D&D 5E Art direction and 5th edition

[illwizard]

it may be because it was from the first edition I played, but I really liked the dark, almost scary at times looking art in the earlier incarnation of Darksun. Brom I think may have been the artists name but forget (or correct) me if I'm wrong.

Does every edition/setting have a representative artist so to speak? I don't think so, but a lot of peeps seem to be associating Wayne Reynolds with 4e, can't really speak for other editions or settings; I've forgotten so much, but I can't see the problem with many good artists contributing as well.

Do people tend to like the art of the edition they grew up with or first encountered perhaps? I know I do. It may have been 2nd edition I first played, I remember some pretty dope colour pictures to begin each chapter maybe?? Some adventurer chic with an ogres nose ring in hand and maybe a sword to his throat always springs to mind, but again I could be very wrong?.

My computer isn't showing all the replies to this thread so if someone already mentioned the Brom dude then I'm sorry. Also if anyone could post some of his art out of the Darksun book, I would be soooo happy, because I don't currently have the skills, and some jerk sold my books

 

[Dausuul]

it may be because it was from the first edition I played, but I really liked the dark, almost scary at times looking art in the earlier incarnation of Darksun. Brom I think may have been the artists name but forget (or correct) me if I'm wrong.

Yes, Brom is the name. I have mixed feelings about him. On the one hand, Brom's own stuff is excellent. On the other hand, I think the gritty, medieval-Mad-Max visuals he created for Dark Sun led directly into the dungeonpunk look I dislike in 3E. It's a look that fits perfectly in the Dark Sun setting, but I don't think it translates well.

Does every edition/setting have a representative artist so to speak? I don't think so, but a lot of peeps seem to be associating Wayne Reynolds with 4e, can't really speak for other editions or settings; I've forgotten so much, but I can't see the problem with many good artists contributing as well.

2E and 4E both had "defining artists." For 2E it was Larry Elmore, for 4E it was Wayne Reynolds. 1E and 3E were more diverse, though they still had very definite artistic styles.

Some adventurer chic with an ogres nose ring in hand and maybe a sword to his throat always springs to mind, but again I could be very wrong?

Yup, that's in the 2E Player's Handbook. (I'm pretty sure. Might have been the DMG. Definitely one of those two.)

As for liking the art of the edition you started with... well, I don't deny that BECMI and 2E are my favorites so far, so there may be something to that. However, as I said earlier in the thread, I'd prefer something more Frazettian than any edition to date. Larry Elmore's work was all a little too crisp and flat for my taste.

 

[Klaus]

Jeff Easley's "With This Ring" is the image you're thinking of.

1e's look was the work of people like Erol Otus, Dave Trampier, Jeff Dee and David C Sutherland III.

Late 1e and early 2e had a plethora of signature artists, mainly because back then TSR had an in-house art studio composed of Clyde Caldwell, Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson and Fred Fields. Further on, it was decided that each campaign setting would have its own visual identity, and we had stuff like Brom in Dark Sun, Stephen Fabian in Ravenloft and Tony DiTerlizzi in Planescape.

3e's signature artists were Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood. When Eberron was launched, Wayne Reynolds was the signature artist for that. 4e's signature artist is William O'Connor (with Wayne Reynolds becoming THE artist for Pathfinder).

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Jeff Easley's "With This Ring" is the image you're thinking of.

One of the many 2e images seared indelibly into my brain

(with Wayne Reynolds becoming THE artist for Pathfinder).

They can keep him as far as I'm concerned. Nice attention to detail, bad everything else. Just my opinion, of course. I've never seen a single artist for this game generate such fierce polarization in the community though - that says something right there. His work is provocative, if nothing else.

I'll also, again, put in my vote for a 5e populated with Komarck.

 

[LurkAway]

"Just add color and I'm ready to go!"

 

[Upper_Krust]

Thanks for starting such an interesting thread.

Wayne Reynolds is my favourite contemporary fantasy artist BUT I would probably downsize his responsibility with any new edition (that may well be a moot point if he is tied to Pathfinder of course).

Here are my general thoughts.

1. Stop Reusing Art from previous editions: I don't mind if a piece of art from this edition just happens to show up in an adventure from this edition, but it always grates to see artwork reused from past editions.

2. Improved Layout Design: I recently (at Xmas) picked up Warhammer's Storm of Magic book. I no longer play Warhammer, I just got the book because the layout and art are both fantastic. I don't mind paying a few extra gold pieces if a book is gorgeous. By comparison the interior of the Monster Manual is sterile.

3. BIG Art! Time after time WotC books like the Monster Manual (in particular) the art is squashed into a 3x3 inch 'cubby-hole'. Tarrasque, Balor, Pit Fiend etc. Solo Monsters should get full page art, Elite Monsters half a page.

4. Identity: How about different artists working on different types of monsters? Or working on different tiers? Or on different planes or campaign settings? Give certain places, monsters and styles of play their own artistic identity.

A book on the Far Realm should have a weird design (remember the D20 Call of Cthulhu book), a book on the Shadowfell should have a dark and sombre design, but all the 4E books really look the same. Grrr!

5. Sense of Scale: Illustrations of monsters that are not medium size need a reference to some type of object or character for scale.

6. Covers: Wayne Reynolds Orcus cover for the 4E Monster Manual is fantastic and one of the few iconic 4E pieces. So many other covers were utterly rubbish by comparison (Open Grave for instance, great book, terrible cover). For me, the best fantasy covers give a location and an encounter in progress with the protagonists put in peril!

Check out the difference between the 1st Edition (Iconic) Manual of the Planes cover, and the 4th Edition (Homage) Manual of the Planes cover.

I compared the covers when I reviewed the 4E Manual of the Planes recently.

Review: Manual of the Planes 4E Eternity Publishing

7. Location, Location, Location: Anyone remember the 4E preview book Worlds & Monsters? The art in that book was magnificent! Full page art! Even DOUBLE PAGE ART! Panoramic scenes that cross the page. Even the pencil sketches were great and provided a nice contrast. Black and white art can be beautiful too!

No 4E book was as well illustrated as Worlds & Monsters. How sad is that?

8. Stat-blocks. I really like the functionality of the 4E monster stat-block. BUT, they really need to do something to jazz it up a bit, more colour for one thing.

 

[Hussar]

Upper-Krust - I can get behind most of that. Certainly the recycled art thing. I understand the reasoning for it, but, I too find it jarring.

And, yeah, I don't mind if not every image is full color. There's nothing wrong with inks or black and white.

Also, I would love to see some humour back in the art. Put a few funny pictures in. Heck, I don't even mind a few cartoons once in a while. D&D is fun. Let's get back with a bit of whimsy. At least it would break up the constant, and honestly, very similar looking, pose pictures we tend to get.

I remember one of my favorite art bits was in the Unearthed Arcana (1e) where they had a pic of an open spell book with lots of arcane symbols. Cool. But, if you looked a bit closer, there were messages written among the symbols - things like "Help, I'm trapped!" and whatnot. Very fun.

 

[howandwhy99]

"Just add color and I'm ready to go!"

Hey! You're ruining my dream of D&D as coloring books!

 

[illwizard]

Thanks guys!

 

[Upper_Krust]

Howdy Hussar!

Upper-Krust - I can get behind most of that. Certainly the recycled art thing. I understand the reasoning for it, but, I too find it jarring.

It really annoys.

And, yeah, I don't mind if not every image is full color. There's nothing wrong with inks or black and white.

Not only is there nothing wrong with b&w art, the contrast would be really pronounced.

Also, I would love to see some humour back in the art. Put a few funny pictures in. Heck, I don't even mind a few cartoons once in a while. D&D is fun. Let's get back with a bit of whimsy. At least it would break up the constant, and honestly, very similar looking, pose pictures we tend to get.

Agreed. Too many pieces are functional, so very few are entertaining.

In this way the 1st Edition art was so much more interesting. Even in the monster manual you had pictures of adventuring parties in action...*spins chair and grabs 1E monster manual off the bookshelf*

9. Vignettes: Lets check out the 1E Monster Manual.

Page #1: Has a group of Knights attacking a Bulette.
Page #7: Two adventurers against a swarm of gant ants?
Page #9: Giant stag beetle chasing a chicken while someone hides behind a tree.
Page #12: A bugbear smacking an adventurer over the head
Page #34: Dragon watching its eggs hatch.
Page #37: Air elemental lifting two adventurers into the air.
Page #38: Wizard summoning a fire elemental.
Page #40: Big spread of Wood Elf families welcoming their loved ones home.
Page #42: Someone trying to outswim a Giant Gar. Also another piece where an adventurer has just ruptured a Gas Spore.
Page #48: Flesh Golem smacking an adventurer on the back. Also another piece where an Iron Golem has grabbed an adventurer.
Page #51: Giraffe chasing two adventurers.
Page #52: Battle scene between Hobgoblins and Knights.
Page #56: Jackelwere having just slain an adventurer.
Page #57: Coatl fighting(?) with a Dragon Horse.
Page #58: FULL PAGE SPREAD - Kobolds surrounding an Adventuring Party
Page #60: Leprechauns messing about with the book's graphic design.
Page #62: Lizardman fighting a Knight.
Page #64: Adventurers encounter a Giant Lynx - accompanying text is "Whaddya mean we gotta talk to this lynx, the last monster we talked to ate half the party!
Page #69: Humans guarding wagons.
Page #70: Mind Flayer blasting some adventurers, also another piece with a Rogue being attacked by a Mimic.
Page #73: A Neo-Otyugh attacks some adventurers.
Page #78: Adventurer swallowed by a Giant Pike.
Page #80: Purple Worm being attacked by two adventurers, also another piece where a Wizard is studying a Quasit.
Page #81: Rhino barrelling into two adventurers.
Page #82: Rot grubs burrowing into a shocked adventurer's arm.
Page #85: Giant Scorpion grabs an adventurer.
Page #86: Two Sea Lions attack a Shark.
Page #87: Adventurer runs from a Giant Slug.
Page #88: A giant snake encircles a Ship.
Page #90: FULL PAGE SPREAD - A Giant spider lurks above a party of adventurers.
Page #93: A swarm of Stirges attack an adventurer.
Page #94: An adventurer stands before a seated Titan.
Page #95: A Giant Toad swallows an adventurer, also another piece of a Trapper curling around an adventurer.
Page #96: A Treant grabs an adventurer, also another piece where a Triton rides a Hippocampus.
Page #97: A Troglodyte versus a Knight.
Page #99: Giant Wasp about to sting an adventurer.
Page #100: Water Weird leaping out ofa fountain towards an adventurer.
Page #102: Wizard lightning bolting a Xorn.
Page #103: Yeti versus two adventurers.
Page #104: FULL PAGE SPREAD - Adventurers opening a Treasure chest.
Page #110: FULL PAGE SPREAD - Lone adventurer facing off against a Giant Centipede, Naga, Gargoyle and Bugbear.

47 total by my count. Just to clarify that doesn't count the lone monster illustrations.

Lets see if the 4E Monster Manual had any Vignettes:

Page #4-5: CHAPTER INTRO PIECE - Adventurers being attacked by a host of monsters.
Page #38: Bulette erupting out of the ground having knocked over an adventurer.
Page #232: Shambling Mound engulfs an adventurer.
Page #251: Treant grabs an adventurer.

I remember one of my favorite art bits was in the Unearthed Arcana (1e) where they had a pic of an open spell book with lots of arcane symbols. Cool. But, if you looked a bit closer, there were messages written among the symbols - things like "Help, I'm trapped!" and whatnot. Very fun.