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Message no. 1
From: Jon Palmer <jmp225@***.EDU>
Subject: Art Comments
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 13:35:34 -0500
>Some of the drawings by Janet Aulisio are good (Wanted and Luck O' the Irish).
>As
>for the other ones I agree with you. I hate the fact that she did most of the
>prime runners of First Run. I would like to see Sally Tsung, Ghost-Who-Walks,
>Fastjack and Dodger drawn by some other person (maybe Michael Sutfin, or John
>Zeleznik). By the way, why are there so few pictures by Tim Bradstreet. I love
>his drawings on Vampire: the Masquerade RPG and on SRTCG (Yoshimo Chang and
>Flatline) and I wish he could contribute with more...

Art-wise. Well, Terese Nielson's Tinkerbell rocks (hey, I am a guy
<grin>). I don't know if it's possible (and haven't seen UW) but I'd like
to see them use Matthew D. Wilson some more. I realize he's now WotC's art
director, which might prevent FASA from using him. However, if he also
still does art... anyway, he was my fav L5R artist, and I think he did an
excellent job with Hatchetman (I'm not as big a fan of H-2057).

Jon Palmer
Message no. 2
From: Felix Hoefert <FHoefert@********.DE>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 23:02:17 +0200
Jon Palmer wrote:
>
> >Some of the drawings by Janet Aulisio are good (Wanted and Luck O' the Irish).
> >As
> >for the other ones I agree with you. I hate the fact that she did most of the
> >prime runners of First Run. I would like to see Sally Tsung, Ghost-Who-Walks,
> >Fastjack and Dodger drawn by some other person (maybe Michael Sutfin, or John
> >Zeleznik). By the way, why are there so few pictures by Tim Bradstreet. I love
> >his drawings on Vampire: the Masquerade RPG and on SRTCG (Yoshimo Chang and
> >Flatline) and I wish he could contribute with more...
>
> Art-wise. Well, Terese Nielson's Tinkerbell rocks (hey, I am a guy
> <grin>). I don't know if it's possible (and haven't seen UW) but I'd like
> to see them use Matthew D. Wilson some more. I realize he's now WotC's art
> director, which might prevent FASA from using him.

WotC bought FASA, right? So it might not be a problem, after all.
---Felix
Message no. 3
From: Lady Jestyr <jestyr@*******.DIALIX.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 10:57:02 +1000
> > Art-wise. Well, Terese Nielson's Tinkerbell rocks (hey, I am a guy
> > <grin>). I don't know if it's possible (and haven't seen UW) but I'd like
> > to see them use Matthew D. Wilson some more. I realize he's now WotC's art
> > director, which might prevent FASA from using him.
>
> WotC bought FASA, right? So it might not be a problem, after all.

For the last time: No, WotC did -not- buy FASA. They held talks with
many different industry companies, and wound up buying 5 Rings
Publishing, and TSR.

FASA is still its own company. And since it's a private company owned by
three people, all of whom (AFAIK) are actively involved in the running
of the company, WotC are S.O.L. if FASA's owners don't want to sell.
Which, apparently, they don't.

Lady Jestyr

- I'm in touch with my Inner Klingon... -
| Elle Holmes | jestyr@**********.com | http://jestyr.home.ml.org |
| Shadowrun Webring Ringmaster | GeoCities Leader | RPGA Reviewer |
Message no. 4
From: Brett Borger <bxb121@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 20:27:25 +0000
> > Art-wise. Well, Terese Nielson's Tinkerbell rocks (hey, I am a guy
> > <grin>). I don't know if it's possible (and haven't seen UW) but I'd like
> > to see them use Matthew D. Wilson some more. I realize he's now WotC's art
> > director, which might prevent FASA from using him.
>
> WotC bought FASA, right? So it might not be a problem, after all.
> ---Felix


Dammit, can't we kill this rumor?

All right, here's the truth:

1) WotC has not bought FASA
2) No one even claims WotC has made an offer
3) The 3 FASA owners are quite happy with the company and don't
intend to sell it.
4) unlike TSR (which WAS bought by WotC), FASA is not in vast debt.

-=SwiftOne=-

Brett Borger
SwiftOne@***.edu
AAP Techie
Message no. 5
From: "(No Name Available)" <mothman@**********.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 00:25:02 -0600
>>WotC bought FASA, right? So it might not be a problem, after all.<<

Wrong! That was just a nasty rumor…
--
mothman@**********.com

"It's more fun to compute"
—Kraftwerk
Message no. 6
From: Bull <chaos@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 03:06:28 -0500
[SNIP art debate]

For me, SR Art and my vision of the SR World is defined by one artist:
Jeff Laubenstien. I love his art, and I really love the way he draws his
metahumans :]

If I had my choice, the Card Game would be almsot exclusively Jeff's art,
with some Nelson, Neilson, Baxa, and Zeleznicka rtwork. janet I can;t
stand. A few of the cards she does are "ok", but I hate her characters,
especially the PRs.

Oh well... Game on Chummers :]

Bull
--
Bull, aka Steven Ratkovich, aka Rak, aka Chaos, aka a lot of others! :]

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Message no. 7
From: Joao Maia <Joao.Maia@*****.PT>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 09:57:19 +0100
> [SNIP art debate]
>
> For me, SR Art and my vision of the SR World is defined by one artist:
> Jeff Laubenstien. I love his art, and I really love the way he draws his
> metahumans :]

I have to say that, regarding Laubenstein, I have a different opinion. Some of his
drawings are great (I love Bam-Bam, for instance) but I think the majority of his
drawings are just too cartoonish. I mean, the his b&w drawings on the Shadowrun
RPG books are wonderful but when it comes to colors, I think Laubenstein's art
lack a bit of reality.

> If I had my choice, the Card Game would be almsot exclusively Jeff's art,
> with some Nelson, Neilson, Baxa, and Zeleznicka rtwork. janet I can;t
> stand. A few of the cards she does are "ok", but I hate her characters,
> especially the PRs.

IMHO, Terese Nielsen is great (Shasta and Tinkerbell DO rock...), and so is Tom
Baxa, Zeleznick, Michael Sutfin (Uncle Joe, Gang War), Paul Bonner (Shellshock and
some others), Jeff Miracola (Corpselight, Bolt of Power) and Tim Bradstreet. There
are two artists, however, whose art I'd love to see on SRTCG cards: Larry Elmore
(cover of SR RPG) and Brom (cover of Earthdawn's Prelude to War campaign).

But keep in mind that this is only my opinion...

Cheers from Portugal,

Joao Maia
Message no. 8
From: Bradley Aaron Rebh <brebh@*****.BGSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 10:32:44 -0500
On Tue, 31 Mar 1998, Bull wrote:

> [SNIP art debate]
>
> If I had my choice, the Card Game would be almsot exclusively Jeff's art,
> with some Nelson, Neilson, Baxa, and Zeleznicka rtwork. janet I can;t
> stand. A few of the cards she does are "ok", but I hate her characters,
> especially the PRs.

This may sound a bit snooty, but hell that doesn't seem to stop too many
peoople on this list. :P I just graduated with an art degree and I think
the real issue is what you guys expect and are used to as far as gaming
art goes. I've found that most gamers enjoy comic books as well, so their
perceptions on what appropriate art is, comes from that style. Janet has
a much more fine art like approach to her illustrations. Her color,
lighting and form are spectacular. No other artist can achieve the kinds
of expressions in her characters like Janet can (which is probably why she
was chosen for the PRs). One of the reasons that _I_ like this game is
because of the diverse and very stylized artwork used. Hell, if she
wasn't good, do you think FASA would have used her? I guess she could be
related to one of the bosses, but I doubt that's the reason she was
commissioned some of the artwork.

my .02=Y=

-----------------------------------------
Bradley Aaron Rebh

brebh@*****.bgsu.edu
http://art.bgsu.edu/~rebh

920 E.Wooster #4
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419.353.2405
-----------------------------------------
Message no. 9
From: Loki <daddyjim@**********.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 08:21:31 -0800
---Joao Maia <Joao.Maia@*****.PT> wrote:

<snip>

> are two artists, however, whose art I'd love to see on SRTCG cards:
Larry Elmore
> (cover of SR RPG)

From what Mike M. and Lou P. said at GC'97 the reason we haven't seen
more Elmore work since the BBB cover is issues with his licensing
under TSR (does that mean he's under the WotC umbrella now)?

Anyways, I'd had hopes of him doing at least the cards for Tsung and
Co. and that's probably why I was so disappointed when I saw Janet's
renderings. Anyways, I wouldn't hold your breath on seeing any Elmore
work in upcoming expansions.

As an aside, I'm curious about the Maria Mercurial card. What do you
think the chances are of them getting the same Soroyama (sp?) piece
from the cover of the module?

Also, for those that weren't on the ShadowRN list when I got back from
GC last year. At the time of the convention, Elmore was really ill,
heart problems if I remember right. His kids were manning his booth
and there was a huge sign for gamers and fans to sign. I haven't heard
how he's been doing since.

-== Loki ==-
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Fearless Leader of the Shadowrun Trading Card Game Mailing List
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Poisoned Elves: www.primenet.com/~gamemstr
SRTCG trade lists last updated 3/28/98
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Message no. 10
From: Jon Palmer <jmp225@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 11:26:13 -0500
>This may sound a bit snooty, but hell that doesn't seem to stop too many
>peoople on this list. :P I just graduated with an art degree and I think
>the real issue is what you guys expect and are used to as far as gaming
>art goes. I've found that most gamers enjoy comic books as well, so their
>perceptions on what appropriate art is, comes from that style. Janet has
>a much more fine art like approach to her illustrations. Her color,
>lighting and form are spectacular. No other artist can achieve the kinds
>of expressions in her characters like Janet can (which is probably why she
>was chosen for the PRs). One of the reasons that _I_ like this game is
>because of the diverse and very stylized artwork used. Hell, if she
>wasn't good, do you think FASA would have used her? I guess she could be
>related to one of the bosses, but I doubt that's the reason she was
>commissioned some of the artwork.

2 words for ya... Drew Tucker. Used to (don't know if he still does) draw
Magic art. EXCELLENT artist, I believe impressionist style. But it looked
ATROCIOUS on Magic cards. Because these cards aren't really "art" in a
traditional sense (they're illustration) you need something a little
different. Janet Ausilio is probably a great artist, but I don't think her
style is right for doing CCG's.

Jon Palmer
Message no. 11
From: Try Ryche <TryRyche@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 20:21:18 EST
In a message dated 3/31/98 11:33:17 AM, you wrote:

>2 words for ya... Drew Tucker. Used to (don't know if he still does) draw
>Magic art. EXCELLENT artist, I believe impressionist style. But it looked
>ATROCIOUS on Magic cards. Because these cards aren't really "art" in a
>traditional sense (they're illustration) you need something a little
>different. Janet Ausilio is probably a great artist, but I don't think her
>style is right for doing CCG's.

You know, this is kind of a good point. I like Drew Tucker's work. And I think
SOME of it looks great on cards and some looks terrible. Of course, I think
the same of my own. The bottom line is personal taste. What someone likes,
others may hate. And we (FASA) have our share of "love or hate" artists. Janet
seems to be one. She's extremely talented, but..... she's also got a very
distinctive style that, it you like that kind of thing, is great. But if
you're, for example, a big Bradstreet fan, Janet's work probably won't appeal
to you.

On a personal note, whoever it was that thought my stuff was "mostly average"
drop me an e-mail and give me some details. What cards do you have? What did
you like what didn't you like? What artists do you like? I'm certainly not
above some constructive criticism.

Joel Biske
Message no. 12
From: Joao Maia <Joao.Maia@*****.PT>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 10:50:02 +0100
> As an aside, I'm curious about the Maria Mercurial card. What do you
> think the chances are of them getting the same Soroyama (sp?) piece
> from the cover of the module?

It would be wonderful if they used the module cover for the picture of Maria
Mercurial. I can't imagine her in any other way...

See ya,

Joao Maia
Message no. 13
From: Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 05:38:29 -0800
Joao Maia wrote:

> > As an aside, I'm curious about the Maria Mercurial card. What do you
> > think the chances are of them getting the same Soroyama (sp?) piece
> > from the cover of the module?

> It would be wonderful if they used the module cover for the picture of Maria
> Mercurial. I can't imagine her in any other way...

There were several different pictures within Mercurial of the title
star, actually. There's a cool-if-spacey-looking version of Maria by
Tim Bradstreet early on in the module.

I never managed to set any of her songs to music, though....


- Matt

------------------------------------
Who's been passing dreams around? - T. Paxton

SRCard list.member.newbie
Teen Poets FAQ: http://pw1.netcom.com/~mbreton/poetry/poetfaq.htm
SRTCG Website: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/2189/ccgtop.htm
Message no. 14
From: Daniel M Perez <d028200c@**.SEFLIN.ORG>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 12:57:15 -0500
On Wed, 1 Apr 1998, Joao Maia wrote:

> > As an aside, I'm curious about the Maria Mercurial card. What do you
> > think the chances are of them getting the same Soroyama (sp?) piece
> > from the cover of the module?
>
> It would be wonderful if they used the module cover for the picture of Maria
> Mercurial. I can't imagine her in any other way...

IMO, it all depends whether the permit they got to use that piece of art
is still valid or not. If it is, then I see no problem. If not, then
things get a bit more complicated. We'll have to see. I agree that that
picture *is* the perfect one.


Till paths meet,


Daniel M. Perez | Miami Star Wars CCG Tournament Director
highmoon@*********.com | Rebel Gamers of Miami - Rebel Leader
| http://www.geocities.com/~highmoon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tears on the sleeve of a man, don't wanna be a boy today."
-Tori Amos, "Pretty Good Year"
Message no. 15
From: Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 16:36:58 -0800
Daniel M Perez wrote:

> IMO, it all depends whether the permit they got to use that piece of art
> is still valid or not. If it is, then I see no problem. If not, then
> things get a bit more complicated. We'll have to see. I agree that that
> picture *is* the perfect one.

FASA tends to buy all rights to material, so I'd imagine it would still
be within their rights to use it. But Soroyama seems to be a Big Name,
so the rights may be more limited in his (?) case. (For example, some
of the VR2 artwork is only licensed, not bought.)

But for some strange reason, I don't think they'll use the module
cover. It doesn't have the right (height-to-width) aspect, and zooming
in on just Mercurial's face would require some new (possibly clashing)
artwork required for the background. But I suspect we'll find out soon
enough.


- Matt

------------------------------------
Beware the man who casts two shadows.

SRCard list.member.newbie
Teen Poets FAQ: http://pw1.netcom.com/~mbreton/poetry/poetfaq.htm
SRTCG Website: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/2189/ccgtop.htm
Message no. 16
From: Try Ryche <TryRyche@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Art Comments
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 19:41:53 EST
In a message dated 4/1/98 4:37:11 PM, you wrote:

>FASA tends to buy all rights to material, so I'd imagine it would still
>be within their rights to use it. But Soroyama seems to be a Big Name,
>so the rights may be more limited in his (?) case. (For example, some
>of the VR2 artwork is only licensed, not bought.)
>
>But for some strange reason, I don't think they'll use the module
>cover. It doesn't have the right (height-to-width) aspect, and zooming
>in on just Mercurial's face would require some new (possibly clashing)
>artwork required for the background. But I suspect we'll find out soon
>enough.

The Soroyama piece was one of our few "second rights" pieces. Meaning it was
NOT done originally for us. We got it from a stock catalog. If we were to use
it again, we would have to pay again. Being now in a different state, I don't
know Jim's thinking on Maria card art, but I imagine that if there were a card
of her it would be new art by one of "our" artists.

Joel

Further Reading

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