Blog (A5E) Level Up Art Previews #2

[Sacrosanct]

I don’t know what that means. Our art is just as good as WotC’s. We chose a different style to differentiate us, is all. Tastes vary, but WotC and us share a lot of artists.

It just means that I think many folks, when looking at art previews, tend to compare art to art they've seen before in bigger projects, when bigger projects generally have the budget to hire artists like Tyler Jacobson for several pieces. Thus, it's not really a fair comparison to make.

While yes, tastes vary, there are generally more objective ways to evaluate good art from not so good art. It's a skill like anything else, and as I'm sure any artist will tell you, it's fairly easy to see who uses just a couple layers on a rush job vs someone who uses not just color layers, but also utilize hue and saturation, lighting, etc. I.e., we can objectively judge techniques, while art in general is subjective. And the most skilled and accomplished artist, the more you're going to need to pay them (like with anything else).

It's the difference in having a $2000 budget for an entire book, which relegates you to stock art and maybe art from a friend, or a contact from FIVR overseas, or spending that entire budget on a single piece by an accomplished artist like Tyler Jacobson.

In general, you're going to get what you pay for/can afford. So I'm just cautioning folks from looking at an Indie project art preview and comparing it to WoTC or the other big companies. That's all.

 

[Morrus]

It's a skill like anything else, and as I'm sure any artist will tell you, it's fairly easy to see who uses just a couple layers on a rush job vs someone who uses not just color layers, but also utilize hue and saturation, lighting, etc. I.e., we can objectively judge techniques, while art in general is subjective. And the most skilled and accomplished artist, the more you're going to need to pay them (like with anything else).

We don’t hire anybody to do rush jobs. Our art budget on this project is eye-watering. And we have shared artists with WotC or Paizo.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

I find all of it passable and of professional quality with some exceptional ones (3) and some (3) which do nothing for me. I've never liked all of WotC's or Paizo's art/illos, nor all of TSR's. It's just the way subjective views roll.

 

[Sacrosanct]

We don’t hire anybody to do rush jobs.

I don't think anyone hires people to do rush jobs (but they do still happen with too much frequency on the part of the artist). Didn't mean to imply that's what you're doing. Just that one can tell the difference, and it's not just a difference of tastes to notice the difference.

Our art budget on this project is eye-watering.

Right. Which is what I was trying to get at. In order to do the art to your standards, I assumed you'd have a large budget. I was only saying how most indie publishers don't have your art budget, and thus wouldn't have the quantity/quality of art that said budget allows, and often I've seen people still make comparisons of the smaller publisher to big company art budgets. That's all. I wasn't trying to disparage your art in any way. Just making a general observation about the topic in general.

 

[dave2008]

Maztica!

Fake South America is still not South America

 

[dave2008]

I don’t know what that means. Our art is just as good as WotC’s. We chose a different style to differentiate us, is all. Tastes vary, but WotC and us share a lot of artists.

While I like EnWorld's work in general (and the design work specifically), I definitely disagree with the bolded part. I am in fact always hesitant to buy EnWorld products (and sometimes have not purchased such products) because the art, IMO, is inferior. Now, I am not claiming all WotC is good either, but I think their quality is generally a few steps above EnWorld publishing's products.

I am definitely buying the LevelUp Bestiary when it comes available, but I will be honest and tell you that the dragon art shown so far as really turned me off and made question my purchase plans. However, your excellent monster design/lore and art like the couatl and grick preview have swayed to stay in the purchase column.

EDIT: For some reason the post I've quoted doesn't show. Maybe because it has been apparently deleted? Anyway, here it is, bold added by me, Morrus said (in the context of a larger post which was deleted so I don't have it to reference):

"I don’t know what that means. Our art is just as good as WotC’s. We chose a different style to differentiate us, is all. Tastes vary, but WotC and us share a lot of artists."

 

[dave2008]

We chose a different style to differentiate us, is all.

What do you mean by that? I see a few different "styles" in this preview, not a unifying LevelUp style. This is also true with WotC art, there is not a unifying style IMO.

EDIT: For some reason the post I've quoted doesn't show. Maybe because it has been apparently deleted? Anyway, here it is, Morrus said (in the context of a larger post which was deleted so I don't have it to reference):

"I don’t know what that means. Our art is just as good as WotC’s. We chose a different style to differentiate us, is all. Tastes vary, but WotC and us share a lot of artists."

 

[Waller]

While I like EnWorld's work in general (and the design work specifically), I definitely disagree with the bolded part. I am in fact always hesitant to buy EnWorld products (and sometimes have not purchased such products) because the art, IMO, is inferior. Now, I am not claiming all WotC is good either, but I think their quality is generally a few steps above EnWorld publishing's products.

I am definitely buying the LevelUp Bestiary when it comes available, but I will be honest and tell you that the dragon art shown so far as really turned me off and made question my purchase plans. However, your excellent monster design/lore and art like the couatl and grick preview have swayed to stay in the purchase column.

Dude...

 

[Rob Kuntz]

I believe that all professionally inclined companies are attempting to meet and/or exceed expected/established standards in writing, design, organization, presentation and art, etc. I see EN Publishing in this case presenting a professional front similar to WotC and Paizo. Will they reach parity or exceed that is not to be judged by isolated samples that then prompts a descent into minutia-strewn reasons to cast shade on the whole as forwarded to date or as yet revealed. To reach is not always to achieve, granted, but let the summary play out when the whole is whole and not before then. So far so good, as they say.

 

[Marc_C]

Coualt is great. The dragons are passable at best.