D&D 5E If the art in the PHB and MM is any indication...

[Sacrosanct]

the art in the DMG is going to blow me away.

The PHB has some really good art (bard, page 188, 193, etc) and some really bad art (IMO anyway, like the 1/2 orc and tiefling art)

The MM has only a couple pieces of meh art, but A LOT of really good art (demons, myconids, and gnoll come to mind)

So if the rate of quality in the DM improves as much as the MM improved over the PHB, it will be awesome of epic proportions.

 

[Salamandyr]

EDIT: removed because it was needlessly negative.

Here's hoping the DMG art blows us all away.

 

[Garrand]

The art has been overall good. The only criticism I can offer is that I wish they would put the artist credits next to the picture. They've done this in the past, and I enjoyed putting a name to a particular style I like...

Damon.

 

[Quickleaf]

The art has been overall good. The only criticism I can offer is that I wish they would put the artist credits next to the picture. They've done this in the past, and I enjoyed putting a name to a particular style I like...

Damon.

Seconded.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

The general art direction is not to my taste, I enjoyed 4E general aesthetics much more, but there's no denying that these new books are very well made by very talented artists.

 

[Li Shenron]

the art in the DMG is going to blow me away.

The PHB has some really good art (bard, page 188, 193, etc) and some really bad art (IMO anyway, like the 1/2 orc and tiefling art)

The MM has only a couple pieces of meh art, but A LOT of really good art (demons, myconids, and gnoll come to mind)

So if the rate of quality in the DM improves as much as the MM improved over the PHB, it will be awesome of epic proportions.

I agree! I liked 90% of the PHB art I've seen previewed, and 99% of the MM art. I don't expect the DMG to have nearly as much art as the previous 2 (my guess is that there will be a selected few inspirational scene-pictures, maybe 1 per chapter, plus a scattered number of tiny pictures for example in the magic item section), but it's probably going to be just as high quality as the the others.

 

[MoutonRustique]

The art has been overall good. The only criticism I can offer is that I wish they would put the artist credits next to the picture. They've done this in the past, and I enjoyed putting a name to a particular style I like...

Damon.

I agree. In fact, I was quite insulted when I did not find the artists' names. I find it a major fault on their part - especially considering all the praise the aesthetic aspects of the book has been getting.

Shame i say! Shame!

 

[aramis erak]

The PHB has only two pieces of art that I find "bad":
p26 the Halfling.
p76 Monk (wind directions - hair from her back left, legs from her front right)

It has several more I don't care for:
P35 Gnome
p50 pots of paint
p67 Druid
p137 girl, presumably outlander, in incomplete armor.
p140 female samurai. (this feels like it was ripped from L5R)
p188 battle on a falling bridge?

Considering the sheer amount of artwork, I consider that a pretty low "miss rate".

I'm not bothered by no names on the individual artwork. They are all listed in the credits.

 

[Mr Fixit]

I find the art generally to my liking, definitely more so than the dungeonpunk of the previous editions. The art is more "realistic", I notice an increased emphasis on the scene and environment rather than on isolated cool character(s) in mid-flight doing cool stuff while things/apparel swirl in cool ways to make him look... well, cool.

That said, I think the art may be a bit *too* subdued and mundane. I'd appreciate more... I don't know... character, I guess. Elmore art is a good example of old school and sword-and-sorcery art that still manages to be very evocative, colorful, and down to earth yet fantastical.

My favorite bits are: p.16 party getting cozy around a campfire (because I'm just a sucker for such nostalgia-inducing stay-a-while-and-listen art, p.35 awesome gnome girl, p.44 Chapter 3 intro picture of adventurers dispatching some goblins in a whirlwind of steel and spell, p.56 tough dwarven cleric, p.76 evocative and kinda hot monk, p.94 drow rogue is pretty good if a bit cliche, p.99 dangerously cool sorcerer, p.134 hermit, p.142 Chapter 5 intro picture of adventurers inspecting a treasure hoard, p.156 full page picture of a caravan in red hues, p.223 cloudkill (it *is* cloudkill, right?), p.268 prismatic spray, p.286 web, and those great little conditions sketches.

 

[AverageCitizen]

p76 Monk (wind directions - hair from her back left, legs from her front right)

Wind can swirl. And, considering the fact that she is channeling MAGIC, I feel like all bets are off concerning local weather patterns.

p188 battle on a falling bridge?

The frame is at an angle, I think. I don't think the structure is collapsing, just one piece has been knocked free by a goblin.