Received some artwork for the Streetvendor's Guide and it's precisely what I asked for; the artist, Kelly, did a brilliant job.
It's just that I'm not sure this is what I should have asked for. See, I'm as used to the overhyped imagery of splatbooks as much as anyone, and feel that the words should do the speaking, not the art. But have I played it down too far?
Here are two examples of illustration, set into the text. Expectations are that the artwork throughout the work would reflect this style and lack of colour. The question to be answered is, have I made a mistake and gone too far away from the splatbook's usual style?
If you want to spice it up, all you have to do is put an elf in the picture.
ReplyDeleteI think however, with the idea that this would and will often be used as a book for characters buying things then you would want to avoid too much visual clutter. You'll note the pricing pages of the PHBs are also comparatively light on the art.
If there are chapter headings or equivalent, that might be a place to put art with more "wow" factor.
Looks very appropriate to me. I would expect some 1/4 to 1/6th page art to fill natural gaps in the text and break up the monotony. Also for something that might be more common in the 1600s but rare or unusual now. (Although nothing comes to mind right off the bat.)
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ReplyDeleteSeems more "classy" than minimalist, to me. I especially like the avocados.
A guide book that has less overt fantasy trappings ("elves in the market" or whatever) might have more general appeal to gamers, as it includes those who like to downplay the whole Tolkien/high fantasy tropes.
I prefer black and white art for interior illustrations usually. In general I don't think rule books need much art, yet I do see the benefit of providing illustrations for items in equipment lists (the other place for art would be monsters). Given the scope of what you're doing, art for each and every item is probably not gonna happen. For food items, I don't think art is as necessary(you can reliably Google that) but accurate art for other things that aren't common in the modern world would be what i would look for(where Google is less reliable). I do realize that would make the density of art in certain sections a bit lopsided and I've never been in the publishing business, so what do I know
ReplyDeleteEverything is available on the internet. Part of the purpose for art is to break up the monotony of text, regardless of its die-hard practical value.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but there are some things which are harder to find images of, and separating the historical from the fantasy made up stuff can be difficult unless you already know what you are looking for looks like.
ReplyDeleteWell I should be clear: there is almost no fantasy made up stuff in this book. There's content covering the hippogriff and the oliphaunt, but I believe that's all.
ReplyDeleteI think the style is appropriate. It's more than minimal, it breaks the monotony, yet it doesn't take over the viewer's eye. At least, these examples don't.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the thesis of the Streetvendor's Guide is that careful consideration of everyday objects and materials reveals a world -- *our* world -- in fascinating detail, and that consideration of those details, in turn, prepares the reader to be critical and meticulous while designing his own world.
ReplyDeleteIn light of that -- and do please correct me if that's wrong -- I don't think these have gone too far in the direction of subtlety or blandness. Nor are the subjects too ordinary.
For the record, I've told the artist that we're going to continue in this style. I consider the matter settled, though of course I'll have niggling concerns about it for the rest of my life.
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