tattoos, spikes, punk, and goth in D&D images?

[Pants]

I didn't mind it as much in Planescape, I think simply because that was meant to be a very unusual setting. The various spikes and piercings and the like somehow fit in with all the other elements, where they don't jibe as well with "traditional" D&D.

J

Then again 'traditional' D&D is so very far from 'a realistic medieval world' that I find it weird that people are complaining about non-functional, more stylish armor, when robed figures are blowing up goblins in the background.

EDIT: My sentence made no sense...

 

[Mystic_23]

I say that the only problem I have is the elves with their goofy oversize ears. I like elves with pointy ears, just not pointy and...huge!

 

[RangerWickett]

I say that the only problem I have is the elves with their goofy oversize ears. I like elves with pointy ears, just not pointy and...huge!

Yes, and Leonard Nimoy should have played Legolas.

 

[diaglo]

Yes, and Leonard Nimoy should have played Legolas.

no...Dr. Who...Tom Baker

 

[Henry]

Y'know, If ENWorld survives for, say, another ten years, I'm going to smile knowingly when someone starts a thread by saying,

"Y'know, what ever happened to the good, firey, classic art of 3rd edition?!?! This new crap drawn by Jorge Newmoon or Courtney Firriel isn't fit to line my garbage can!!! Whatever happened to Wayne Reynolds, or Todd Lockwood!! Now that was some art that fired my imagination! No Progressive Hennet or Alhandra here - Just these new iconics and their looks like they belong in a TV commercial! C'mon, White Wolf, what about the good stuff??!"

 

[buzz]

Quick summary of Buzz's opinion:

Love WAR, Lockwood, Wood, et al.
Strongly dislike Elmore, Parkinson, et al. Easley has his good and bad days.

Basically, I'm a chainmail-bikini-hater. Always have been, always will be.

Nonetheless, I did think that the WoT RPG had more of a "classic" look I might have preferred for the core D&D books. The "dungeonpunk," though I generally like it, smacks me as more suited to FR.

My only complaint re: art is that WotC's products have been a little mediocre in this area recently, e.g., UA, CW, BoED, etc. I was really impressed with the art in the Eberron GenCon handout, but the recent, full-color previews they released were sorta disappointing, IMHO. I really can't understand why they never use Wood or Lockwood any more, or why they conitnue to throw work David Roach's way. Roach is simply terrible.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Larry Elmore is definately good, and one of the better D&D artists of all time. Although I still don't like him as much as Lockwood or WAR. Still, if I could point out something that puzzles me about Elmore's artwork, it would be this: Has anybody else noticed that he seems to have a fixation with 1980s hairstyles? I mean, even in his more recent paintings, the models all look like they stepped out of the mid-80s.

Or maybe it's just my imagination.

 

[buzz]

Or maybe it's just my imagination.

Nope.

I'd say more, but I'd probably just annoy a lot of Elmore fans here.

 

[Desdichado]

Y'know, If ENWorld survives for, say, another ten years, I'm going to smile knowingly when someone starts a thread by saying,

"Y'know, what ever happened to the good, firey, classic art of 3rd edition?!?! This new crap drawn by Jorge Newmoon or Courtney Firriel isn't fit to line my garbage can!!! Whatever happened to Wayne Reynolds, or Todd Lockwood!! Now that was some art that fired my imagination! No Progressive Hennet or Alhandra here - Just these new iconics and their looks like they belong in a TV commercial! C'mon, White Wolf, what about the good stuff??!"

Well, that's just it, isn't it? The reason some folks don't like the new art is because it doesn't "resonate" with some deep-seated idea they have with what D&D is. And maybe that's part of the reason I do like it; I never particularly "resonated" with D&D until 3e anyway; I was increasingly frustrated by the D&Disms in 1e to the point that I left for other games before 2e even came out.

I have to admit, though, that many of the replies here smack of complete illogic. CRGreathouse already demonstrated quite well that calling 3e art cartoonish and critizising it for lacking backgrounds is frankly, somewhat ludicrous in light of the older art. Saying, on the other hand, that you miss the occasional "flavor" piece of art that does nothing but provide flavor (and I'd argue that there's still some of that in the modern books anyway, although not much) on the other hand gets passed the emotional hyperbole and is actually something that we can all nod, and agree or disagree with on the specifics. In other words, it's a much more useful type of post to make.

 

[13luAcid]

ok well i only got to half way through the second page of these posts...i couldn't take much more whining...ok let me first point out several things that should be fairly obvious...first this is a game that takes place in a fantasy world that we make up in our head...secondly no art is crap it is art and art is nothing but a preference...all this dungeon punk and goth whining is real really annoying...if you don't like it thats fine...sence it really doesn't exist you are really only whining because someone else said something and you want to be accepted...thirdly many of you simply missed the point of this thread and just repeat what the people before you said which reiterates what i stated above...fourthly wotc did not skimp on anything they simply made a decision that they thought would best benefit us. Its called compromise people...the artwork is alot more realistic then what it has been in the past, there is slight cartoonish theme but that isn't in everything...none of it however is anime in any sence whatsoever any who say different are just being ignorant fools. Only people looking for something to whine about don't like the new artwork...

now, my thoughts are a little jumbled so bare with me. this is mainly about what i said as the first statement. This game is played in your imagination. You don't need artists to tell you what happens in your imaginary world and if you hold all those pictures to be the letter of the law for how your world looks then it isn't really your world anyway and you missing the big point of d&d which is total freedom. for the most part thats all i have to say. i hope most you will read this and learn something for the rest of you...well i just hope you learn that being ignorant to stupidity is just retarded=) now spend years figuring out what that means.