Artists I Like: Wayne Reynolds

Ok, this entry in the series is a little bit different because I'm not a huge fan of British artist Wayne Reynolds' art. But I do like most of it, I even love some of it. The main reason I wanted to include him in the roster is that he used to get shit on a lot.

Remember the good old days of Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition? If not, don't bother looking it up. It was a tumultuous time when the world's most popular game underwent a massive edition change, morphing from the already heavily-modified 3rd edition (that was quite popular) to an even more radically-modified 4th edition that embraced the computer gaming trends of the 2000s. To be specific, it seems to have been designed to play more like World of Warcraft than Dungeons & Dragons.

This change didn't sit well with many fans of the game. But it did mesh with many other fans. So it was a mixed reception. And here's the thing to remember when you fuck around with a beloved nerd culture's shit... they will complain. Loudly. Repeatedly. Often irrationally.

Enter Wayne Reynolds, the primary artist associated with the 4th edition brand. His work had the look and feel of modern computer gaming. I confess when I first laid eyes on one of his paintings I thought it was digitally-rendered. And while I didn't have any bias against digital art, I recognized that such a look contributed to the perception that D&D's new direction was feeding too heavily off the CRPG market... a market that exists because of Dungeons & Dragons and constantly borrows heavily from it!

In reality, Reynolds' art from that time was quite traditional, with real paint and brushes. He was prolific and dynamic. His figures, to my eyes, looked heavily inspired by 90s comic art. You know... exaggerated anatomy, huge weapons, and far too many pouches and belts. But it was cool.

A lot of folks really hated this art. They saw it as WoW art invading the sacred spaces where should reign Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, and Brom. But I never quite understood the vitriol. Reynolds did fine work. He was popular with most folks. He went on to be the primary artist for the original edition of Pathfinder, which was itself a clone and carryover of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition. So many of the nerds complaining about the changes to D&D, and often about Wayne Reynolds, jumped ship to a game that played more like their beloved classic and was itself heavily illustrated by Wayne Reynolds.

Anyway, that's my perception of the era and how this artist existed within it. My memories are imperfect, I'm sure. Here's some art by Wayne Reynolds that I dig.