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Author Topic: JSH's Art Rankings  (Read 73663 times)

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jsh357

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #175 on: November 04, 2014, 09:46:10 pm »
+12

139. Province
The Province art offers us a scenic vista; the yellow-red hues of the land hint that evening nears in the kingdom, and a placid lake rests on her bosom.  An armed formation of troops stands in the center, poised to march in to the lake and drown.  It's a mellow scene, one that is calming, perhaps soothing to the player who has fought the whole game to earn such victory.  I'm not sure what that pattern is on the flag, though.  It looks a bit like a yellowed strand of bacon; perhaps diseased.  We can fix that by placing it on the skillet and heating at 350 degrees for a couple of minutes.
138. Sir Vander
Vander and his horse are imposing and rugged, truly the types of warriors you don't want to mess with on the battlefield.  You can tell they both ate copious amounts of bacon this morning, adorned with cinnamon and extra pig fat to add spice and vigor.  While the background is but a pale fog, the mountains that stand smaller than the magnificent Vander show his characteristic strength.  It's all rather wonderfully done, even if the doomed knight is bound to become a sack of gold come morning.  Maybe we shouldn't even bother preparing his breakfast.
137. Peddler
Peddler isn't the first ambiguously gendered character we've seen on a Dominion card.  Hopefully two out of however many has been enough to satiate the gender-neutral community.  My dogs are both neutral now; some guy I met last Thursday told me it might be because I haven't fed them enough bacon.  Putting all that aside, this is a great little picture.  The Peddler's choice of dress is fashionable (we're after Labor Day but I'll give the poor guy/girl the benefit of a doubt), especially his/her fancy hat.  S/he's even offering a peace pipe from his/her enormous arms.  The little cart behind him/her is brimming with detail, which helps to bring the scene to life.  I can buy that this Peddler is making bank in the community, and I hope I can get a few sacks of raw bacon on the cheap once I'm done here today.
136. Swindler

If you don't think this man's facial expression and mannerisms are perfect, man, we just don't see eye to eye.  In terms of those, it's one of the most skillfully realized pictures on all of the range of card art.  The trees are a little washed out, and I'm not sure about the pink outfit (those creases and folds are a bit over the top if you ask me) but he certainly looks stylish enough to score this highly on the list.  There's really just one other problem I have.  I was munching on a strip of bacon a moment ago, and now I'm carrying a pipe bomb instead.  BRB
135. Laboratoy

This is such an efficient-looking laboratory; Dexter would be proud.  You can see all the warlocks boiling up the bacon grease in those giant flasks, and the oven is at the ready.  I love how this card meshes aesthetically with Alchemist later on too, but we'll get to him.  There's some excellent color choice here (browns and grays, but they work), and it you squint enough you can make out details you probably never noticed.  Like a lot of these packed pictures, it benefits a lot from looking at high-res art, which has to count against it somewhat since cards are the intended vehicle of ocular bacon.  I mean pleasure.  Just watch out for girls with pigtails; they can do a number on these wonderful places.

134. Masquerade

There are some cards that are just beautiful and striking.  There are some cards with a lot of great technical detail that makes them shine.  Some, like Masquerade here, are effective because of the mood they convey more than the image itself.  Oh, not that the masks aren't interesting.  Not that the man hiding his strip of bacon behind the sad mask isn't fabulously handsome.  It's the red and black colors, though, that give us the feeling of a sinister ball where shady things are being exchanged.  I came to this place for breakfast and left with a chainsaw I didn't ask for.  You can't even cut bacon in to thin strips with this thing; it just saws holes in the paper you're soaking the grease off with.  Eeriness is a mood that's easier to pull off than many, but it's hard to deny how effective it is.  I like the cards that make me feel something as much as the ones that look nice, though I wish I could say this one fits in both of those worlds for me.  If it did, it'd rank much higher.
133. Noble Brigand
Lush forest scenery, a nicely-draw arrow, and Nicolas Cage wearing a dreary thief's cloak.  It's like something out of a dream.  The ferns on the left are nice, and the bacon growing on them looks scrumptious if a bit round.  Maybe they're potatoes, actually.  Hash browns go pretty well on the side.  I guess the thing I don't like about this picture is Mr. Cage's face.  He seems awfully smug, when he should have a more noble expression if he plans to bring home the bacon for the less fortunate.  His arms are also goliathine, but that seems to be a common symptom among Dominion card characters.  Overall, I'm not saying this looks bad because it doesn't, but parts of it could use some shrinking or reworking.  The Russian judge would give him a 4.5, but we all know that probably doesn't mean anything one way or the other.
 
132. Duke

Guess what, it's the same window the Duchess was standing near!  Or is it?  I'm not actually going to fact-check that, but I think it is.  What, you think I'm putting effort in to this now?  Anyway, the Duke seems like a nice guy.  I like his shirt, but it appears to be made of the same material as his chair.  In fact, I wonder if the bacon plant came from the same farm.  I would also like to say that it's criminal this guy didn't end up on SirPeebles's facial hair list; that is one beastly stache he has going on.  The resemblance to Mario is noted.  The shape of the window bothers me, though I guess someone might have cut it out wrong and never bothered to fix it.  Maybe they missed breakfast that morning.
131. Merchant Guild
The red tone doesn't work entirely for me here, but it's not that bad either.  The wigs and wine make this out to be a true meeting of the minds where only the highest-quality bacon is at the hors d'oeuvre table.  Something about the grumpy, confident looks on these guys faces really jumps out to me, though I can't say what it is.  If I can offer one real criticism, the crowd in the background seems pretty lazy to me, not just because there's no detail, but because every single person is standing so far away from the focal characters.  It's a mixed bacon bag, folks.
130. Stables
We end this group of ten on a picture that isn't stellar but gets the job done nicely.  The horses are cute, the men don't seem out of place, and the stables are well-kept.  It's average in every way, which is a good thing, since next year's update will begin the very center of the list.  Ever wondered why all the horses are being dropped off at the stables in this picture?  Judging by the sky, I'd say this is taking place mid-afternoon.  About time for dinner, perhaps.  Go on, guess.  I think you're smart enough to figure this one out.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2014, 09:51:24 pm by jsh357 »
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liopoil

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #176 on: November 04, 2014, 09:48:41 pm »
0

Upvoted for bacon
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #177 on: November 04, 2014, 10:45:25 pm »
+6

Love both the analysis and the shtick on this batch!

I think Masquerade is cool looking; would have ranked it higher, though I wouldn't put any of these above Wharf.

I would have ranked Laboratory lower. As impressive as the level of detail is, it's so overwhelmingly dark that you have to strain to see any of it. The overall impression is an indistinct mess with gray-white flecks that look like stains or wear marks on your cards, with a blob in the middle shaped like the space worm from Empire Strikes Back.
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eHalcyon

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #178 on: November 04, 2014, 10:49:38 pm »
+2

Here you go:

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #179 on: November 04, 2014, 11:15:58 pm »
+1

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jsh357

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #180 on: November 05, 2014, 08:05:11 pm »
+4

129. Bazaar
"Bazaar is [gorgeous] and competes with Cultist at the price of $5" - MarkowKette

The red cloth always draws my eye in this picture.  It stands out above everything else, but there's some fine detail if you just look at the other things going on.  The mustachioed knight window shopping is a nice touch, and the sword seller seems experienced and comfortable with his blade.  You can see enough details here to get a feeling for the scope of the Bazaar, and it's pretty effective.  The only problem I have with this picture is that it's so hard to pick out the details on a tiny card, but what can you do about that?  There's some nice shadow work here as well, I must point out.  Good stuff.
 
128. Royal Seal
"Here's my thoughts on Royal Seal in general: I think of it as a [sexy] version of Merchant Ship" - HiveMindEmulator

Royal Seal's art is simple, but it's very nicely realized.  The seal itself is a pretty pattern, and it looks great and accurate on both the tool and the splat.  The lighting is excellent, the extra drops on the ground are a nice touch, and you get the sense that this is a wealthy man's seal with very few details in the picture.

127. Taxman
"Taxman can't hurt when you have only 4 [girls on call]." - ehunt

He's pointing at you because you owe him something.  This man looks like a cross between a con artist, a good buddy, and a pirate.  Look at all those bags of coin he's got piled up!  I love that strange combination of details--he's clearly a crook, yet he's collecting taxes from the people; you never hear those two things in the same sentence. It's a thankless job, people.  Most things about this picture appeal to me: the bald head, the stacks of coins, the wall and its lighting. 
126. Hunting Party

"I never [get invited to] Hunting Part[ies] so I'm happy." - Titandrake

I'll start out with the reason this is ranked so low: it's too dark.  Like, unless you are actually staring and trying to make out details, there's no way you can tell what's going on in this picture, period.  It's a real problem with lots of the cards.  Now, if we take a hard look, everything's cool.  The deer are beautiful, the dog is cute as a button, and the hunters seem to be enjoying their party.  I also like the trees: trees are hard to draw perfectly, but these are great.  It's a shame I can barely make them out.  I usually feel like I'm just buying a square of Lisa Frank sparkles when I get a Hunting Party in games.

125. Bandit Camp

"You got too many [points,] Baker, [figure]-wise both Bandit Camp and Conspirator are better." - shark_bait

I love the palette on this card.  It's a calming mixture of blue and green that sell the riverside scene well.  The bandits look like legitimate merry men too.  A man arming his bow, one holding his dagger nervously, the black knight waiting for people to try crossing the river, and a guy just getting his feet wet.  There's a backstory here, and it's told with the art alone; you just fill in the blanks in your head.  Despite being a place of relaxation for the bandits, nothing about the art feels ill-fitting in the grim Dark Ages expansion.

124. Hoard

"If Hoard were on-gain, it would be slightly more [fashionable]." - Mogrim7

Just look at that hoard of treasure!  It's a veritable money pool.  The cave walls are spooky and reflect the gleam off of the coins spectacularly, and the little chests add some nice variety here and there.  It's a cute, cool-looking piece of art that I dig.

123. Followers
"Followers, arguably the best[-looking] prize, is hard[ly as beautiful as] Watchtower." - liopoil

There is some excellent detail in this picture, starting with the worn-down cabin and the realistic grass and dirt.  All of the people in the mob have a unique look or stand-out feature, from the little girl holding a flag up to the man throwing t-shirts around in the middle.  They seem to be marching on a town peacefully, though, which is a bit contradictory considering the actual effect of playing Followers.  Maybe they're these newfangled 'peaceful' protesters.  Back in my day, we burned villages alive for our Cheetos and Surge cola.  Dominion was trying to soften its image for the harvest festival back in the Cornucopia days, clearly.
 
122. Sir Michael

"The game crashed when I tried to King's Court [myself]" - Sir Michael

Fun trivia: I've played a few games with Sir Michael.  Nice guy.  He's much less brutal of a person than his card would suggest, I think.

Let's talk about that art, though.  It's a great picture, huh?  Man, the night sky is gorgeous, the horse is magnificent, and even the city looks great at that angle.  This is a mis-rank, you might think.  You'd be close.  The thing is, once you see it, you can't un-see it.  Take it away, Mr. President.




121. Silver
"It's never bad to take Silver with $5" - Geronimoo

SO MANY COINS!  Man, there are so many, and I want all of them.  Look at all those Silvers.  This ranking is entirely justified, I tell you.

120. Cultist

"I really doubt Journeyman beats Cultist or Mercenary [at the beauty pageant.]" - Awaclus

The Cultist often makes me think of the Happy-Happyists in Earthbound.  That pleases me.  But aside from that, this is quite an interesting piece of art.  The cultists on the side are lined up symmetrically,  and they look mightily imposing.  The church they are in is also bleak and morose, fitting of the theme of the card and the Dark Ages expansion in general.  I love how the head Cultist here looks slight off-human, though it's clearly a mask and gloves disguising his features.  These guys are going to cause some trouble and leave their society in ruins.  The color choices are crisp, the scene is focused and grand, and I don't have anything bad to say about the picture at all.  We're up to the good ones, folks, and this is only the midway point.  You heard me.  I think over half of the Dominion cards have good art.  I'm not afraid to say that.  I LIKE most of the art in Dominion!  What a concept, right?
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eHalcyon

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #181 on: November 05, 2014, 08:14:28 pm »
+6

Here you go:



Is the printed card that much darker, or is it just an issue with the scanned image?
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jsh357

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #182 on: November 05, 2014, 08:17:27 pm »
0

Here you go:


Is the printed card that much darker, or is it just an issue with the scanned image?

I can barely see it on my own copies of the cards.  It looks nothing like the one you linked.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #183 on: November 05, 2014, 08:18:02 pm »
0

Why is my random comment in middle of my watchtower article the top result when you search for "followers"?
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jsh357

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #184 on: November 05, 2014, 08:18:59 pm »
0

Why is my random comment in middle of my watchtower article the top result when you search for "followers"?

#isowasbetter #gokoisworse?
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eHalcyon

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #185 on: November 05, 2014, 08:19:52 pm »
0

Here you go:


Is the printed card that much darker, or is it just an issue with the scanned image?

I can barely see it on my own copies of the cards.  It looks nothing like the one you linked.

Interesting!  Well, if you want to see not-so-dark versions of your cards, just go to the Goko images. :P
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jsh357

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #186 on: November 05, 2014, 08:20:46 pm »
0

Here you go:


Is the printed card that much darker, or is it just an issue with the scanned image?

I can barely see it on my own copies of the cards.  It looks nothing like the one you linked.

Interesting!  Well, if you want to see not-so-dark versions of your cards, just go to the Goko images. :P

To be honest, I still can't make out what Hunting Party looks like even on Goko. 
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #187 on: November 05, 2014, 08:21:57 pm »
+3

The best part about hunting party is how the dogs are translucent.
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eHalcyon

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #188 on: November 05, 2014, 08:24:11 pm »
0

Here you go:


Is the printed card that much darker, or is it just an issue with the scanned image?

I can barely see it on my own copies of the cards.  It looks nothing like the one you linked.

Interesting!  Well, if you want to see not-so-dark versions of your cards, just go to the Goko images. :P

To be honest, I still can't make out what Hunting Party looks like even on Goko.

But that's what I linked!
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #189 on: November 05, 2014, 10:25:19 pm »
0

"I really doubt Journeyman beats Cultist or Mercenary [at the beauty pageant.]" - Awaclus

I never said that, it was ThaddeusB.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #190 on: November 06, 2014, 01:07:55 am »
+8


If we rewind this scene a few seconds, are there guys standing around that everyone else speeds past? Or, you know, are those men who can run as fast as deer.
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eHalcyon

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #191 on: November 06, 2014, 02:35:56 am »
+9

Those are just plastic deer.  It's more of a hunting themed party.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #192 on: November 06, 2014, 08:25:02 am »
0

Those are just plastic deer.  It's more of a hunting themed party.

The problem with CG art like this is that they look like a plastic diorama - there's no *movement* to the picture.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #193 on: November 06, 2014, 09:31:52 am »
0

Those are just plastic deer.  It's more of a hunting themed party.

The problem with CG art like this is that they look like a plastic diorama - there's no *movement* to the picture.
Beyond that, it appears that 4 of the characters in the image are not even in a motion position. Neither horse is moving, there is a person standing still, and one of the dogs is standing still. So the plastic deer must have approached them first.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #194 on: November 06, 2014, 10:14:43 am »
+1

Neither horse is moving

plastic horses don't move, silly

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #195 on: November 06, 2014, 10:38:18 am »
+2

Neither horse is moving

plastic horses don't move, silly

Sure they do. Haven't you ever seen those mechanical horse rides in front of shopping centers?
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #196 on: November 06, 2014, 10:41:43 am »
0

Neither horse is moving

plastic horses don't move, silly

Sure they do. Haven't you ever seen those mechanical horse rides in front of shopping centers?

actually, no  :P

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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #197 on: November 06, 2014, 11:03:49 am »
+1

jsh got Bazaar backwards. The guy with the sword in hand is the potential buyer. This is evidenced by the position of the blades on the table where the handles are turned so that patrons can safely pick them up for inspection.

As for Sir Michael, it looks like some weird mashup of a guy on a horse placed into a scene from a 1950's Batman TV episode.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #198 on: November 06, 2014, 11:27:54 am »
0

jsh got Bazaar backwards. The guy with the sword in hand is the potential buyer. This is evidenced by the position of the blades on the table where the handles are turned so that patrons can safely pick them up for inspection.

A shop stand with its back to the street? Seems weird.

Your arguments make sense, but the artist didn't necessarily think of everything.
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Re: JSH's Art Rankings
« Reply #199 on: November 06, 2014, 11:33:09 am »
0

jsh got Bazaar backwards. The guy with the sword in hand is the potential buyer. This is evidenced by the position of the blades on the table where the handles are turned so that patrons can safely pick them up for inspection.
I don't think so. You can look into the Bazaar place/square from one side of the tent. When you look at the other tents in the background, you can see, that they are at a wall or something. So, the sellers look into the Bazaar place/square, whereas the Bazaar place/square is in the back of the buyer.
So the knight-like man must be the buyer, which seems logic, because a knight needs swards and doesn't sell them.
And I think the position of the handles doesn't lead to another conclusion, because the seller maybe want to take the sword first to praise it and then give it to the buyer.
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