Field Folio art gallery

[Desdichado]

I'm not a fan of Denis Cramer, or Tom Baxa, although Baxa's work on this book is better than it is on many others.

And that one devil with the weird p-name -- is it just me, or is that supposed to be Mimi from the Drew Carey show?

Although the description in the book certainly matches that exactly...

 

[Gez]

I'm suprised the above got picked on, but there haven't been any complaints about the century worm. Perhaps good taste is providing some reluctance, but I just want to know what Jeff Easley was thinking.

I found both ugly, actually. The Rilmani and the Feytouched were disappointing. The ugly feytouched looks like he's the bastard son of Hulk and a Wart Ooze, the other seems to have borrowed Jar-Jar Binks' eyes to use as ears. I ain't fond of Cramer neither -- don't like his drawing style, don't like his coloring style -- but his Shedu was OK, and the Oread also (except the hair). I'll also include Skybleeder, Alkilith Demon, Molgauth, and Thunder Worm.

The blood hawk is disappointing -- looks more like a vulture than like a hawk, as well as the ophidian -- more a starving varan. The Mutant Formian of Mongrel Doom were also WTF-generating. Especially this one:


This is a lawful outsider ?

What I liked:

Shadow Asp, Blackstone Gigant, Jackal Lord, the Nerra, Winged Warrior Formian, Cranium Rat, Telern, Vorr, Sunwyrm, Mud Slaad (too cute) and Spirit of the Air (too funny). Octopus Tree seems fun also, octopus behaving like sea anemones ? While we're into squid-things*, the ceremorphised lizardman is great, but his tentacles are too short. And, is it me, or do the Xerfilstyx devil really mistaken a big slug with his shiny new skirt ?

I also like the retro sci-fi look of that blue inevitable.

 

[Krug]

not sure what people are complaining about. I recall the illustrations for 1st ed D&D. Those B&W illustrations never hampered the imagination.

 

[GrayIguana]

Thanks for the laugh.

renamed to the "Ass Monster"

This one looks like the artist was blocked and said hmm I think I'll just attach an ass to something with tentacles...

It's great when I laugh out loud at something that I am reading. I may present this monster as you've mentioned as a joke in my game.

 

[JeffB]

Better than Races of Faerun...but I just don't know ..I hope the new core books look better than this stuff. Some pieces are good, some are just goofy. Of course I feel the vast majority of D&D monsters are goofy anyways. I don't use more than 1/8th to 1/10th of the MM as is.

And no offense to the man personally, but I think Dennis Cramer needs to go. I was actually glad to see his art non-existant in WOTC products and Dragon Mag for a year or so. Now that the best artists are gone (besides WAR), WOTC is again using the man. The only works of his I can mildly stand are his inanimate objects (things like the DragonPriest sarcophagus in TSC) but any "living" thing he does is just absolutely awful to my eyes...color or not.

 

[Desdichado]

What do you mean by gone, exactly? Both Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood have fairly extensive credits in Fiend Folio.

 

[s/LaSH]

It's all good to me. At least, every piece seems better than what you had to put up with in previous editions. The 2E Monstrous Manual was full-colour, and (while there were some good pieces in there) nothing in this gallery is worse than that. Yer all spoiled! Arr!

That said, could be better. I have a feeling I could do better for some pieces, frankly. And while that may sound egotistic, think about what it says about 2E art...

 

[Triumph]

What do you mean by gone, exactly? Both Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood have fairly extensive credits in Fiend Folio.

If by "fairly extensive" you mean "no involvement whatsoever" then yes, Lockwood's credits in the FF were fairly extensive indeed.

 

[Oni]

What do you mean by gone, exactly? Both Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood have fairly extensive credits in Fiend Folio.

I don't think there are any Lockwood pieces in the gallery, he's not listed amoung the artist for the book. It's a shame really, I would have liked to see him do the rendition of the Fiend of Blasphemy, since it was so awesome on the cover of Tome and Blood.

 

[JeffB]

What do you mean by gone, exactly? Both Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood have fairly extensive credits in Fiend Folio.

Joshua,

Uhm..which monsters?..I didn't see any of their works in that FF art gallery.