Daily Art Preview

[Blackrat]

Bah. I like the gnome Klaus did when they made the cartoon. That was much more gnome-like... This one is just disappointing ...

 

[Hussar]

Heh, it's possible, but unlikely.

Damn.

Anyway, I always did like his work. The first I recall seeing was in the 3e Oriental Adventures. Some really good stuff over the years.

 

[Lackhand]

After all the talk of how they had to take the gnome away from the PHB to give them a niche, and make them more fey, etc, etc, this picture doesn't convey it. It's a caucasian person with hair mousse, contact lenses and a dress. Nothing in the picture hints that it's short, and certainly nothing about it says "fey". And what's with the hair? Do they have beauty salons in the Feywild to style gnome hair or something?

Nah. This picture could easily be mistaken for a halfling.

I'd challenge you to do better, but...

I disagree. I feel that wearing green/leather/antlers and having green wisps of smoke about your person, whilst in a natural setting, is pretty good (read:blatant) shorthand for "this is nature magic".

The picture could use a ferocious badger, though.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Are these 25-year-old D&D anachronisms...?

So...things that make no sense to anyone who doesn't play the game are fine, as long as they're brand new?

Seems like kind of a dumb standard to allow dumb neologisms, while needlessly ditching old things that worked for some reason or another. Down with the hobgoblins, long live the shadar-kai? Not really what I'm looking for...

After all the talk of how they had to take the gnome away from the PHB to give them a niche, and make them more fey, etc, etc, this picture doesn't convey it. It's a caucasian person with hair mousse, contact lenses and a dress. Nothing in the picture hints that it's short, and certainly nothing about it says "fey". And what's with the hair? Do they have beauty salons in the Feywild to style gnome hair or something?

Nah. This picture could easily be mistaken for a halfling.

Usually, I'm with ya, but this time...the paleness of the "fair folk," the obviously inhuman eyes, the robes and wand of a spellcaster, the swirling leaves and the tree...

Nature + Magic + Subtly Alien = Gnome to me.

 

[Derren]

The gnome is certainly not bad, but I would have likes if WotC/the artist had given them a more noticeable trademark visual.
Without any size reference its really easy to mistake them for elves.

 

[Klaus]

So...things that make no sense to anyone who doesn't play the game are fine, as long as they're brand new?

Seems like kind of a dumb standard to allow dumb neologisms, while needlessly ditching old things that worked for some reason or another. Down with the hobgoblins, long live the shadar-kai? Not really what I'm looking for...



Usually, I'm with ya, but this time...the paleness of the "fair folk," the obviously inhuman eyes, the robes and wand of a spellcaster, the swirling leaves and the tree...

Nature + Magic + Subtly Alien = Gnome to me.

Except that he's not pale, his eyes aren't "obviously inhuman" at first glance, The robes don't make much sense (and are of a fashion that'd put Devis to shame), the hand holding the wand is awkwardly placed (he has to be really straining his tendons to flex his arm and hold his wand like that), and there are barely any swirling leaves. And featuring a tree and grass in the picture is hardly a "fey-only" feature in a fantasy game.

You want to draw fey? You look to the master for inspiration:

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[Kishin]

The gnome is certainly not bad, but I would have likes if WotC/the artist had given them a more noticeable trademark visual.
Without any size reference its really easy to mistake them for elves.

I think the facial structure is meant to be fairly distinctive, and the fact that gnomes have the coal black no iris eyes. But, I can see some validity in your complaint here.

 

[DandD]

As long as they mention these details in the race description, so that the reader can spot them in the picture, it's okay.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I dunno what other people think of this idea. But got me thinking, we know there was the disconnect between Tiefling visual fluff and art, and there are two different gnome drawings.

What if, to generate more ideas from the artist/let players/DMs minds wander more they are giving artist more freedom with racial interpretations. So aslong as it looks like a Tiefling, looks like a Gnome, etc, etc. it can work.

I personally would like this, it be interesting to see various physical interpretations of a race.

 

[Oni]

I don't much care for the new gnome illustration, it's probably my least favorite pic of the lot now. I can get over how they've changed the gnome in general, but I don't like the character design used for this picture at all, the costuming is very ackward, and doesn't make a lot of sense to me. What the heck is up with the hair?