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

[Desdichado]

I'd go with "great" on all but #3. The ink job was not done well. Should have gone the charcoal route.
The choice of word "greatest" is definitely subjective.

Oh, sure it's subjective. But as far as I'm concerned, the technique on most of those older pieces is atrocious. The proportions, the perspective, the composition, the technique --- all bad.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

You just nailed it. I liked the mysterious feeling one would get from much of the 1E art. It was just there, often without much explanation. A small scene in some shadowed dungeon or lowly field on a windswept plain. Like some rough sketch made of a real event, one long forgotten, you would look at it and try and determine what they were thinking, what was happening? It really captured the imagination - something you can't do where you just have cartoonish looking (sometimes by style, sometimes by content - lots of buckles and spikes in armor being the proverbial example) iconic looking straight at you in a portrait that makes it clear the only thoughts involved are "look at me, I'm a cool iconic." There just isn't any mystery there. There isn't anything to capture the imagination in quite the way you could where there are so many questions left unanswered in a scenic artwork (as opposed to a portrait). Perhaps that is the big distinction - the 1E books had many "scenes" of indeterminate nature while 3E just has lots of illustrations / portraits. The style just makes it that much less palatable to me.

Art which invokes mystery to me:

 

[buzz]

Oh, sure it's subjective. But as far as I'm concerned, the technique on most of those older pieces is atrocious. The proportions, the perspective, the composition, the technique --- all bad.

If I understand you correctly, you're dissing Dave Trampier.

Boo!!! Worst Joshua Dyal evar.

 

[buzz]

Art which invokes mystery to me...

Pics 1 and 3 are good exmaples of what I consider to be the creeping mediocrity in recent WotC books. 2 is quite good, and 4 (the WAR piece) rocks.

 

[Desdichado]

Boo!!! Worst Joshua Dyal evar.

Sorry, buzz, I just can't take that seriously. Now, if you'd said:

B00!!!!!!1111!!! WROST JOSHA DYALL EVAR!!!!!!111!!

on the other hand, I might think you had something.

 

[Remathilis]

I really hate calling the D&D artwork Anime. You want anime? THIS is (sorta) anime!

 

[Von Ether]

PHB 3.5:
Alhandra p43- again, silly armor that leaves her abdomin and legs unprotected
Devis p105- ok, he's a bard, but even that costume is a little to froo-froo

p 105. Dude, I just got back from a Ren Fest, trust me, to modern eyes a lot of historic costumes look quite froo-froo. Hell, I was wearing authentic outfit with no less than five buckles up the front and I barely avoided having a costume nazi put me in tights.

pg. 43, yeah, because Elmore never did the same.

 

[WayneLigon]

....left unanswered in a scenic artwork (as opposed to a portrait). Perhaps that is the big distinction - the 1E books had many "scenes" of indeterminate nature while 3E just has lots of illustrations / portraits. The style just makes it that much less palatable to me.

Generally I like the portraits just as well as anything else; more so, sometimes. I'm always looking for representations of various characters and with a portrait type, with a minimum of background, it's a lot easier to say 'That's the mayor of the town', or 'That's the young man you rescued last adventure'.

 

[Hawkshere]

My fave Trampier for mood setting remains his DM Screen montage. I still use my old 1st edition DM screen today.

 

[SkidAce]

Oh, and for the record, I can't stand Elmore's work.

Wow, 9 times out of 10 if I see a Buttercup post it's almost what I would say.

Except I like Elmore...but my favorite /cringe is Caldwell. Most people don't like him for some reason.

Also like Frazzetta, Royo, Escher....