Dark Sun art: Disappointed

[Insight]

The art in DSCS is okay but not mind-blowing. The city maps are what shine in this book; although, the maps could have been bigger.

The art in the Creature Catalog is very good. The art for Nibenay rocks!

However... one nitpick.

Too many of the "heroes" have weapons that look like their metal.

I noticed that too! It's almost as if they pulled the art from another project.

 

[Insight]

Dear god, I miss those!

I haven't seen the new DS art (nor remember much of the old, aside from a couple of Spellfire cards I still have in my closet), but I think I can understand where the OP's concerns are coming from.

I love 4e art. Really. But I find they are not awe-inspiring as I'd like them to be, for a fantasy roleplaying game. I'd like to see something that stirs my imagination and helps me paint the world I'm "living" in. I wouldn't mind seeing some adventurers not killing things or threathened to death once in a while. Actually, I'd like to see farmers working the fields, children playing in the street markets, non-adventurer dwarves still drinking and laughing in a tavern, while everyone else is drunk asleep over the tables, with the barmaid so tired and so angry they won't go away even though it's so very late...

The only image that got close to that in my Core1 books, is the Fallcrest spread - and even then, the whole scene is about the adventurers, not the townspeople (unless you count their obssesion over the heroes).

Y'know, there's something to be said for this approach. The "heroes" appearing in the various 4E books should be our characters, not some generic heroes the artist has dreamed up! Give us vistas, landscapes, towns, castles, ruins, and so forth and let us imagine our characters in those spaces.

Something to consider for future books.

 

[Scribble]

(Also, if they're going to justify putting women in skimpy leather bikinis because it's hot, then they shouldn't put that same woman in what has to be a sweltering thigh-high leather boot. )

You've never witnessed the LA Uggs trend huh?

 

[Knightfall]

I wouldn't mind seeing some adventurers not killing things or threathened to death once in a while.

Like this...

 

[Vicar In A Tutu]

Looking at the pictures from the DSCG previews, I feared that this was the case. The pictures were remarkably dull and generic 4E, standard "heroes battle monsters and kick ass". I liked the picture of the desert and the stone face, that was at least slightly "other-worldly". The previews from the creature catalogue were better IMHO.

 

[Knightfall]

In your opinions, how much art is informed by Brom's aesthetic?

The aestheic leans more toward WAR than Brom. Some of the art looks like they tried to cross Dark Sun with Al-Qadim.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I got the books. I'm in firm agreement with the OP. The art is very attractive. But it mostly misses the mark in evoking the feel Brom infused the setting with.

I agree the Master Defiler is a home run. Nice!

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I'm actually turned off by the half-giant being called goliath all the time. They should have just used "half-giant" throughout. But back to the disappointment with the art . . . I'm turned off by all half-giants having stripes on their skin. If you are going to reskin a race . . . reskin it!

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Well if my health pics up again I'll be doing more Dark Sun art I hope....

I don't have the books yet, but I agree that Brom made FANTASTIC art, the Belgoi Enchanter is my fave piece of art, adore it!

[sblock="Dark Sun - Sea of Silt, by me"]

[/sblock]

 

[Maelora]

That looks great, Silverblade. You're very talented.

I haven't much cared for the 4E art. Too generic by far. Too much of it looks like a MMO screenshot to me.