D&D 4E I wish we had Magic artists for 4e.

Aegeri

First Post
In fairness, magic sells a LOT more than DnD does and I imagine their art budget must be miles ahead of that of DnD books.
 

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Dannager

First Post
A thousand times, yes!

It's too bad Wizards can't get the same level of quality art in D&D books. Wayne Reynolds' cutesy, flat, style is really getting old.

You know Wayne Reynolds does current Magic illustrations, right? I have a couple of his pieces in my shiny new red/blue deck.

Also, I can't be the only one who finds his art totally awesome. It's very in-line with my personal mental imagery of D&D.
 

Jhaelen

First Post
It's too bad Wizards can't get the same level of quality art in D&D books. Wayne Reynolds' cutesy, flat, style is really getting old.
I think, this is not a matter of 'quality' or 'budget'. It's a matter of art direction and style.

D&D has a lot of great artists and many of them also create (or have created) art for CCGs. Here's a couple of D&D artists who I think could easily create pieces of a similar style:
- Chippy
- Daarken
- Arnie Swekel
- Francis Tsai
- Michael Komarck

The thing is: Do these 'Magic' pieces scream 'this is D&D' to you?
 

Canor Morum

First Post
You know Wayne Reynolds does current Magic illustrations, right? I have a couple of his pieces in my shiny new red/blue deck.

Also, I can't be the only one who finds his art totally awesome. It's very in-line with my personal mental imagery of D&D.


I don't like his style on the Magic cards either. Not saying it isn't good, just not my preferred treatment of the subject matter. I was more referring to his D&D cover work though.

I'm sure he has lots of fans, I'm just not one of them.
 

Canor Morum

First Post
I think, this is not a matter of 'quality' or 'budget'. It's a matter of art direction and style.

That's what I meant by quality, maybe caliber would have been a better word, maybe not. Art is very subjective, so what I consider "better" quality is different from your idea of it.

Would I like to see D&D subject matter depicted in a more dark, realistic, gritty way? Certainly.
 

Klaus

First Post
For the new set of Magic, WotC decided to tease us by posting some cards without any text (except for the very last one, which reveals text if you mouse over it).

Wizards of the Coast

I think this art is amazing, and I would love to run games with elements inspired by these illustrations. Then I consider the images I've seen in the 4e art so far, and I wish we had more art that conveyed the possibilities inherent in the game, rather than showing the specifics they've decided to put in the rulebook.

At the very least, some of this stuff would be great for monster art.

Better links for art available here: [SHM] Arts from Shadowmoor - MTG Salvation Forums

I'm going to use some of this art for my home game. Maybe I can work in some evil merfolk.
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Sometimes a Magic artist will do a piece for D&D (Dave Rapoza, just to mention one). But Magic has a bigger art budget and pays more. When a D&D artist catches the eye of the M:tG art department, they're abducted and rarely come back.
 

Siberys

Adventurer
My favorite Magic artists DO do artwork for D&D - Prescott and Reynolds.

Is it surprising they both have done prominent Eberron artwork?
 

webrunner

First Post
You know.. i've always wondered why there isn't more crossover from MTG and D&D.

I know it's like, an editorial mandate, but why? I'd kill for a Ravnica Campaign Setting or a Planeswalking Guide.

For fun I actually statted out Chandra Nalaar lvl 30.. basically wizard pyromancer with a bunch of summons, and the two plane-related paragon/epic paths.
 

kaomera

Explorer
I think, this is not a matter of 'quality' or 'budget'. It's a matter of art direction and style.
This. M:tG art has certainly moved in a more uniformly-thematic direction in the past few millenia of it's existence, but it's still nowhere near D&D in that respect. There's just a lot more freedom for the artists to do wild stuff, instead of trying to portray a very consistent aesthetic.

Fortunately, there's this thing called the "internet", and a lot of really, really cool artists post their stuff there, and there's nothing that WotC can do to keep me being inspired by it. =]
 


Zaukrie

New Publisher
I'd be happy with three things in art in D&D:

1. Stop re-using art over and over. Also, if you are doing art for the last great FR book, don't use re-cycled art that isn't even relevant to the FR. Brutal.

2. Actually have art in the "magazines". I was unaware there was even art anymore.

3. Stop with the PC's posing for the camera art. There are millions of pieces of PCs. We want action. We want fantastic landscapes. We want to be inspired.
 

Moorcrys

Explorer
There are some pretty amazing bits of art in 4e - I like it a lot better than some of the ridiculously themed 3rd Edition art - especially in the PHB. Some of the class renderings looked like they were from a 1990's poser bar in the West Village. Hennet the sorcerer I'm looking at you.

It's always hit or miss for me though - for instance I feel like the art direction and artist's design of the wilden is so... hideous... it actually ruins the race for me. Manifestations of the Green? They look like Cirque de Soleil clowns - I'm waiting for an artist to submit a piece of a dozen of them piling out of a little plant car. Just... yech.
 
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keterys

First Post
3. Stop with the PC's posing for the camera art. There are millions of pieces of PCs. We want action. We want fantastic landscapes. We want to be inspired.

As someone who mostly uses art for feeding into Maptools lately... I respectfully disagree entirely :)
 

Aegeri

First Post
3. Stop with the PC's posing for the camera art. There are millions of pieces of PCs. We want action. We want fantastic landscapes. We want to be inspired.
I disagree, you can never have enough art and art of PCs is just as good for NPCs/antagonists as monsters. In fact sometimes better, because some of the 4E art for various PCs look more evil than some of their villains!
 

renau1g

First Post
They're not evil, they're anti-heroes... brooding and dark and mysterious.... RAWR!

They don't save princesses, instead they just sit around and be all angst ridden... kind of like how modern vampires are depicted...
 


Zaukrie

New Publisher
then have the PCs doing something, other than posing for the camera...but you can disagree if you want, I'm cool with that.
 

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