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Author Topic: Worst Old School Art?  (Read 21600 times)

Dumarest

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Worst Old School Art?
« Reply #180 on: July 14, 2017, 07:10:11 PM »
Quote from: Zevious Zoquis;974329
haha, yes...this is also an issue I have with Liefeld's stuff.  I often find myself driven to distraction by all the straps, buckles, pouches, and layers of overlapping swords and knives strapped to backs and forearms and thighs.  And the way those straps bind characters in what looks to me like incredibly uncomfortable ways.  There's a bizarre obsessive quality there that I sort of find I can't look away from, lol.  Something similar applies to this classic video!  :D


But for Kiss that is utterly appropriate and awesome. I want to play those guys next time I break out The Price of Freedom.

S'mon

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« Reply #181 on: July 14, 2017, 07:57:05 PM »
Quote from: RPGPundit;975397
The weird thing is that back then, most gamers weren't middle-aged, yet.


I guess the artists were drawing their friends & co-workers?

This is the image that sums up 1990s D&D for me:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1149[/ATTACH]

Nearly-naked girl with crotch-sporran and two fat geezers, all out LARPing.

Trond

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« Reply #182 on: July 14, 2017, 09:18:51 PM »
Quote from: S'mon;974309
2e AD&D art definitely took "You can be the hero!" a step too far. :D All those portly middle-aged 'adventurers' who look suspiciously like 1990s suburban Americans... When it wasn't Clyde Caldwell's girlfriend.

What's with all the crosses? Were they a religious symbol in this setting? (if there is an implied setting at all)

Baulderstone

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« Reply #183 on: July 14, 2017, 09:28:55 PM »
Quote from: Dumarest;975566
But for Kiss that is utterly appropriate and awesome. I want to play those guys next time I break out The Price of Freedom.

I call dibs on The Catman.

Whitewings

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« Reply #184 on: July 16, 2017, 09:54:14 AM »
Quote from: Trond;975592
What's with all the crosses? Were they a religious symbol in this setting? (if there is an implied setting at all)

To communicate immediately to the viewer the concept of "ancient Celtic graveyard."

DavetheLost

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« Reply #185 on: July 16, 2017, 10:51:50 AM »
Quote from: Trond;975592
What's with all the crosses? Were they a religious symbol in this setting? (if there is an implied setting at all)

To off set the "Satanic Panic".

Dumarest

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« Reply #186 on: July 16, 2017, 02:04:13 PM »
Quote from: Baulderstone;975594
I call dibs on The Catman.

One down, three to go. Can't wait to see what they do when the godless Commies try to take away their rock'n'roll.

Philotomy Jurament

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« Reply #187 on: July 17, 2017, 01:42:40 AM »
Quote from: S'mon;975574
I guess the artists were drawing their friends & co-workers?

This is the image that sums up 1990s D&D for me:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1149[/ATTACH]

Nearly-naked girl with crotch-sporran and two fat geezers, all out LARPing.

Hah! Yeah, I have to agree. Good choice.
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Ratman_tf

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« Reply #188 on: July 17, 2017, 01:48:32 AM »
Quote from: CRKrueger;964953
Yeah, but do you see the Giant Spider in the tree?  I know people who have had the damn thing for 40 years and never saw the spider. :D


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Ratman_tf

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« Reply #189 on: July 17, 2017, 02:00:00 AM »
Quote from: Eric Diaz;970951
I like a lot of old school art, and Russ Nicholson is probably my favorite, maybe because FF books. OD&D books have bad art IMO, but who can blame them at this point.

For me the worse art is 2e revised version. They already had better stuff to work with and they choose to go with this. I get actually annoyed by looking at it.


[ATTACH=CONFIG]1090[/ATTACH]


EDIT: it has something to do with the colors, I think. Everything looks like it was colored by crayons or pencils, and boring as hell. I can't explain exactly, but the picture above should suffice. I used to have a version of 2e that was all blue-ish inside, but I can't find that art anywhere nowadays, I would appreciate seeing a few pieces or a link if somebody has one.

Hey, catching up with this thread, and I agree. When I went to buy used copies of 2nd edition (to replace the ones lost so long ago) I purposefully went for the original 2nd edition stuff, and not the reprint, because the reprint was so awful.

I took some pictures for comparison, but can't find where I stashed them. I should put some up on imgur if you're still interested.

*Edit* Haha! Found it.

« Last Edit: July 17, 2017, 02:02:48 AM by Ratman_tf »
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RPGPundit

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« Reply #190 on: July 19, 2017, 02:11:52 AM »
Quote from: S'mon;975574
I guess the artists were drawing their friends & co-workers?

This is the image that sums up 1990s D&D for me:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1149[/ATTACH]

Nearly-naked girl with crotch-sporran and two fat geezers, all out LARPing.


Oh Christ. It totally looks like the two dudes hired that chick to be their beard.
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« Reply #191 on: July 20, 2017, 11:49:11 AM »
Quote from: S'mon;975574
I guess the artists were drawing their friends & co-workers?

This is the image that sums up 1990s D&D for me:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1149[/ATTACH]

Nearly-naked girl with crotch-sporran and two fat geezers, all out LARPing.

Guy on right could be just about any age over ~25 and isn't clearly fat. He'd be absolutely invisible if the rest of the picture wasn't T&A plus chubbo on the left. Guy on left is definitely odd. Making them that fat (but not like comically obese) had to have been a deliberate choice. So possibly slipping their friend/coworker into the art.

I wonder if there was a trend with the artists in the 90s. Something like, "you know, in real medieval times, not every warrior was muscle-bound Conan types. Nor were they all 18-25. We'd actually be 'more realistic' if there were some 40 y.o. weekend warriors in the mix." Basically I'm wondering if there's at least a good explanation.

fearsomepirate
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« Reply #192 on: July 20, 2017, 11:55:18 AM »
Cut corners by hiring cheap models.
Every time I think the Forgotten Realms can't be a dumber setting, I get proven to be an unimaginative idiot.

Baulderstone

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« Reply #193 on: July 20, 2017, 12:22:28 PM »
It's also the less stylized art of late 1e and 2e. You can potentially do art in the style of Otus purely working with what is in your head. It you want to have the realism of Elmore, you probably need a model to pose for you. Good models cost money, fearsomepirate already mentioned.

As someone that hires art models on a weekly basis, being a good art model isn't as much about being good-looking as it is about being able to come up with dynamic poses. That's a real talent. It's why the model-dependent work of Elmore involves so many people blandly standing still.

I think Jeff Easley finds a great sweet spot in the middle. His paintings are highly active and very detailed in their rendering. That's really not easy to do, especially when working on the timetable of a professional illustrator.

DavetheLost

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« Reply #194 on: July 20, 2017, 01:54:26 PM »
In addition to being able to come up with a good dynamic pose, and that can be directed by the artist in a pinch, the ability to actually hold a pose is vital for a good model. It is harder than you might think to hold even a simple pose. Try holding a pose for twenty minutes without moving at all, then take a five minute break and resume the pose exactly as you were before. Repeat for several hours...