The Inside Scoop on Gaming

What it is:

The Art Of Vampire: The Masquerade is a compilation of Vampire(-related) art. (You could guess that, couldn't you?) From the first clanbooks to the art in the revised edition, it displays pictures from many books published on Vampire, be it The Masquerade or The Dark Ages. Remember, though, that the book was originally published in 1998, so you won't find any pictures from books more recently published, like Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy.

The book begins with a fiction introduction from Sandman creator Neil Gaiman. It's presented like a tarot for Vampire. This piece captures some of the atmosphere of the World of Darkness, and almost any 'tarot card' provokes some questions. Well done work.
What follows is a introduction to the art of Vampire: The Dark Ages by Richard Dansky. Nothing special here. Many pictures follow, from artist ranging from Guy Davis to Mike Danza. All are black-and-white.

Rob Hatch writes a piece on the art of 'modern day' Vampire, and reminds us (once again, and rightly so) that Vampire is not about having a 4th-generation bad-ass Brujah who kills everything in sight. Vampire is a game of atmosphere and the art is an important way of conveying the atmosphere. Written in a characteristic style (serious but never dull, with many funny remarks) this article could easily serve as an introduction, and not only to this book, but to any chapter about Vampire Storytelling.
Following on the heels of the article is the art of The Masquerade. Many book covers here, and much in the full color they deserve. 3 signature characters are portrayed, with the original pictures by Mark Jackson and some standard text. The 3 are: Lucita, Anatole and Sacha Vykos. Why Beckett and Fatima weren't included? Beats me. The 13 clans are next. Each is given some pictures, a description a la Vampire Quick Start Kit, and some additional quotes. Again, nothing spectacular.
Two pages are reserved for short bio's on the artists featured in the book. Finally, we get a look at the people responsible for it all. The last page is the Afterword by long-time art director Richard Thomas and Credits.

What I like:

The fact that this book is published. White Wolf has put a lot of effort in the art of Vampire, and now the art fans have it all in one book. Many of the pictures are displayed on one page each, so you can drool over them all right. What also pleases me, is the broad range of styles and artists portrayed. Everything from pure black-and-white to full-color, everyone from Tim Bradstreet to John Bolton and every subject from Dark Ages princes to sexy vamp's to depressed caitiff. Illustrators in the book are, among others: Lawrence Snelly, William O'Connor, Brom (!) and Richard Kane Ferguson.

What I don't like:

Some of the art is presented as black-and-white while there exist color representations of it. Examples are the Ramona (clan novel Gangrel signature character) piece by John Van Fleet and the Nosferatu by Bradstreet. Also, sometimes you can't find the name of the illustrator of a piece. In a book dedicated to storytellling, that doesn't bother much. In a book on art, it's simply frustrating. This especially the case in the section about the clans. Most of the pictures don't mention the book where they're orignally published for.

For the next edition (or The Art of the World Of Darkness):

It would be nice to see some more text from the art directors: on how they select work, what they want to see from illustrators, what they like in their job and the line they're designing. Likewise, it wouldn't hurt to let some of the better-known artists and more important contributors (like Bradstreet and Timbrook) talk about their work. How to they work? Whatever piece are they pleased (or not-so-pleased) with? Who influenced them?

Conclusion:

The art fans among the Vampire fans have waited long for this book, and they won't be dissapointed. 136 (or so it claims) of the greatest pictures have been selected and are displayed in this gorgeous book. A museum trip from the Dark Ages to the Year of the Reckoning, with contributions from the best illustrators in the field, this book does what it promisses. That some of the names under the paintings are missing is frustrating. That the museum director decided to photocopy full color art is inconceivable. But the whole trip is something you don't want to miss.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Art Of Vampire: The Masquerade
Author: Neil Gaiman, Rob Hatch, Justin Achilli, Richard Dansky and Richard Thomas Category: Art display Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Vampire Cost: 14.95 US$ Page count: n/a ISBN: 1-56504-209-3 SKU: WW2208 Capsule Review by Jake de Oude on 03/09/00. Genre tags: Modern_day Historical Horror Vampire Gothic	What it is: The Art Of Vampire: The Masquerade is a compilation of Vampire(-related) art. (You could guess that, couldn't you?) From the first clanbooks to the art in the revised edition, it displays pictures from many books published on Vampire, be it The Masquerade or The Dark Ages. Remember, though, that the book was originally published in 1998, so you won't find any pictures from books more recently published, like Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy. The book begins with a fiction introduction from Sandman creator Neil Gaiman. It's presented like a tarot for Vampire. This piece captures some of the atmosphere of the World of Darkness, and almost any 'tarot card' provokes some questions. Well done work. What follows is a introduction to the art of Vampire: The Dark Ages by Richard Dansky. Nothing special here. Many pictures follow, from artist ranging from Guy Davis to Mike Danza. All are black-and-white. Rob Hatch writes a piece on the art of 'modern day' Vampire, and reminds us (once again, and rightly so) that Vampire is not about having a 4th-generation bad-ass Brujah who kills everything in sight. Vampire is a game of atmosphere and the art is an important way of conveying the atmosphere. Written in a characteristic style (serious but never dull, with many funny remarks) this article could easily serve as an introduction, and not only to this book, but to any chapter about Vampire Storytelling. Following on the heels of the article is the art of The Masquerade. Many book covers here, and much in the full color they deserve. 3 signature characters are portrayed, with the original pictures by Mark Jackson and some standard text. The 3 are: Lucita, Anatole and Sacha Vykos. Why Beckett and Fatima weren't included? Beats me. The 13 clans are next. Each is given some pictures, a description a la Vampire Quick Start Kit, and some additional quotes. Again, nothing spectacular. Two pages are reserved for short bio's on the artists featured in the book. Finally, we get a look at the people responsible for it all. The last page is the Afterword by long-time art director Richard Thomas and Credits. What I like: The fact that this book is published. White Wolf has put a lot of effort in the art of Vampire, and now the art fans have it all in one book. Many of the pictures are displayed on one page each, so you can drool over them all right. What also pleases me, is the broad range of styles and artists portrayed. Everything from pure black-and-white to full-color, everyone from Tim Bradstreet to John Bolton and every subject from Dark Ages princes to sexy vamp's to depressed caitiff. Illustrators in the book are, among others: Lawrence Snelly, William O'Connor, Brom (!) and Richard Kane Ferguson. What I don't like: Some of the art is presented as black-and-white while there exist color representations of it. Examples are the Ramona (clan novel Gangrel signature character) piece by John Van Fleet and the Nosferatu by Bradstreet. Also, sometimes you can't find the name of the illustrator of a piece. In a book dedicated to storytellling, that doesn't bother much. In a book on art, it's simply frustrating. This especially the case in the section about the clans. Most of the pictures don't mention the book where they're orignally published for. For the next edition (or The Art of the World Of Darkness): It would be nice to see some more text from the art directors: on how they select work, what they want to see from illustrators, what they like in their job and the line they're designing. Likewise, it wouldn't hurt to let some of the better-known artists and more important contributors (like Bradstreet and Timbrook) talk about their work. How to they work? Whatever piece are they pleased (or not-so-pleased) with? Who influenced them? Conclusion: The art fans among the Vampire fans have waited long for this book, and they won't be dissapointed. 136 (or so it claims) of the greatest pictures have been selected and are displayed in this gorgeous book. A museum trip from the Dark Ages to the Year of the Reckoning, with contributions from the best illustrators in the field, this book does what it promisses. That some of the names under the paintings are missing is frustrating. That the museum director decided to photocopy full color art is inconceivable. But the whole trip is something you don't want to miss. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)