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Snowmancer - Viktor Fetsch

Snowmancer – Viktor Fetsch

Among the artistic goals I set for Legends & Labyrinths was:

Goal #2: Find a balance between men and women.

I suppose one could claim this represents some sort of agenda for political correctness on my part. But, really, I just like pictures of pretty women doing heroic things.

Another goal was:

Goal #3: Realistic armor.

And this one is completely agenda-driven.

Primarily, this is about eliminating chainmail bikinis. But it’s also about recapturing the simple realism of a bloke in plate armor facing the terrifying and supernatural unknown.

I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy and anime and World of Warcraft, but I think there’s a current imbalance in fantasy art. I also think that the interesting contrast between the mundane and the supernatural in fantasy art has been lost as heroes and monsters alike both reach for ever-more-gonzo proportions.

And after all, as Viktor Fetsch so aptly demonstrates with his Snowmancer, you can still look completely badass while dressed in completely reasonable clothes.

2 Responses to “The Art of Legends & Labyrinths #6: Snowmancer – Viktor Fetsch”

  1. Peter K. says:

    A couple of my favorite illustrations from Dragon (or Dungeon) magazine back in the day had some theme of women with a snow theme. Tough in both cases it was more an “adventurers about to get clobbered” situation rather than “adventurers rocking in awesomeness”.

    Dragon #126 was one of these:
    http://paizo.com/products/btpy7322?Dragon-Issue-126
    On one hand, in such a cold climate she seems to be lacking much in the way of leg coverings, and piercing weapons vs. corporeal undead was a notoriously bad idea.
    But on the other hand, the rest of her getup looks pretty practical, and you gotta admire the chutzpah of someone willing to stand their ground against a gigantic undead thing bearing down on them intent to chop their head off.

    The other illustration I wish I could find involved a party trudging through the snow about to be jacked by a dragon bounding over the hill, with the female magic user in the foreground powering up a spell. Can’t figure out what issue that was in, but in my memory she was pretty well geared up for the situation.

  2. Peter K. says:

    That second picture mentioned is by Raymond VanTilburg. It was apparently an internal illustration in Dragon 169, but the painter now has a print available here:

    http://www.offworlddesigns.com/p-431-winter-fantasy.aspx

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