are blue and white illustrations horrible?

[foolish_mortals]

guys,

looking at some 2nd edition pages the other day. Saw some blue and white illustrations(like black and white, but blue and white instead). I never understood or liked that color combination. Anyone else think its a bad idea for doing monochrome illustrations?

foolish_mortals

 

[Mercurius]

To answer your title's question, yes. Blue-and-white illustrations are just terrible. [/thread]

But to be an art nerd for a second, what you're talking about is not monochrome but duotone. Two colors or shades, not one. Monocrhome = good. Duotone (usually) = bad.

 

[foolish_mortals]

I like the blak and white illustrations i've been seeing. Some of the Deathwatch books have little b+w doodles throughout the book. It's a nice touch and relief from the big honkin illustrations elsewhere in the books. Just a nice little touch.

foolish_mortals

 

[TheAuldGrump]

There were two reasons for blue and white.

The first is a side effect of four color printing - several passes were required, with the first being blue. So, you saved money by producing a blue separation only version of the image.

The other was to prevent photocopying, light blue and light green fade to nothing on older photocopiers.

The Auld Grump

 

[Mercurius]

Or, to put it another way, duotones:

 

[howandwhy99]

Some nut I know has duo-tones in his profile picture, but I'm not saying who.

IIRC the blue/white mix was a device to stop copy thieves back in the 70's from xeroxing the maps. Boy how times have changed.

 

[foolish_mortals]

the photo copy thing is insane! I never liked that blue white stuff, I suspect the guys doing it didn't like it either. At least where over that type of thinking. Right WOTC? Were over it aren't we!?!?!?!? ARRRRGGHHH!!!!

foolish_mortals