tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post570272677717654798..comments2024-03-26T02:31:48.024-05:00Comments on Trollsmyth: A Critique of Wayne Reynolds' Arttrollsmythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-42415136902323764662018-01-10T11:38:49.129-06:002018-01-10T11:38:49.129-06:00Unknown: can you link me to examples of the styliz...<b>Unknown:</b> can you link me to examples of the stylized stuff? I assume you mean more than just the anime aesthetic that was so popular a few years ago.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-12624688582442152192018-01-10T01:41:53.286-06:002018-01-10T01:41:53.286-06:00I loathe that stuff. I do not like stylized art, r...I loathe that stuff. I do not like stylized art, really in general, but if it's stylized I'll take LSD trip over that video-game looking crap.<br /><br />If I had an RPG everything would be illustrated by Osprey artists. 100% accurate armor, including multiple-piece armor and not some goddamn ghost sheet KKK chain mail.<br /><br />Hell, I will take garbage doodles Gygax did on a napkin over cartoon/anime/video game stylings. I don't like them in comic books. My favorite comic book illustrators are guys like Alex Ross, who give you a nearly photo-realistic Superman show realistically proportioned next to tiny mortals with normal physiques. That gives an impression of real power, and size, and the majesty (and the same would be true of a Tolkien elf - bug-eyed faeries can go to Hell, I want ubermensch).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-3712926005557343402008-12-11T01:15:00.000-06:002008-12-11T01:15:00.000-06:00I am very intrigued with your critique of Wayne Re...I am very intrigued with your critique of Wayne Reynolds. I am an illustratour. Sadly, not as well known or as skilled as Mr. Reynolds, but my interests definitely lie in the "you are here" school. I grew up with the D&D of Larry Elmore and Parkinson. Michael Whelan was and is my absolute favourate illustratour. I do recognize Wayne Reynolds' style for what it is, and I must say that I enjoy his sense of design more than his sense of decor. I play the "you are here" types of games. They are usually gritty and realistic. Not bloody and disgusting, but there is a strong sense of realism. That's just how I like to game. That's how I like to make art, too. But design is another matter. You can tastefully embellish, as Maxfield Parrish did, without losing that sense of reality. Reynolds, even in his historical ventures, carries a more anime style that is hard to shake. He is, in every sense of the word, an illustratour. I think you are right that he changes his style to fit the scenes, etc. Elmore and Parkinson were part of a more idealistic age. Dragonlance, especially mixed the grit of Celto-Germanic and Grecian history with modern (I mean within the last 1000 years or so) cultural ideals. I find that my problem comes not with the composition or the rendering, but with WHAT it is he is depicting. I am not a heavy handed dogmatist or even a religious person at all. His illustrations cater to the WOW public, which, I must admit, is quite clever and fun, to an extent. But I think that Wayne Reynolds embodies a generation and that it is less considerate. Kill and smash mentality removes compassion from the social sphere. Not because people can't feel it. but because they are not being fed those things. A friend of mine was comparing our styles. he is also an illustratour. His images are action packed and usually portray the most dynamic elements of a scene. Mine, on the other hand, tend to be more contemplative. It is usually the calm right before the storm. The pause between moments, the consideration, the sense of repurcussion. I think both are fine, but I think that we don't see enough of the latter. That imagery makes the viewer slow down and consider: "What just happened?" The dynamics of right and wrong, to whatever extreme, can be considered and digested. It seemed like there were more contemplative pieces formerly in the D&D sphere, less high impact action. Character and story were stressed more than instant action and gratification. We are I think seeing a shift that Wayne Reynolds embodies. we have left the age of Right and entered the age of Might. Just as any epic story would suggest in their histories and even among our earth's histories, there are shifts, ebbs and flows. The tide of turning that cycles, brings back around. I will say that I think Mr. Reynolds' work is beautiful, his style established and professional, but I think it is a little irresponsible. D&D, in my opinion, has gone from story-based to stuff based. It can be argued that stuff was the thing in earlier games, as materials were still prized among party members' players. But, that stuff is now the thing that feeds the wanton lifestyle of WOW culture where consequences are largely overshadowed by eye-candy and promises of being the next baddest thing on the block. If Mr. Reynolds had shown up more toward the middle of D&D's true heyday, not this display of overstimulated self-indulgence, we would see something else. Or maybe he would have just ended up painting for Warhammer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-6022491526437954162008-11-17T12:46:00.000-06:002008-11-17T12:46:00.000-06:00Trollsmyth,I really enjoy your art critiques, thou...Trollsmyth,<BR/>I really enjoy your art critiques, though I haven't commented before. Even though I cut my teeth on D&D art in the beginning of the 80s, my art taste runs more to Parkinson, and even more to Lockwood (though not when he trends too much in the dungeonpunk direction.) So at first, WAR was too comicy/not realistic enough. Then I saw this: http://paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO9202_500.jpeg. (It's even more impressive if you get hold of the book.) Seeing he was capable of this really makes me hope that his Paizo art will trend away from his fourth edition art--both because this would brand Pathfinder in greater distinction vis-a-vis WotC, and for my own aesthetic joy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-67051206442139001762008-10-01T16:35:00.000-05:002008-10-01T16:35:00.000-05:00I don't know if all of them are there, but I got t...I don't know if all of them are there, but I got the pick from <A HREF="http://paizo.com/paizo/blog" REL="nofollow">Paizo's blog</A>. Unfortunately, it's not very well organized or searcheable, so you just have to page back, back, back to see when they posted a pic.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-40232419926867540462008-10-01T15:10:00.000-05:002008-10-01T15:10:00.000-05:00I almost forgot: Do you know where can I find all ...I almost forgot: Do you know where can I find all the characters featured in the Pathfinder Classes Chapter? I only saw the dwarven ranger link in your entry and I wonder if you know them all.Gonzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11079645435329522622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-35708733431182074822008-10-01T15:00:00.000-05:002008-10-01T15:00:00.000-05:00I just know two kinds of artwork from Mr. Reynolds...I just know two kinds of artwork from Mr. Reynolds: the dynamic ones, featured in Magic the Gathering and Eberron-books inner covers; and the static, almost Tusseaud-like, ones featured in the Pathfinder books by Paizo. Even though I agree with some of the points of your critique, I just love his art representig such a variery and flavorful characters. <BR/><BR/>Great blog, by the way.Gonzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11079645435329522622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-28426275290045557932008-03-30T13:27:00.000-05:002008-03-30T13:27:00.000-05:00James,I think I'd agree with you on his need for g...James,<BR/><BR/>I think I'd agree with you on his need for good direction, or, at the very least, his need to avoid bad direction. Easley certainly deserves a critique, but it would be interminably long, because of the shift of his style from his days doing black-and-white interior illustrations for modules, to his last great hurrah as the TSR cover artist on the 2nd versions of the 2nd edition core books. <BR/><BR/>I've mentioned before that WAR's art in 4th edition is clearly asking, "Who do you want to be?" That's sort of the idea behind iconics, I suppose. They're a smörgåsbord of cool that you get to pick from. <BR/><BR/>That of course, rubs us grognards the wrong way. We built our characters from the bare bones of archetypes and the stuff of dreams and naked breath. Assembling them from a catalog of parts, as if they were stereo system components, just feels dead to us.<BR/><BR/>That said, I do remember grousing that D&D was too limiting, and that it just didn't give you the options to really make the character you had in your imagination.<BR/><BR/>I guess there's just no pleasing some people. ;)<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-6511879122111447982008-03-30T13:07:00.000-05:002008-03-30T13:07:00.000-05:00Brian,WAR, as he abbreviates his name, doesn't hav...Brian,<BR/><BR/>WAR, as he abbreviates his name, doesn't have anything in the original 3.0 PHB. It was a bit before he really took off, so he didn't have a hand in any of the original iconics. <BR/><BR/>I don't have any of the 3.5 books, but WotC has a great resource for us art fanatics in their online galleries for each book. Looking at the iconics from the 3.5 PHB, he does have one: Gimble, who appears to be a gnome bard (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG27_WEB.jpg)<BR/><BR/>I'm not crazy about it, but you can see how Mr. Reynolds enjoys playing with costume and details. <BR/><BR/>The giant of 3.0 artwork was supposed to be Todd Lockwood. He probably deserves a critique along the lines of one of those "Where Are They Now" sorts of things. Unfortunately, I fear he's one of the worst offenders in the early 3.0 artwork. :/<BR/><BR/>I'm also going to commit grognard heresy here and say I enjoy the work of John Foster. His Lidda is probably the most "iconic" of the iconics.<BR/><BR/>I have to agree with you on the art direction at WotC. It just boggles my mind, considering how great the art for Magic has been through the years.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-16932922791535893592008-03-30T10:17:00.000-05:002008-03-30T10:17:00.000-05:00I think Reynolds is a bit like many extremely tale...I think Reynolds is a bit like many extremely talented people -- he needs direction. Left to his own devices or given bad art direction, his stuff exemplifies everything I hate about modern <I>D&D</I>. But his Paizo work is among my favorite gaming art ever and it makes a nice counterpoint to sometimes overly "heroic" style of artists like Elmore and Easley (whom I both adore). <BR/><BR/>Seeing the variety of styles and approaches that Reynolds can take is, I think, good evidence that it's often not the artist that determines how well a piece turns out as much as his art director. The look of his WotC work is no more accidental than his Osprey work. And I think you're right that <I>D&D</I> artwork tells us a lot about how we, as gamers, perceive the game and what it's supposed to be about -- and further proof of why I feel alienated from modern <I>D&D</I>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-52328046007358171852008-03-30T10:12:00.000-05:002008-03-30T10:12:00.000-05:00Very nice critique, Trollsmyth, and I also want to...Very nice critique, Trollsmyth, and I also want to thank you for directing me to such nice pieces of art. Sadly, the 3.0 and 3.5 Player's Handbook art has soured my perception of Wayne Reynolds, simply because I can't stand any of the iconic characters from roughly pp. 25-57 of the 3.5 PHB. I'm not even sure which are his, but I find all of them dreadful, and most of the core 3.0/3.5 artwork almost as bad. AD&D art from the likes of Otus, Willingham, Parkinson, and Trampier has it all over dungeonpunk.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, most of the artwork you have posted here is fantastic. In terms of sheer skill, they have me convinced that Reynolds is easily among the best D&D artists, ever. His flexibilty of styles is amazing. It's just too bad that someone at WOTC has apparently given him and other artists marching orders to create tattooed, spiky characters.Brian Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05563309422791320114noreply@blogger.com