D&D General Initial Thoughts on the Two 2025 Forgotten Realms books

[Horwath]

That skil? Ive seen similar quality on local Facebook D&D groups with people trying to sell their art.

There's lots of people doing it.

Local guy here is doing ye olde fantasy oil paintings. Looks better than a lot of WotC art.

AI can also do better now.

5.5 is kinda in that bright, boring generic cartoon way. I've been buying the alt art ones because normal ones look so bad.

I agree 100% that PHB24 is too cartoonish,

maybe I am spoiled by all 4K images you can get, with huge object details, but I have seen pencil art that is 5× better than anything in PHB. And honestly PHB24 has too much art, it's like it was used to fill out page count.
we could have got artificer and 10 subclasses per class instead of bunch of artwork that is IMHO substandard.

now, I do not have new books, I only go with OPs page count and word count in comparison to price, but going with art style in previous books, I cant hope for any decent art. I hope that I am wrong.

and to quote my GF about PHB art, they all have been "yassify-ed"

 

[Zardnaar]

I agree 100% that PHB24 is too cartoonish,

maybe I am spoiled by all 4K images you can get, with huge object details, but I have seen pencil art that is 5× better than anything in PHB. And honestly PHB24 has too much art, it's like it was used to fill out page count.
we could have got artificer and 10 subclasses per class instead of bunch of artwork that is IMHO substandard.

now, I do not have new books, I only go with OPs page count and word count in comparison to price, but going with art style in previous books, I cant hope for any decent art. I hope that I am wrong.

and to quote my GF about PHB art, they all have been "yassify-ed"

Generally I like the 5.5 phb art.

The bad is very mid though. Cartoonist isnt for me but arts so subjective.

Pretty art works on casuals though. DiA looks great think I broke one my players hearts when I said it was mid adventure being generous.

 

[dave2008]

I agree 100% that PHB24 is too cartoonish,

That is 100% not what @Zardnaar said

maybe I am spoiled by all 4K images you can get, with huge object details, but I have seen pencil art that is 5× better than anything in PHB.

I call BS - prove it please.

So here is the first piece of art in the PHB. Please let me know how it is to "cartoony" and what pencil art is 5x better (whatever that means)

 

[Zardnaar]

That is 100% not what @Zardnaar said

I call BS - prove it please.

So here is the first piece of art in the PHB. Please let me know how it is to "cartoony" and what pencil art is 5x better (whatever that means)

View attachment 421087

That piece isnt bad at all.

Theres also a bard picture. She looks like Jem and the Holograms refugee. Kinda like it though it may not fit ones viewpoint of D&D tbf.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I lean more towards oils requiring more skill.

Oils require a lot more time and space. You are talking about weeks vs an afternoon. But they are far more forgiving than acrylics or water colours. It's easy to fix mistakes or change something that isn't working.

I hate water colour, it is really really hard!

 

[Zardnaar]

Oils require a lot more time and space. You are talking about weeks vs an afternoon. But they are far more forgiving than acrylics or water colours. It's easy to fix mistakes or change something that isn't working.

I hate water colour, it is really really hard!

No idea. Sister took up oils and some friends bought a couple.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No idea. Sister took up oils and some friends bought a couple.

I favour acrylics, but that's because I haven't got space to keep an oil painting set up whilst I work on it.

You can also use the same paints to paint minis!

 

[Zardnaar]

I favour acrylics, but that's because I haven't got space to keep an oil painting set up whilst I work on it.

You can also use the same paints to paint minis!

I can barely paint minis. I have the artistic ability of a blind gerbil on Crack.

Apologies to the Gerbil tbh.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I can barely paint minis. I have the artistic ability of a blind gerbil on Crack.

Apologies to the Gerbil tbh.

Don’t worry, the gerbil is a stoner monk and could kick your ass despite its lack of artistic ability.

 

[zakael19]

Oils require a lot more time and space. You are talking about weeks vs an afternoon. But they are far more forgiving than acrylics or water colours. It's easy to fix mistakes or change something that isn't working.

I hate water colour, it is really really hard!

We've got a couple pieces of art from a water color artist who pumps out incredible sketches into filled art (smaller scale) in an absurdly short time. Professional artists really are on a whole 'nother level.

_______________

D&D art has been trending towards mostly "high heroic fantasy" following larger trends in media for decades. B/W art gives a classic dungeon crawl-y vibe that's great for stuff like Shadowdark but doesn't match my memory of the Realms (much less the Realms today), which starts with BG2's many highly saturated and ornate scenes. Everything I've seen from the new books follows along from the representations in stuff like BG3 (which a huge number of the new audience is going to be anchored on as evident by them shoehorning the NPC characters in to as much promotional stuff as they can), but still has moments of classical "flatter" art. It's a good mix!