Artwork

[Argyle King]

I've been giving this more thought, and I think the artwork should be a celebration of D&D over the years. If part of the intent of 5th Edition is to unite the fanbase, I believe the artwork should do the same. Have an artwork style which showcases the history and evolution of the game.

 

[Dausuul]

I would definitely like to get away from 3E's dungeonpunk aesthetic and 4E's cartoony look. 2E and Larry Elmore come closest of all the editions to what I want, but Elmore's stuff is a little too bright and crisp for my taste (and the cheesecake is ridiculous).

What I would really like is a 5E illustrated by Frank Frazetta. Unfortunately, Frazetta isn't doing illustrations any more on account of being dead. So I'd pick Jaime Jones and Michael Komarck. They have that Frazettian habit of playing around with mist, light, and shadow, which adds a sense of depth and mystery to their work.

And for the love of God, keep Wayne Reynolds off the cover. I would like no Wayne Reynolds at all, but a lot of people seem to love his stuff, so that may not be possible.

 

[Wormwood]

I think the days of bong-art fantasy are gone forever outside of retroclones and my uncle's van.

I'd take a page from FRP video games (Dragon Age and Skyrim) for 5e---realistic without being mundane, with occasional points of fantasy awesome (dragonplate or dadric armor from Skyrim, frex).

 

[trancejeremy]

I think the days of bong-art fantasy are gone forever outside of retroclones and my uncle's van.

And (unfortunately) tattoos on women.

 

[TerraDave]

To follow up on J3D3D: embrace variety. Certain products--basically adventures and settings--may have more unified looks, but for rules, just put in the good.

And, embrace illustration. I want to see it all.

 

[Nebulous]

Most of the art in 3.x and 4e was/is terrible IMHO. Especially Wayne Reynolds art *shudder*

I loved the art from most of the 2e books, but then, that's what I started with. Lakey, Elmore, Easley, Parkinson, Caldwell, and so on. And all those lovely little blue & white inklings. I also have a strong appreciation for some of the 1e art.

I swear, they better not hire him to do the covers again. For some reason his artwork irks me, i'm not even sure why. I also have a fondness for the old artists, especially Elmore, his pictures ARE the essence of D&D to me. But in truth there are thousands of wonderful artists out there, so i'd prefer lots of variety. And not splashing Reynolds on every other friggin page.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

I swear, they better not hire him to do the covers again. For some reason his artwork irks me, i'm not even sure why. I also have a fondness for the old artists, especially Elmore, his pictures ARE the essence of D&D to me. But in truth there are thousands of wonderful artists out there, so i'd prefer lots of variety. And not splashing Reynolds on every other friggin page.

I, too, would rather see variety, and suspect that variety is what we will get. I'll be happy with that compromise, so long as, like you and others have said, they keep WAR off the covers and from being on every second page. His attention to detail in designs and whatnot is fantastic, but his overall "style" just looks bad (to me).

 

[Salamandyr]

I would like to see some black & white, or grayscale, pencil or pen and ink illustration. Save the color panels for the covers, and some color plates on the interior.

And make those color plates good. Eschew the brush filter in photoshop. Hire someone who can actually work in oils. Maybe throw in some really evocative stuff, instead of the comic book stylings of the last two editions.

I'd like to see some art evocative of old Frazetta illustrations; mighty thewed barbarians facing fearsome beasts beneath strange suns.

 

[The Little Raven]

Anyone else get a little miffed at the announcement that all the Forgotten Realms art is going to be outsourced to a Chinese company?

 

[Dragonhelm]

If this edition is truly the “best of D&D”, then the art should reflect that. I would like to see a mix of art from across all editions, including (but not limited to) Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell, Keith Parkinson, Jeff Easley, Wayne A. Reynolds, Brom, Erol Otus, and so on.