monster illustrations as a whole.

Also the oft-mentioned status illustrations are fantastic, as are all the other sketches by that artist. I'm not sure who it was.

 

[YourSwordIsMine]

better than the crazy dreadlock halflings of 4e IMO

Over all, I am really liking the 5e art. Its not the "Bondage Gear" look of 3.x, nor is it the "ACTIONALLTHETIMEADHDD&DSQUIRREL!1" art of 4e/Pathfinder.

Of the WoTC editions, its probably my favorite. None of it stands out as to what I see as D&D still though.

That is still D&D to me. Nothing by WoTC has come close to inspiring as this one simple piece of art.

 

[rosing-bull]

That is still D&D to me. Nothing by WoTC has come close to inspiring as this one simple piece of art.

I don't know, the full-page illustration of the party at the beginning of chapter 1 of the DMG definitely gives me similar vibes to that painting.

Also I was pleased/amused that the only sexy art in the entire Dungeon Master's Guide was abs-guy on page 33.