What do you feel fantasy RPG art should look like?

[Soda]

I like the first picture. I also like pathfinder. :/

EDIT- Art! I like pathfinder art, not pathfinder.

[RobbyPants]

I love a lot of Larry Elmore's stuff, but that may be because I started playing 2E. As far as old school fantasy art (and not just fantasy RPG art), I like Larry Elmore and also Frank Frazetta (Some of those are NSFW, in the artistic nude sort of way); Although Frank's stuff really does look pretty retro.

As far as new art goes, I'm really fond of Wayne Reynolds, and I like the look and feel most of his pieces bring to the books.

[ksbsnowowl]

I was going to post up some examples of the 3.0/3.5 artwork that I think is the best type, only to find that all the 3rd edition art galleries are now gone from WotC's website... 

So, forgive me, as I cannot give names of artists, but I think the artist, initials SW, who did Vadania the Druid and Hennet the Sorcerer for the PHB, is one of the best examples of what D&D art should look like.  Well-formed, but not cartoonish in much of any aspect.  Vadania is perhaps a bit too "perfect" in her physique (how many women really have a waist that small?), but it is realistic and pleasing to the eye.

I also like the artwork for the MM1 Troll and Umber Hulk.

Basically I'm all about realism.  Most of the 4th ed artwork is WAAAAYYYY too anime for me.

Similarly to Phaedrus, I really like most of the 3rd ed FR artwork.  The trolls from Unapproachable East, and the TSL.  Great artwork, there.

[Risada]

I was going to post up some examples of the 3.0/3.5 artwork that I think is the best type, only to find that all the 3rd edition art galleries are now gone from WotC's website... 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Wizards.... Why? I used to go there and pick a few pictures as needed, but now....

On topic...

Basically I'm all about realism.  Most of the 4th ed artwork is WAAAAYYYY too anime for me.

I agree, up to a point. A few monsters were quite nice (Rage Drake, a few Warforgeds...) but most PC races were like this...

[Raineh Daze]

I'm quite fine with whatever (and kind of baffled by picking Exalted art, since the whole setting is an exercise in being over the top), so long as it's actually good quality. So, not a monotone out-of-proportion sketch. Give me detail. Terrible quality drawings aren't really going to capture the feeling of any worlds at all. Except maybe bad ones.

[phaedrusxy]

I love a lot of Larry Elmore's stuff, but that may be because I started playing 2E. As far as old school fantasy art (and not just fantasy RPG art), I like Larry Elmore and also Frank Frazetta (Some of those are NSFW, in the artistic nude sort of way); Although Frank's stuff really does look pretty retro.

As far as new art goes, I'm really fond of Wayne Reynolds, and I like the look and feel most of his pieces bring to the books.

I'm terrible with names... but that Frank Frazetta stuff is absolutely amazing, and I know I've seen some of it before.

[Unbeliever]

Despite my abiding affection for Frazetta, I feel like his stuff is just too over the top for what I envision a sustainable campaign or an interesting campaign world to be. 

[Raineh Daze]

Hmm. Not a big fan of Frazetta's stuff, since a lend of perpetual sexual objectification and inadequate clothing just gets silly after a while. Why does no-one have clothes?

[Unbeliever]

Hmm. Not a big fan of Frazetta's stuff, since a lend of perpetual sexual objectification and inadequate clothing just gets silly after a while. Why does no-one have clothes?

It's a deliberate design choice.  But, as Robby noted, I believe it is harkening back to classic artists who mostly did nudes as well.

Why, for example, is virtually every (and I mean 99.999%) of all Greek and Roman statues of Hercules in the nude?  There was this aesthetic with sculpted muscles, the human form, etc.  Frazetta does, in all fairness, mix that with a healthy dose of boobies (although, again, every single classical sculpture or painting of a woman up until about the 15th century is nude, too).  But, I think that's what he's harkening back to, which from an artistic perspective is the only touchstone of real epic badassery the Western world has. 


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. 

[Raineh Daze]

Whilst that works well for a classical scenario, I feel that it doesn't really mesh with a medieval setting. Technology had progressed too much, it's not like we're dealing with stories from the bronze age. XD

[Risada]

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...

[ksbsnowowl]

The art galleries are back up.  Here are examples of the kind of art I like for RPG's:

(click to show/hide)

[littha]

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:

(click to show/hide)

[ksbsnowowl]

I always thought the second one (with the Rogue) looked like she had a bad cold or something. Why is her nose so red?

I'll grant you that.  Doesn't change the fact that the overall style is good.

Personal Favorite piece of 3.5 art:

(click to show/hide)

What book is that from? Incarnum?  Eh, too cartoony for my tastes (reminds me of the pic of Sovellis the Ranger in the PHB.)

Definitely not the worst of 3.5, though (Races of Destiny...)

[littha]

It's the Sapphire Heirarch from Magic of Incarnum. Its a dual progression Divine/Soulmeld class and it is awesome. It is also possible to qualify for the class at level 4 (Cleric 3/Incarnate 1) which is awesome.

[Raineh Daze]

It's also very blue. It looks like it needs a hug.

[Amechra]

I always thought the second one (with the Rogue) looked like she had a bad cold or something. Why is her nose so red?

I'll grant you that.  Doesn't change the fact that the overall style is good.

Personal Favorite piece of 3.5 art:

(click to show/hide)

What book is that from? Incarnum?  Eh, too cartoony for my tastes (reminds me of the pic of Sovellis the Ranger in the PHB.)

Definitely not the worst of 3.5, though (Races of Destiny...)

What, you're against Krusk the Pimp?

[ksbsnowowl]

Definitely not the worst of 3.5, though (Races of Destiny...)

What, you're against Krusk the Pimp?

Nope, this:

(click to show/hide)

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.


This artist just sucks.


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):

[brujon]

I like Elmore and Frazetta best, from what was shown. I mean, when you look at it, it seems like something like that could actually exist. It's very well drawn, very realistic. I enjoy art like that. I've always been sad that i could only draw stick figures... If i could just express what i imagine, i'd be very happy, but i never had the talent, i get all the proportions wrong, have no aesthetic sense. Even if i trained and could draw by repetition, i'd still not be able to replicate the fantastic vistas that i see. Other works... Many of the more realistic artstyles found on Heavy Metal magazine appeal to me. The art on Savage Sword of Conan as well. I grew up with this, so it's to be expected.

BTW, my dad is such a fan of Frank Frazetta he tattooed one of his wolf drawings on his arm. He's a Conan & Heavy Metal fan from his teens. I had a good childhood.

[Pteryx]

Never mind, scooped.  -- Pteryx