RPG art, especially fantasy RPG art, helps to give the viewer ideas on the character or creature featured. Not just in surface appearence but also attitude, capablity and how that creature or character carries him/herself. This can be used to make said creature/character look everywhere from mythic and superheroic to mundane and ordinary. This can also be used to divide between what some people call "old school RPGs" and "new school RPGs". So tell me which do you feel is more sutable as fantasy artwork.
More new school artwork.
Chris Stevens a.k.a. chriss2d on deviantArt (along with Mark Sinclair, Kevin Yan and Espen Grundetjern)
(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs12/f/2006/340/f/e/Exalted_2nd_Ed___Manse_Build_by_chriss2d.jpg)(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs12/f/2006/340/6/7/Exalted_2nd_Ed___Elementals_by_chriss2d.jpg)(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/094/4/2/Exalted_2nd_Ed__Scourge_by_chriss2d.jpg)(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs12/f/2006/340/2/4/Exalted_2nd_Ed___Yeddim_by_chriss2d.jpg)
Kendrick Lim a.k.a kunkka on deviantArt
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs12/i/2006/270/f/0/Exalted__the_BLessed_Isle_by_kunkka.jpg)
Jeff Laubenstein
(http://www.arnosoft.de/Erben_Mittelerdes_(html)/Grafiken/fullsize/28%20-%20Dwarf%20(EarthDawn).jpg)(http://www.blackgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/laubenstein-lyssa3.jpg)(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1913/magub1.jpg)(http://www.rottface.com/media/Rott_Large/sb_dsw_03_xl.jpg)(http://moondesignpublications.com/sites/default/files/Kralorelan%20-%20Sketch_0.jpg)
Or do you prefer old school fantasy illustrations like these?
David C. Sutherland
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AzochCSxWG8/T6H6YHR6J5I/AAAAAAAAARU/21nVEDFd_fc/s1600/descent.jpg)(http://webspace.webring.com/people/ac/cayzle/screeds/lion009a.jpg)(http://i4.tinypic.com/10r8hmt.jpg)
David A. Trampier
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uZ-Tf_0wOHc/TWBEaqoINJI/AAAAAAAABPQ/RhRKIzdKTkQ/s1600/trampier%2Bspider.JPG)(http://mikemonaco.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/trampier-bugbear.jpg)
Erol Otus
(http://www.robotviking.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/erol-otus-1-300x158.jpg)(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HPQou-R6PDE/SgRBwluSzjI/AAAAAAAAANI/u7zpoAV-qX4/s400/ErolOtus-RoguesGallery-02.jpg)
Larry Elmore
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa320/SnowyOwlet/Request%20Items/LarryElmoreFemaleArcher.jpg)(http://fantasy.mrugala.net/Larry%20Elmore/Larry%20Elmore%20-%20001b.jpg)(http://dragonlance.vanhardeveld.com/lance69.jpg)(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RpgQ3qaFX2I/TisyqntTrFI/AAAAAAAADNU/ppyRd9ZmReY/s1600/larry_elmore_dragonsoflight.jpg)(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHepmzb80dI/TlodeVMXB7I/AAAAAAAAF7g/pjMDIos22wU/s1600/mightyslayers.jpg)(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qmULPWTy_p0/S2BeamSi4gI/AAAAAAAAAOM/GwWVXKW6fxc/s400/elmore_witch.jpg)(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvH_nGSv9Ek/Tlt1Y4tu25I/AAAAAAAAAk0/8QW8rBado40/s1600/Avalynethelifegiver1988.jpg)
The art galleries are back up. Here are examples of the kind of art I like for RPG's:
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG34_WEB.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG50_WEB.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG51_WEB.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG105_WEB.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG150_WEB.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph2_gallery/97180.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph2_gallery/97182.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/fb_gallery/83539.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/fb_gallery/83559.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/fb_gallery/83586.jpg)
I always thought the second one (with the Rogue) looked like she had a bad cold or something. Why is her nose so red?
Personal Favorite piece of 3.5 art:
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/moi_gallery/91237.jpg)
Definitely not the worst of 3.5, though (Races of Destiny...)
What, you're against Krusk the Pimp?
Nope, this:
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86292.jpg)
This one actually had a huge kerfuffle when the book came out. Someone on the WotC boards trashed the artist for the POS this artwork was. The artist saw the comment and tried to defend himself. IIRC, the original artist given the assignment for this piece of art didn't finish and backed out shortly before the deadline, and the artist of the above had very little time to fill the work order.
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86313.jpg)
This artist just sucks.
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86295.jpg)
This one also caused a kerfuffle. The runes are the same runes Tolkien used in Lord of the Rings. If you translate it, the runes say things like "No War for Oil" and other political crap.
Here are what different images say:
"No more War for Oil" (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86295.jpg) (upper right corner)
"Get Out 'N Vote" (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86295.jpg)
"Bush Must Go" (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86323.jpg)
All that said, I think Hadnut's art is awesome, I just don't particularly care for the subject matter (don't like Illumians, really):
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86305.jpg)
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86321.jpg)
P.S.: Risada, would it be too much trouble for you to list or post what you think 4E's best artwork is? I agree that some of it I saw I really liked, but there was a lot, especially in the core books, that was awfully cartoony and WoW-esque for me. I don't happen to love Blizzard's aesthetic choices there, and there are a lot of things that work ok in a video game environment that don't in an RPG. It would just be nice for me to cull out the stuff that was good.
Will look into it... I'm AFB from my friend's 4e books...
Here is a few I liked:
(http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/TiamatZ/RageDrake-1.jpg)
Seems slightly serpentine, but I think it fits better than the D&D 3.5e's MM3 one... It shows that the drake is a hunter.
(http://0-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/tg/image/1332/81/1332814854719.jpg)
Aside from their clothes, I don't know why but I like these. I also like ALL warforged art from 3.5, including the Pimpforged (http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/images/701637/warforged_-_pimp_2.0.jpg).
... I REALLY need to get a few 4e books on my hands, so I can post more....