Favorite Artwork?
General forum
Posted on Jan. 6, 2018, 2:28 a.m. by PhotogenicParasympathetic
What's your favorite artwork in MTG? Or if you're like me and can't pick just one, how about a top three?
Personally, I'm a big fan of James Ryman's Archangel of Thune, Terese Nielsen's Akroma, Angel of Fury, and Igor Kieryluk's Linvala, Keeper of Silence.
FNM Promo Cultivate is especially good. I forgot how to link specific sets.
January 6, 2018 3:39 a.m.
There is also a White Enchantment with Thalia on it that gives +4/+4 and something but for the life of me I forget what it's called.
January 6, 2018 4:04 a.m.
- Marsh Flats - for some reason
- Gift of Orzhova
- Armada Wurm -- :)
I'll think of more
January 6, 2018 9:29 a.m.
ChaosJester says... #6
I love all the Beeble Artworks plus:
But my all time favorite is Old Man of the Sea.
January 6, 2018 10 a.m.
PhotogenicParasympathetic,
Mine is Winterflame, for sure.
Though I have a whole "deck" of my favorites:
Amazing Card Art
Casual*
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Deco_y and Gleeock,
I'm with y'all on Gift of Orzhova and Commander's Authority ... they're not my favorites but they're way up there.
Deco_y,
Thalia's in Strength of Arms ... is that maybe what you meant?
January 6, 2018 11:26 a.m.
Dream Thrush, Primoc Escapee, and the new art for Vampiric Tutor
January 6, 2018 11:31 a.m.
January 6, 2018 11:36 a.m.
Stasis hands down! Bubbling Beebles also :)
January 6, 2018 12:24 p.m. Edited.
Not the most amazing artistic elements but all the attention to detail and badassery is great on this one: Kazandu Blademaster
January 6, 2018 1:08 p.m.
Way more than 3 favorites I guess... Again, tying together details & painting the picture of a nose-up super-lord... I think a lot of this card's secondary details & all the vassals/thrulls paint a picture about the character Edgar Markov
January 6, 2018 1:34 p.m.
SteelSentry says... #16
I was looking around for janky cards to put in my EDH decks, and I found Bane Alley Broker, which has quickly become one of my favorites.
January 6, 2018 2:12 p.m.
Lost Hours, especially envisioning the sundial spinning as it approaches from the horizon. I don't know why.
January 6, 2018 4:34 p.m.
Unsettling yet incredibly beautiful, I find that silverskin armor is likely the best looking card in magic and incorporates many of the staple features we've come to expect from Nielsen. Love the homage to vitruvian man here and the parallel you can draw between the piece the card is inspired by and the attitudes of the people of mirrodin. I'm also a huge fan of the geometric figures as well as how the figure in the art is incorporate into the abstract surroundings.
January 6, 2018 7:20 p.m. Edited.
I rather like Chronostutter for some reason. Just for humor, Nameless Race is totally Zuko, from the animated series Avatar: the Last Airbender. I picked him up from my game shop just because he looks exactly like him, down to the ponytail.
January 6, 2018 7:57 p.m. Edited.
From all the way back to my Magic origins, Vesuvan Doppelganger was my original favorite artwork. My favorite artwork ever though is Dark Ritual, as it just perfectly depicts black as a color.
January 6, 2018 8:28 p.m.
I really like Sphinx's Revelation and Xenagos, God of Revels. Scourge of Valkas and the new arts for the Kamigawa dragons looks pretty sweet as well.
January 7, 2018 12:12 a.m.
Any and all Lands by John Avon. Seriously, they're gorgeous.
January 7, 2018 12:38 a.m.
KingMathoro says... #24
I've always been a huge Rebecca Guay fan! My favorite piece is Bitterblossom for many reasons one of which being that it was how I was introduced to her. I also love her Path to Exile and her basics. But all of her work is great imo.
January 7, 2018 12:56 a.m.
I second Rebecca Guay. Dark Banishing, Auramancer, Dark Ritual, and Channel are all well done.
I am a big fan of NN Thomas' post MTG artwork, which includes both prints and resin figures. Interestingly, her style is drastically different for her own pieces than when she was working for Wizards. She still has some notable card art, including Drought, Underground River, and Aysen Crusader.
Anguished Unmaking has always been a favourite of mine. You can really tell how much pain Sorin is in as he destroys his creation.
I could do without the zombies in Endless Ranks of the Dead, but the stained glass window is gorgeous.
January 7, 2018 2:21 a.m.
Well since nobody said it yet... Omniscience and Enter the Infinite not only combo well together but are both stunning each for their own reasons. I just love the view of Jace walking out into infinity, and all the crazy detail on enter the infinite is amazing.
January 7, 2018 2:49 a.m.
Suns_Champion says... #28
Mardu Heart-Piercer by Karl Kopinski is one of my absolute favorites.
Mongolian aesthetic, armor and weaponry, and culture has always caught my eye, so it makes sense why this piece would stand out to me.
Love the decision to paint a female rider. Goes well with the Mardu theme and taking one look at the rider tells you without a doubt that she's an experienced warrior and an expert archer.
Kopinski's painting style is one of my favorites; the way he shows extreme detail while also holding a loose, unfinished feel really defines what a great painting is for me.
Kopinski's color pallet is extremely pleasing, simultaneously expressing warmth and action with oranges, browns and reds. The way the shiny silver and gold contrasts the earthy tones is great, and the way the ground blends into the sky at the horizon is masterfully done in a way that you don't realize it's happening at first.
The way Kopinski tilts the horizon adds such speed and motion to the piece. It gives you a disorienting feeling, as being in a battle riding a horse would. The way the armor, clothing, and hair are flap around in the wind and the riding motion of the horse add to this effect.
The contradicting directions of the horse and the rider fascinate me as well. The horse pulls you to the left, while the rider pulls you up and then to the right, and the horizon lines up with both, forcing you to examine the piece as a whole to really understand what's going on, then allowing you to look again and appreciate the separate parts.
I love the contrast between the horse and it's riders faces. The horse looks terrified, like this is it's first battle, but is still obeying it's rider faithfully. The Warrior on the other hand, is the definition of poise and serenity in battle. Calmly taking aim at an enemy, zero expression on her face as she's about to let fly and snuff out a life. Cold but understandable.
That makes me thing of how this piece would fit into a larger battle scene. Notice how there's no one else pictured. The horse seems to be going away from the battle on the right, where the archer is aiming. It's almost as if the experienced warrior knows her inexperienced horse couldn't handle the thick of the action, so has instead chosen to circle the battle and use her prowess with her bow to use her new horse most effectively.
I just wish the actual card didn't suck.
stealthvampyre says... #2
Graveborn Muse has always been my favorite piece. It reminds me of a picture you would see in a grimoire about necromancy and the dark arts.
January 6, 2018 3:27 a.m.