Vote for your Favorite D&D Artist [World Championship Edition] LOCKWOOD vs. ELMORE!!!

[Aaron L]

Lockwood all the way. Elmore is good, but has always bored me.

 

[mistergone]

I had to go Elmore.

1) When I bought the red box Basic Dungeons & Dragons set, his art was there.

2) SnarfQuest. I loved it. It was in the first issue of Dragon I ever got. My mom bought me that issue. I loved SnarfQuest. Telerie! >drool<

3) The one piece of his "The Brave Dragonslayers" or similar, with the proud adventuring party holding up a slain baby dragon about the size of a weasle. That just speaks of almost every party everywhere, especially in 2nd Ed.

I like Lockwood too, he's fine. Excellent artwork, even. But he's not Elmore. He hasn't been around as long as my memory of the hobby. Lockwood doesn't get my vote.

Edit: Can you tell I didn't read the thread first?

 

[RangerWickett]

Wow, I'd forgotten who Sardinha was. I got him confused with some random Magic artist who did crappy lands. I must say, Sardinha is pretty groovy too.

 

[Bran Blackbyrd]

This is it folks. After a knock-down, drag out fight in the Final Four, Lockwood and Elmore emerged victorious with 39 votes each, while 38 votes went to the illustrious WAR and DiTerlizzi.

Doh, had I seen the original poll I'd have voted for Diterlizzi.

 

[Arthur Tealeaf]

This totally sold my ass to Lockwood

 

[NeuroZombie]

Lockwood...

I am tired of nearly ALL female characters having the same facial features, which IMHO, Mr. Elmore has a habit of. Don't get me wrong, Elmore is fantastic, but best of ALL time... naw....

 

[The Serge]

You really think he's deteriorated? Take a look at these recent works for Sovereign Stone. IMO they are much, much, better than the samples posted earlier in this thread.

Yes, I do. And the some of the images you refer to are examples of why.

I think his color palette has deteriorated, and his images are far more "flat" than they used to be. I also think that, in comparison to Lockwood, he doesn't have the best sense of dynamics. By this I mean that his images are look posed.

Take the image of the mounted knight (I presume) charging the dragon. Yes, the dust is fantastic. Indeed, the image is technically sound. But, it's rather boring when compared to Kieth Parkinson, Todd Lockwood, Sam Wood... (but significantly more interesting than Jeff Easely and Clyde Caldwell). The dragon is clearly based upon a posing man (or woman) rather than on an animal. The two beings are just sort of caught in a moment without anything really happening. One could say that this is great, that the viewer has a chance to witness the final moments before a conflict and that that momen offers a sense of drama. This would be okay, I suppose, if most of Elmore's pictures weren't like this. The majority of his images over the years have been like this; either moments before the conflict/interaction, or moments after it. But, in the past, there was more warmth and drama to the images (Laurana standing over the dead Sturm is an example... another is the cleric healing the warrior felled by a Hill Giant).

As I said before, I continue to admire and respect Elmore. But, I respect him in the same way I respect the animation of first four seasons of the Batman: The Animated Series when I compare it to the animation for Batman/Superman Adventures. It's quality stuff, it established standards, and I was drawn to it... but something far more energetic, innovative, and interesting has come along. Todd Lockwood.

 

[Thengil]

Brom is the master. Of these two, I'd say Lockwood.

 

[Henry]

I'll admit I wasn't a big fan of Todd Lockwood's work - until I saw the full painting of his cover work for Malhavoc Press on Cry Havoc, Skip Williams' mass combat book due in January.

http://www.montecook.com/images/Havoc_art.jpg

(warning! Above image is pretty large, but well worth it)

Larry Elmore still is my D&D muse, lock, stock and barrel.

 

[Tiefling]

I'll admit I wasn't a big fan of Todd Lockwood's work - until I saw the full painting of his cover work for Malhavoc Press on Cry Havoc, Skip Williams' mass combat book due in January.

http://www.montecook.com/images/Havoc_art.jpg

Oh my God he's got a spike on his elbow cop! The horror!