How do you feel about 3e's art style?

[Darth K'Trava]

I never had any of the old modules and such. The only 2ed stuff I have are the FR deity sourcebooks. The art in those is iffy at best. I still laugh at looking at Russell Crowe being Torm long before those of us here in the States even HEARD of Crowe.....

Now the FR novels are a different story..... I like some of the covers that have Clyde Caldwell art on them. Elmore's good as well.

I only left out Sam Wood and Todd Lockwood because they don't do WOTC art anymore. Which is a bummer as they did some great pics.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I'm neutral overall on 3e's artwork. I think a lot of the monster art is really neat, and having color illustrations in the monster manuals is great. The overall graphics design of the core rulebooks is a vast improvement over 1E or 2E.

I think they look nifty.

Where WOTC has screwed up royally is in the clothing & equipment depictions. A lot of it just isn't realistic. I'm not talking about duplicating historical models, but just from a perspective of basic believability: Spikey armor (great for catching a weapon and directing it into the wearer's body), and so many buckles on some outfits it would take an hour for the person to go to the toilet. I can understand trying to get away from 13th-century Europe, but some of the characters look more at home at a techno-rave or S&M party than ANY fantasy novel I've read.

You mean characters go to the toilet?!?!?!?!! Surely you jest. It's like Captain Kirk or Captain Picard doing the same. it just isn't done! You must be griping about Hennet..... the S&M guy. He'd fit in great at Dragoncon.....

Some of those spikes I think would hurt. How many times do you think Jozan got stabbed in the biceps by his armor "sleeves"? Probably more than you can count.

Or Mialee getting lots of catcalls for her scanty outfit.

Or Lidda getting offers from the NFL for her outfit complete with shoulder pads built in.

 

[J_D]

My own opinion....

I think that 3rd Ed. art is mediocre at best, but much of it sucks. I do not like the fantasy punk style, or gothic punk, or anything punk for that matter. When I was growing up, punk was a negative term, a disparagement, not anything to be pleased with or proud of. Even putting aside the negative aspect of the word I grew up with, the art is just plainly and simply bad. In fact, one particular artist whose name I will not mention (who I think worked mostly on FR products) was the single worst artist I have ever had the misfortune of seeing published! If it weren't for the fact I don't buy books for artwork (but rather for informational content), I'd have never bought a book with such art in it. Thankfull that artist at least seems to be gone lately, but in general the art is still pretty bad.

As far as I'm concerned, Larry Elmore is the undisputed master of fantasy art, with Clyde Caldwell and Jeff Easley also in his league. The full-page color plates in 2nd Ed were some of the best art in gaming.

I don't think the artist I mention next has ever done anything for gaming, but if you want to see some really stunningly beautiful art, check out Mythic Naturalism: The Goddess Art of Jonathon Earl Bowser. Art of this quality and style in a gaming book would be spectacular!

 

[Doug McCrae]

Erol Otus was, and still is, the best DnD artist ever. Great to see Goodman Games brought him back. The vast majority of 1st ed and other early DnD art was pretty poor though.

A lot of the 2nd ed work, by guys like Jeff Easley and whoever did the Dragonlance covers, is technically of high quality but very conservative. Generic western fantasy. Doesn't have anything like the weird imaginative power of Otus.

Most of the 3rd ed stuff is pretty good, the average (and minimum) level of quality is probably an improvement on earlier editions but nothing outstanding. I like the pencil illos and Kev Walker's stuff in the DMG.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I don't think the artist I mention next has ever done anything for gaming, but if you want to see some really stunningly beautiful art, check out Mythic Naturalism: The Goddess Art of Jonathon Earl Bowser. Art of this quality and style in a gaming book would be spectacular!

Holy crap.

That's astounding. And the thing is, as good as he is with people, I don't think that's his strongest point.

But those landscapes...

Oh my God. I always consider it a mark of fantastic art, in terms of landscapes or locations, if I actually feel my heart seize up with the emotion of an intense desire to see for myself whatever this place is, to go there, right now, even if I know intellectally the place doesn't exist.

I think almost half the pictures on his site did that. And that's with relatively small pics. I'd kill to have some of those big enough for use as wallpaper on my monitor.

 

[Shemeska]

I adore some of the artists for 3e: Lockwood, Wood, Swekel, Mimura, and WAR being the ones that pop into my mind first. However, that said, I do miss Tony D and RK Post's stuff from 2e.

With a few exceptions I can't say I find anything wrong with the art in 3e at all, I like it. ALOT.

 

[Arrellion]

The new 3e art is good in its own way but it will never capture my
attention and imagination the way Elmore, Easley and Parkinson did.

On another note, Luis Royo does some amazing but somewhat strange
art.

 

[A'koss]

Overall, I enjoy the art of WAR, Lockwood and Wood more than the staple 2e artists (Elmore, Easley, Caldwell). I gotta say I'm really tired of EE&C's work...

Wayne's work in particular I feel is one the (if not the) best D&D has ever had. I wax nostalgic for Otus's work, it was very cool for it's time... but the one artist I really miss is Arnie Swekel. They need to get this guy back drawing Monster Manuals - now.

Cheers,

A'koss.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I think there is a distinction to be made.

The general layout and art direction in the 3E core line is great. I love the borders and typefaces and bleeds. They are attractive books and invoke a uniformity of style and pride of ownership.

The art itself- - which is DungeonPunk in theme is "ok". It is not the equal of Elmore and Parkinson, IMO.

That being said, I enjoy Lockwood and THIS pic of the lass in elven chain amounts to a General Pardon for a canoe full of artistic sins. It is my favorite piece from all of WotC's art and it contributed - at a fundamental conceptual level - to all my subsequent ideas of elven armor. A truly innovative illustration indeed.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dmg35_gallery/DMG35_PG221_WEB.jpg

 

[francisca]

Damn it Jim! I'm a gamer, not an art critic.

This horse is dead. Stop flogging it!!!!!

It was dead about three "whatcha think about 3e art, r0xx0rz or 5uKKz0rz?" threads ago.

Next thing you know, we'll be talking about how the Ranger got the shaft from the PokeMount. Film at Eleven.....