D&D monster art styles

[cavetroll]

I loved all the editions art and I am not an artist, zero training and I couldn't tell the difference between good and bad art.
Various D&D podcasts often talk about art style and the evolution over the years and so let me ask you.

If D&D 5th edition is the "warcraft art" as in looks like a painting, and if some podcasters say "i don't like that art style" or people are tired of that art style.

What are the alternatives? If I were to get an artist to create something new and fresh, can you point to particular art styles that are cool and hip. I think if I were to pick one, I would like something gritty and dark.

 

[Greggy C]

Not sure which kind of style this is, but when I had an artist redo Graz'zt (as the 5e version bothered me as being too far from my memories of 1e) they come up with this. Its a tiny bit cartoony for the face, but I really like the overall colors and feel.

 

[Cadence]

Magic has had a variety of different art styles over the years, and Scryfall Magic: The Gathering Search has options for pulling up by artist or various other things.

This one is set to show the unique art of any elf card: type:elf unique:art

 

[Sacrosanct]

If I were to describe the "new" art style popular today, I'd describe it as all digital with a touch of anime style and textureless full colors. What I mean by the last part is you don't see texture of brush strokes any more. Sure, with some artists you do, even digitally, but most is like the Grazzt style above. The colors are all solid and uniform for each color layer, and shading is hard edges with gradients. You can definitely tell it's digital.

 

[Fenris-77]

Charles Ferguson-Avery is one of my current favorite illustrators. He's got a more of a pen-and-ink comic-booky feel (examples below). I don't mind the D&D art, but I don't find it inspirational.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Charles Ferguson-Avery is one of my current favorite illustrators. He's got a more of a pen-and-ink comic-booky feel. I don't mind the D&D art, but I don't find inspirational.

As an Indie publisher, I'm constantly on hunt for art and artists, and the past few weeks I'm really moving away from the popular art style as mentioned above (the digital style everyone and their grandma's dog is doing), and being more and more pulled into art like you have shown.

It might not have the technical layers the other art has, but standing out and evoking a feel is important. I am 90% sure that my next project after Twilight Fables will be in a completely different art direction.

 

[Fenris-77]

I've bought stuff by Ferguson-Avery just for the art. He's a great writer too, but mmmmm the art. His Into the Wyrd and Wild is in heavy actual rotation at my table (both for design and play).

 

[Cadence]

Charles Vess is my favorite fantasy artist. I first saw his work in issue #3 of the Books of Magic mini-series by Neil Gaiman. He also did the Midsummer Night's Dream issue in Sandman and a variety of other collaborations with Neil. He did the art for the collected Earthsea collection that came out a year or two back.

Selected gallery at - Selected Works Gallery • Green Man Press • The Art of Charles Vess

 

[Fenris-77]

Love it. I'm going to check his stuff out.

 

[Cadence]

Another place with a wide variety (of styles and quality) are the old Dragon Magazine covers.

Dragon Magazine Cover Listing - RPGnet RPG Game Index