Style and Taste

I’ve been lurking a bit at ENworld and RPG.net and it seems that folks are getting interested in the Old School Games and the retroclones. The hard core hobbyist and old schoolers has remained fairly consistent, but the wider exposure seems to be growing on these non-old school sites. I don’t know if that can be attributed to a novelty or nostalgia factor, or if really is catching on. Regardless of the cause, I think it is a bit early to say for sure. I think it is vital for the old school movement and hobbyist gamers to go beyond nostalgia and pastiche. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great works out there, but I think nostalgia can only go so far and is ultimately not sustainable. As for me, I’ like to stick to the spirit of the Old School while continuing to evolve it. In particular, I try to portray this through my artwork. I’m a big fan of verisimilitude in my work or at least a believable fantasy feel (if that makes any sense) while playing with and evolving my style. I don’t much care for tattooed and mohawked characters with big spikes and chains. Just not my cuppa. I prefer more traditional fantasy tropes when I work. I think that this can be done without pandering to nostalgia and remain fresh and viable. If anyone has seen Wayne Reynolds work for Osprey Publishing and compared it to his fantasy work, then you know what I’m talking about. Mr. Reynolds is a fantastic artist, no doubt about it. However, the thematic elements that appeal to me the most are his historical pictures rather than his fantasy works. His style and color palette remain the same, but the subject matter and portrayal is strikingly different. One works for me, the other – well, not so much. A matter of taste, but I think it really captures the direction of where I’d like to go.