Doesn't seem to be a thread about this (searched with 8 combinations of art, artwork, minis, miniatures, model, modeling), so I'll start a new one:
One of the cool things about Paizo's products is that the artwork is generally top-notch, definitely upholding and building upon the standard set by the best days of D&D 3.x.
What I want to know is: Did anyone serve as a model (directly or indirectly) for any of this artwork(*)?
(*)At least of the artwork of Humanoids, but if anyone modeled for a non-Humanoid, don't feel you have to keep it to yourself . . .
I don't know if TSR or Wizards of the Coast ever had anyone model for their artwork, but the idea isn't' totally without precedent: Blizzard Entertainment modeled the (portraits of) pilots of the regular Goliaths and Spartan Company Goliaths (respectively) after their own Brian Sousa (3-D artist) and Dustin Browder (lead designer and game director), and modeled the (portraits of) the Thor pilots after Chris Metzen (vice president of creative direction, and himself a creator of non-digital Blizzard artwork, as well as voice actor for StarCraft 1 and the various WarCraft games starting with WarCraft II). These are the only three that I know of.
|
Using actual models or other forms of references is not all uncommon.
Keep in mind that the art you see in Paizo products (or practically any RPG company) is done by various freelance artists working around the country, so this question really would need to be addressed to each individual artist.
In general, I can tell you that some never use models or other references, some always do, and some occassionally depending on the illustration
Well, considering the feet, I'd say not.
I kid, I kid. The artwork IS really good in general (the art for the Raven almost makes me want to play a Vigilante just by itself).
From what I gather, many or most of the old school oil painters for TSR used models. Caldwell and Elmore certainly did.
I'd love to have met some of the ladies Elmore and Caldwell worked with then. They inspired quite a few characters over the years!
Elmore primarily used his wife as a model, it was claimed. I have no idea if it's true.
As for that artist, Races of Faerun had some illos as well. His name seems to be Dennis Cramer.
|
So I see - but two stunning eye-popping complications to that:
1) Dennis Cramer is no longer "Dennis Cramer," but now Justine Mara Andersen.
2) There is another Dennis Cramer - one who has no Wikipedia page, unlike Justine's chrysalis form, but does have a great deal of "Google Juice" when one searches for the name - who, well, "ministers prophetically to individuals and organizations worldwide!"
Ah. :-)