As a mere five artworks were new in Modern Masters 2015 Edition, compared to the last Modern Masters, with nearly thirty new alternate artworks, I have a little space to talk about the six new artworks—and then, we’ll have a little art thing. Additionally, there was no new token art, compared to a full six new tokens and art in the last version of Modern Masters. Let’s summarize the new art in Modern Masters 2015 Edition compared to the original gangster:

As for expected value, cost of packs, or whatever, I frankly don’t care about those things. I’m a Vorthos, and I’m an art one at that. This set isn’t hitting the mark for me, as the art doesn’t tell us anything new about planes we’re not on, and it doesn’t give us any preview to future worlds—it’s alternate art. Let’s dive into it to see what’s going on with the art.

Vendilion Clique by Will Murai

Much has been said already of Will Murai’s unintentional usage of a “selfie stick.” What he has been trying to do was this:

What this pieces really exemplified to me was their weird feet. The first go-around in Lorwyn block, their insectile feet weren’t super-prominent in any of the pieces because their colors were muted in dark greens and blues with black markings. As Murai made the faeries bold colors, it’s now impossible to not see them.

Fencer Clique by William O’Connor	Scion of Oona by Eric Fortune

Looking at the judge-promo card, check out the feet: They’re muted. I’d rather have a composition that’s a bit, well, more different, like Jesper’s work below. While it looks a lot like Kev Walker, with the sans background, it’s still really fresh and gives a different take on the card art.

Vendilion Clique by Jesper Ejsing

I guess I’m looking at this new art and seeing . . . the exact same artwork. I mean, down to the mushroom, whispering hand, and even the angle of the one woman faerie, these pieces are identically composed. Is this the same art description? Did the art description say, “Do exactly the same thing, just make it your own?”

Shadowmage Infiltrator by Tomasz Jedruszek

This is fun. It looks like something right out of the Dimir guild. Maybe Tomasz was commissioned to make this exact card in the Return to Ravnica block and it didn’t see print. With only five new artworks, this could go either way, as Wizards prefers to have invitational cards, with player likenesses, to have new art, removing the player from the new version (despite people still calling Dark Confidant “Bob”). I’m calling 2016 a return to Innistrad, and if it sees print, Tiago Chan’s Snapcaster Mage will also have new art.

I can appreciated a well-painted, fun cloak and a more generic scene, but in writing an art description as this, why not have a card with history have a little extra in its art description, placing it in a plane? The reason one wouldn’t is that the art was commissioned and this card art wasn’t used—or an artwork of a Dimir guy was in the slush art file, just easily fitting into the spot.

Etched Champion by Igor Kieryluk

Maybe this card, with the metalcraft mechanic, is an utter, super bomb in this Limited format of Modern Masters 2015 Edition. That could explain why it was chosen as clearly the only option for play mats. Because if a choice of the five arts were given, a tournament organizer would choose Vendilion Clique with ease, as ChannelFireball/Cascade Games did with the secondary mat, but even Daybreak Coronet would’ve been a better choice due to its novelty. It’s a leonin in a scarf. Enough Doctor Who fans exist to make that happen to be very popular, and thus, valuable.

As for the art itself, this, just like the Vendilion Clique, is a direct copy of the artwork of the same name in previous printings. I can deal with that, sure, but it’s an art description that could’ve included, oh, I don’t know, an utter and compleat Phyrexian invasion and annihilation of anything Mirrodin. This is a sunny scene on Mirrodin that also could be slush art because . . . the plane isn’t happy, bright, or friendly anymore. Unless it’s a look back in time, which is odd, it’s an art description copied or a slush art used.

Igor can paint metal to look believable, and in its simplicity, it’s so known that he didn’t deviate much, and the card is instantly known. That’s a success—if that was the goal.

Pillory of the Sleepless by Marc Simonetti

That armor does seem to be of Theros. I couldn’t find a direct reference in the Planeswalker’s Guides series or from an artwork. Though these two references to armor are close, and this could be a variant, it makes me think that isn’t leftover art from Theros. It could be, but it probably isn’t. Armor isn’t something that gets missed, as it generally is in a style guide for each set.

The art itself is again identical to the original Pillory of the Sleepless with the human-in-stocks idea. I love the idea of a locked-down creature being hit or hurt slowly, and it could be expanded to incredible effect with a more conceptual artist, from one lacking sleep and torture to something more devious. Slow pain that never goes away and debilitates you—what does that? Is it a death of a child or a close loved one? One never recovers from things of that sort, but it’s harder to push for that when an artwork is already around in a folder, so I’m unsure on the art description on this.

I do like the magical/wispy stock instead of a clearly-Orzhov containment unit. Making it a little more generic never hurt anybody, if needed for a future set. It’s straight up a W/B design and doesn’t have a keyword, so it could be easily reprinted, which is nice.

Hythonia the Cruel by Chris Rahn

Her armor is . . . close, with the overlapping plates.

Coordinated Assault by John Severin Brassell

The bottom plates that overlap could fit, but I’m voting doubtful at best.

Faerie Token by Dave Allsop

So, it’s confirmed that it’s a new artwork. Creative Manager Colin Kawakami mentions in a response to the tweet that he wrote the art description. Yes, it’s utterly removed from Lorwyn, sure, so if you’re a storyline Vorthos, get back to your corner.

If you’re into great looking art with untraditional subjects, this is your jam. Putting a faerie on some flowers and looking fierce with some eye-level perspective—I want more art descriptions to be like this, using logical environments with juxtaposed creatures that are in the right place, but create a dichotomy of good and evil or moral and shameful. I love seeing those compositions because they force you to interact with them and either understand or concoct a story about them. I hope this becomes a play mat in the future; it’s a striking image, and I’m sure the original art is beautiful!

Daybreak Coronet by Johannes Voss

It’s great art, and it could’ve been commissioned during Theros block for . . . something, even Daybreak Coronet! So, it could be slush art, and I would absolutely try to get this onto a card as soon as possible. I love the implied fire/heavenly light as crown—that’s great musculature on the Leonin, and the composition of the figure’s arms are just so clean . . . so in the right place. It just feels like it should exist. I love it.

I mean, what else do we want? Cripes.

A Quick Art Lesson: Maquettes

I have only five images this week, and I have a whole backlog of marinating ideas of art things to cover, and while each isn’t fit for a full article, I’ll try to sneak some in when I’m able, and today, it’s maquettes.

What’s a maquette?

They are incredible little examples, used predominantly by sculptors as studies for larger pieces. There is a pretty steep learning curve to use them, but when artists use them to identify light sources, how shadows hit the characters and perspective, they’re invaluable.

Normally, they’re just clay, but figurines can do the trick when a bunch are needed and an artist doesn’t have the cash or means to hire a variety of models or willing friends to pose. James Gurney—the Dinotopia artist who wrote an artist’s must-have books Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist—writes on using them, but his crazy-interesting posts are when he showcases historical examples. Those are fun.

The maquette below helped to inform the Rockefeller Center in New York by Josep Sert. The work represents modern America, where men are on levels with different action, such as holding materials to build monuments, with Abraham Lincoln and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Image courtesy James Gurney

Rockefeller Plaza / New York City: Josep Maria Sert, American Progress, 1937.

You can really see how Sert strips down the color palette to really focus on figural movement, made on point with maquettes to show him lighting and ways to make them all fit.

This all came about this week because Karla Ortiz, a Magic artist who’s incredible and who is going to be at Grand Prix Las Vegas, was crowdsourcing some information from fellow artist friends on getting a figurine:

People suggested everything from the Hot Toys TrueType Male, which is a serious $190 . . . 

 . . . to a cheaper Art S. Buck model at $35 version to use in posing . . . 

 . . . and even rather cheap versions at $24 for a X-Series Body Series.

Why are these important? Well, let’s just say they’re a stage in the painting process that separate artists who can identify a light source and those who cannot. Howard Lyon wrote about a cover he made and the process in doing so. He got the steps from Norman Rockwell and refined them from Gurney, as mentioned above. (He’s kind of a big deal.) After a sketch is approved by Wizards of the Coast art directors, artists get to work and need to see how they’re going to bring their ideas to life. By using an example, you can manipulate the scene and light with ease instead of making a billion sketches or, worse, guess. A few apps exist, such as Proko’s Skelly app, but we’re only scratching the surface of making this easier for artists.

Why does Karla want one? Let’s just say making maquettes of full figures out of clay, is a huge pain the butt. It’s a huge time sink:

Buy figurines—they’re great, but if you need to get lighting on a face right, especially for a creature or beast, making a quick and dirty one out of clay is absolutely useful.

We could use some more reprints to drive established players into buying something new, and man, tokens would be the easiest way to constantly make additions to decks with relative ease.

-Mike