Personally, I don’t care for the overall style of art I’ve seen in the 3rd edition D&D books. It doesn’t look as awe-inspiring to me as some of the art that defined Dungeons and Dragons. I prefer the art of Elmore, Easley, Parkinson, and Caldwell, who all defined a generation of role-playing art, IMO. Not as “clean” of art as well.
However, I will say that there are a few artists from this current era that really strike me.
Wayne Reynolds is to Eberron what Brom was to Dark Sun. He defined the look of the setting. I love his two-page spreads on the inside covers of Eberron books.
Jason Engle has been seen in some Dragonlance books as well as
Arcana Evolved.
Friends and Familiars and
Allies and Adversaries were two projects he did the art for, and they look stunning. The art alone sold me on those two. I love his vibrant colors, especially where magical energy is concerned. His pic of the Academy Sorcerer and his other pic of the Legion of Steel members in
Age of Mortals are among my favorites.
Jennifer Meyer is another of my faves. She has worked on Dragonlance, Sovereign Stone, Blue Rose, and a ton of other products. What I like about her pictures is that she has a real feminine style to it, something you don’t normally see in D&D fantasy. Her female characters especially are great, and she draws some fantastic animals. Plus, she’s just a really nice lady.
Matt Stawicki is the modern day Dragonlance art guru. I don’t like his style quite as well as Elmore’s, but he does some amazing pieces, such as the cover of
Amber and Ashes. He has done some gaming books as well, including the cover of
Age of Mortals.
EDIT: I forgot to mention Todd Lockwood, who does some amazing dragons!
The current style in WotC’s D&D books isn’t my favorite, but they do have the occasional good piece. Third party companies tend to produce most of what I like these days. And, as always, art is in the eye of the beholder. The rest of the party is in the stomach.
