New d20 product spotted! DM Graphic Encyclopedia

[Mixmaster]

I'm going to take a "flyer" on it. I'll give a review after I receive it.

 

[uv23]

Which is the impression I get from some of the art, but I certainly wouldn't call it poor! At worst its 'quirky'.

No no, I insist. I consider it poor. Then again I have perused and purchased a *lot* of d20 books and with rare exception, it seems that d20 publishers have a low to zero budget on artwork which is really unfortunate. Beautiful descriptive pictures are as important in defining a setting, person or item as the text itself, if not more.

Too often, art seems too quickly pushed out or simply of poor artistic quality altogether. I don't believe thats an unfair comment. There are good artists and bad artists. I can't draw worth a whit for example. But there are a *lot* of very talented artists out there who can be drawn on (pun intended) and I wish more publishers would make the effort.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

I didn't think the DM Graphic Encycopedia art was that bad. Not that great, but not that bad, and certainly better than none. I do agree that many d20 products have terrible art, and that can be a deciding factor in whether I purchase an item or not. It is true that DM Press goes on and on about how bad other art is while their art goes from good to poor (sometimes on the same page), so I think that might have something to do with the "backlash" of negative opinions here. Just my two cents.

Examples of art in the book I liked:
I thought the Alhoozitz Wight art was great (okay, so I can't remember the exact creature's name, LOL)

Csearana the Red, Serpent Priestess and the Mystic Assassin (might have forgotten the name but the female demon in tight black leather seen from behind) was all good, evocative cheesecake art.

Examples of bland but decent art: all potions and magic items, (very computer generated looking)

Examples of just plain bad to pathetic art:
The Fire King
Varspawn

Keep in mind that my opinions may change if I could see the art close-up in detail rather than in the tiny flip book viewer...