D&D 4E What period of D&D art would you most like to see 4E emulate?

[heirodule]

Jeff Dee. Bill Willingham, Erol Otus, and Tim Truman.

 

[WayneLigon]

I would also like the direction to turn to a more gritty & realistic style.

Some of those are probably more appropriate for a horror game, but a good number of them would look perfect for a full color plate in the PHB or DMG. Very evocative.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

How about, y'know, the artist don't "emulate" anything. I mean, the very concept sickens me, as an artist of a mediocre calibre myself, why the FUG would we be "emulating" some other, previous period of art?

Surely, the precise reason you hire artists with their own skills and vision is so that they can display those, rather than mindlessly "emulating" the work of other artists of the past. I mean, what do we want someone to forge Larry Elmore's style or something now? This "emulation" concept really blows my mind.

So, NO no no no no and thousand times NO to emulating any previous style. Yes to artists doing art, and doing so in their own style. High-quality art with a lot of effort put into it and good art direction (hopefully beyond "Make it look like Larry Elmore guys, or you're all fired!") is what 4E needs, not some horrible retro look designed to appeal to people who started playing before I was even BORN (1978 fyi). Particularly when said artists frequently appeared to have extremely poor grasps on colour theory (looking at you, Elmore) and/or making people not all look exactly the same as each other.

 

[Pygon]

I prefer late ADnD/2e. The color paintings, that is.

1e's art was too sketchy.

3e/3.5e is in many cases doesn't really capture the sense of struggle, danger and adventure - it's more just to look good, and doesn't often pull that off, either. There are some fine pieces, I just liked more from 2e.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

I voted 'Other', but, frankly, I couldn't care less about the art style used in 4e.

In my games, the monsters look like the pictures in my head, not the ones in the Monster Manual.

Must make it interesting for your players.

 

[A'koss]

Some of those are probably more appropriate for a horror game, but a good number of them would look perfect for a full color plate in the PHB or DMG. Very evocative.

Some of the links I included more for style & quality but in the end this likely all a moot excercise. I'm sure WotC has already comissioned out at least the majority of the artwork for the core books. And based on the early PHB images, it doens't look they are going to depart from 3e's style... :\

 

[Desdichado]

Must make it interesting for your players.

Have you ever read a book? Without pictures, I mean?

It works fine, actually. If you have even a mediocre talent for description, that is.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I would also like the direction to turn to a more gritty & realistic style.

I looked at every image you posted a link for. Lots of beautiful and amazing work there. Very few were what I would describe as gritty or realistic.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

Have you ever read a book?

Of course, Mr. Smarty-Pants!

Without pictures, I mean?

Oh. Uh, never mind.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

I looked at every image you posted a link for. Lots of beautiful and amazing work there. Very few were what I would describe as gritty or realistic.

If anyone wants to join me, I'm perfectly willing to start a threadjack on the correct meaning of "gritty and realistic" . . .