3E art and age

[mythago]

If I want to look at big-breasted, big-haired birds with hardly any clothes on, I'll seek out 1980's back issues of Penthouse, thanks

Playboy et al are common resource materials for artists, btw. Unlike a live model, a photograph of Miss July won't get bored or whiny, and she can hold the pose forever. When you understand this, a lot of "traditional" D&D art makes sense.

I really do. not. get. all the fuss about the iconic art. One--ONE--the Sorceror, might induce eye-rolling at the d00dish outfit. But the rest of them? The cleric LOOKS like a fighting Father. The druid is just amazing. The dwarven fighter looks like a lean, mean axe-swingin' machine. The monk manages to wear abbreviated clothing and make it look functional, not like Larry Elmore got his latest copy of Maxim.

[Not to beat on Elmore any more than necessary--he's done some fine work and likely under terrible working conditions, knowing what the gaming industry is like--but he really lost me after "Snarfquest" and after a long string of cheesecake-with-a-sword art.]

 

[Desdichado]

Almost exclusively from pictures of Hennet the Iconic Sorcerer, is my guess. He's the closest thing to such genres (and he isn't even that close) in the D&D books. Other than him, I can't think of anything even close to being goth or cyberish. Well, maybe the golems in the MM? Could those be construed as cyber-like? I always thought of golems, especially iron golems, as rather robot-like, but I could be one of only a few.

Hennet as goth? I always thought he looked a lot more like Adam Ant from 1983 or so.

 

[Desdichado]

In fact P.J. nailed the images of Orcs I've always had bopping arund in my head since I was a kid. The only thing I think that could have been to make them absolutely perfect was to have the skin colors darker..almost black, as Tolkien described them.

Actually, Tolkien only described two or three individual orcs as black-skinned. In one of the Letters he describes orcs as sallow-skinned.

 

[JeffB]

I for one don't have a real problem with most of the iconics..it's the art in general through the whole line..supplemnts, modules, etc. (Dennis Cramer's art just annoys me to no end).

The FR books seem to have the least amount of "goofy-ness" to them.

At the same time though, it's not just Hennet and his buckles..there's Nebin who can't afford a real mace (yet has night ray vision goggles)The dorky rogue guy with his leather combat outfit, and that Harry Potter-like Wizard in the spells section. Not that those 3 pieces ruin the look of the game for me, but they are just more examples of the same stuff I think the folks who like a more "classic" look are taking issue with.

 

[The Sigil]

At the same time though, it's not just Hennet and his buckles..there's Nebin who can't afford a real mace (yet has night ray vision goggles)The dorky rogue guy with his leather combat outfit, and that Harry Potter-like Wizard in the spells section. Not that those 3 pieces ruin the look of the game for me, but they are just more examples of the same stuff I think the folks who like a more "classic" look are taking issue with.

Or Sting... er... Devis the Bard.

And haven't we all gotten a chuckle over Mialee's hair (okay, that does remind of Elmore a bit)... or the DMG when she's freaking at a spider?

Or what about Vadania - for someone who spends all her time outdoors in the wild, she sure is pale! (The "Goth" remarks struck me as curious - this is the only thing I can think of to inspire them - her pale skin - and she certainly isn't dressed in black to boot).

Or the "magic-missile" - flinging sorcerer in the PHB? He has a thing for tattoos - or cybernetics - or SOMETHING.

Or Lidda "smoking" that enormous exploding cigar?

Don't have the books in front of me at work right now, but these are stuck in my mind.

--The Sigil

 

[The Sigil]

Doh! Double post.

I guess it ups my post count. :b

 

[JeffB]

Actually, Tolkien only described two or three individual orcs as black-skinned. In one of the Letters he describes orcs as sallow-skinned.

Joshua,

My familiarity with Tolkien's works is basically limited to the Trilogy and the Hobbit.. along with some of the stuff ICE added from his (and Christopher's) later works to the ME line (though I know that ICE also added quite a bit of their own which I'm aware of for the most part).

So AFAIC they have always been supposed to have black skin

 

[jgbrowning]

I really do. not. get. all the fuss about the iconic art. One--ONE--the Sorceror, might induce eye-rolling at the d00dish outfit. But the rest of them? The cleric LOOKS like a fighting Father. The druid is just amazing. The dwarven fighter looks like a lean, mean axe-swingin' machine. The monk manages to wear abbreviated clothing and make it look functional, not like Larry Elmore got his latest copy of Maxim.

My take on the iconics.. in order of apperance

Krusk: Chain shirt in bad repair. Axe as large as his chest!?.
Devis: good picture, a little to "wonky" for me but he's a bard
Jozan: excellent.
Vadania: Hide armor? Not what she's wearing..
Tordek: good but his axe is again friggen huge! war axes are much smaller.
Ember: She's gonna bouncy bouncy outta that, a girl like her needs more support.
Alhandra: Just what on earth is she wearing!? A new triangle sized piece of scale mail? so far my least favorite.
Soveliss: pretty good
Lidda: not bad
Hennet: he's definitely making a fashion question instead of a statement.
Mialee: she's probably dating hennet
Nebin: Nice goggles. How much startch for that collar?

I have to fall in with the others who've said the art in the book is dated. I don't mind art about a dated subject, but art style that is dated i find a little more irksome. It just that i've seen to many different styles i just dont have the "wow, thats interesting" enjoyment of art i had when younger. Its the reason why i posted this oh so scientific post

technically, the 3E art is good, probably better than other editions with exceptions of course. I'm starting to wonder if the medium shift from physical to computer is perhaps more the root of my dissatisfaction... hrm.. that could be another poll...

Thanks for all the responses!



joe b.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Meh.

The art's good, and I have no problem whatsoever with the spikey-peirced-tatoo fantasy look...

Then again, IIRC, that kind of style was born in DiTerlizzi's Planescape, which had somewhat more of a motivation for it (fiendish things and razorvine getting welcomed into the style). Tatoos, peircings, spikes.....mmmmm.....

And I'm a big PS buff, so, if it worked for me then, it'll work for me here.

And I don't think it's nessecarily EEVIL, either....I mean, if the paladin has a tatoo, they can't be all bad...

I dunno. I don't mind the "unrealistic" aspect of the style. It's fantasy. The spikes were inspired by the look of dragons, or the myth that sikes help prevent magic from targeting you. Also, a hero who can wear spikes (despite the obvious inconvenience of it) is that much more worthy of respect. It's tougher to go around looking like a porcupine, and that's why you do it -- you're a hero, not some grunt. Style is half the battle! And spikey armor is intimidating, because of the difficulty in wearing it. As a hero, you're not bound by the concerns of most people. Exoposing parts makes sure that people know you're tough...you're rugged. You don't need no frickin' full plate that doesn't look HEROIC!

Bloody commoners!

I also don't know about dated....looks as fine to me now as it did when I first beheld the curved skyline of Sigil and heard about Dabus tatooing people. It's still pretty sweet, IMHO.

 

[HellHound]

I think the tattooed and pierced look will look dated rapidly (and so will the real people who have done these things to themselves)

Crud.

Now I'm going to look "dated".

WTH does that have to do with anything? I got this work done between 10 and 12 years ago. I'm already "dated" I guess, goes with the territory of being 31. Hell, we are all dated! Look around, bet you can tell that most of your friends were born quite a while ago, they have all these signs of not being fresh and new! Better get rid of that! We don't want anything "dated" around eh?

(whoa there Mr Hound... what on earth prompted THAT rant?)