I always find it funny when people start talking "realism," "realistic," and "fantasy" all at once. As an artist, I have found what people feel/see is real is far different that what I, as a trained observer in form so I can draw it, see as real. I could write a whole disertation on it, but such would be boring and probably ignored.
Of course, I'm a fan of
this guy, but he's back at Privateer Press. I wouldn't mind some
Inkthinker, even though his style has kinda shifted in a direction that I'm not as much of a fan as. Or maybe the screen just doesn't do his inks justice and something is lost. I'd probably like his newer stuff a lot better in print.
I don't see WotC going WoW - mainly because Warcraft started out blatently ripping off Warhammer (although it's shifted a bit to more along the lines of Joe Mad), and WotC doesn't need to get into a fight with Games Workshop.
For my own campaign setting that-will-someday-be-published (hey, I'm making
progress), I have been waffling between aiming for something more along the lines of speed rendered concept art or cartoonish, because both are relativly quick and I've got a lot to draw. Cartoonish is actually kinda easier, but..well, there are issues each way and I haven't had the time to devote to really developing a specific look and I need to.