This qualifies as art?

[Kzach]

Am I missing something? Is there some quality to this that my uncouth self just can't recognise? Why is this stuff being paraded as art on the D&D website? Is the 'artist' the five-year old son of one of the designers?

At the risk of bringing down upon me great wrath and furious anger, I find the need to question just why someone got paid to do these pieces when there are eminently more qualified and skilled artists out there who are more deserving.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Savage Encounters)

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Am I missing something?

I think so.

I like the guy's art, myself. It's far more sophisticated than you give it credit for, IMO, despite (or because of) its whimsy.

 

[fireinthedust]

you've... never read Order of the Stick, have you? giantitp.com


Some of his stuff is pretty funny.

 

[weem]

I think they are fine, especially given that opening line (highlights mine)...

The latest DDM miniatures set, Savage Encounters, releases this month. To help celebrate, we've asked Jared von Hindman of headinjurytheater.com to create a set of cartoons for each of the minis (after all, we loved his Dangerous Delve Doodles, and Legendary Evils).

They seem to be going into detail there about why he was chosen for these, so it seems to me they were looking for something exactly like that.

/shrug

It's cool though - you don't like em, and that's fine too

Is it art? IMO, yes.

 

[roguerouge]

Craft isn't everything. There's a long tradition of lo-res art, actually, ranging from primitivism to outsider music.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Am I missing something? Is there some quality to this that my uncouth self just can't recognise? Why is this stuff being paraded as art on the D&D website? Is the 'artist' the five-year old son of one of the designers?

At the risk of bringing down upon me great wrath and furious anger, I find the need to question just why someone got paid to do these pieces when there are eminently more qualified and skilled artists out there who are more deserving.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Savage Encounters)

Hi Kzach,

You would most likely have noticed cartoonists like Luenig, who use a simple style to good effect. I kind of agree with you that the pieces on D&D you refer to are at the poorer end of the scale (if you go to the artist's site though, you'll find better renditions of this simple style). I prefer a more "realistic" style of fantasy art myself.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Meek]

It's called having different tastes. Personally I rather like his art, it reminds me of weird cartoons like Invader Zim, but I'm a big cartoon/anime watcher and prefer those kinds of styles to regular run of the mill fantasy art. He got paid for it because the D&D guys liked his style and wanted to show something, as they say, "cartoony" and not overdone fantasy art.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm a big fan of Jared's writing (he wrote the "Dungeons & Dragons: Thirty Years of Stupid Monsters" articles), but his art never did anything for me. That said, I don't hate it either.

 

[MerricB]

Although I'm not a great fan of his art, I think the Skeletal Tiefling picture shows a lot of skill and art.

Cheers!

 

[Ssadral]

I really like it. I mean 99% of all the D&D art is what the OP likes anyway, having this 1% should be OK for those who like it.

It is a very refreshing and nice change from all the muscled heroes and supercool pictures that is becoming commonplace.