The Last of Us (Cook & Becker) - Page 2

Amnoz · #11 09-09-2013, 06:15 AM

None of these resonate for me.

I've looked through the art book so many times and having so many similar images together makes it a little difficult to treat these as individual pieces.

I agree with rams that "bloaters" would have been better off replaced with another one of the images he chose.

"A new day" will definitely be the piece to get however I would like to say that there should be at least one unique image exclusive to every cook and becker presentation. By unique I mean has not been seen previously and will NOT be seen later.

I understand why "Falling" was used again in Irrational's store but if you want to reach a different market to make a little extra $ because game development isn't cheap, save some images aside from artbooks that can have exclusive appearances elsewhere. Use a different image or make a new one, plain and simple.

I know some people will disagree with me but quite frankly, we don't want SOME images to gain so much popularity that they are seen everywhere. Whether that is the case with "falling" or not is a matter for debate. All I know is that once an image is emphasized a little too much, it loses it's appeal and significance to me.

I understand that games do need images that stand out and appear lots to market themselves. That aside, if there are going to be professional art prints from those companies, I think they should be different and exclusive. Don't just plug all of them out from an artbook or from the game onto a giclee, regardless if the quality is up-scaled.

I think if you guys secured an exclusive print, made it a decent run of like 100 and emphasized that the image will not be seen elsewhere, those prints will have a better chance of selling out, even if they are not the best lookers. Collector's will appreciate the exclusivity and limited quantities.

Those are my two cents.

Deathhound · #12 09-09-2013, 08:23 AM

Wow, some great artworks I see there. Ugh, would love to have at least one

Maarten Brands · #13 09-09-2013, 09:53 AM

Thanks for the compliments!

And just to chip in here:

As a general comment, whether or not C&B can use some images to create prints depends on their availability in high-res. So as to the question: "Why didn't they use this? ". Most of the time the answer is: "Because it is technically not possible". Most concept art etc. is created for digital screen purposes and is not fit to print (at least not to C&B standards) because the resolution is too low for example. And redoing everything is unfortunately not an option. Although most prints we do release are substantially reworked (even if it doesn't show optically). In working with these studios and artists we are hoping to get to a situation of course where a set of images will be created especially for fine-art printing purposes and fortunately that is happening. As well as having more stuff from heritage archives. But that is a step by step process.

Secondly, Cook & Becker's main goal is that we really want to showcase the design & design processes of important games. The behind-the-scenes stuff and creative decision making. Each collection is curated & reviewed by a group of professionals, some of them who have not even played the game. But they give input on what they think is artistically interesting. That means some of the 'iconic shots' fans such as myself like, do not make the cut sometimes because they were made for marketing purposes mostly. Our collections will always be uhm, a little bit dividing

. But most promotional art is made available anyway through lithos for example somewhere down the line.

Tommy's Town for instance has a strong composition, beautiful lighting and really interesting brush strokes. It says something about the medium and that is why we chose to include that.

ingmar1988 · #14 09-09-2013, 12:27 PM

I really like crows, remembering and a new day.

Its to bad i dont like the joel/ellie ellie/joel pieces, because i would love a huge piece, but its not really an image i would want big on my wall. Would loved a more artistically image for that!

Also, my experience is you really have to see candb pieces in real life, to appreciate all the details.

Maarten, i dont know if this is possible. But would it be an option to vote on the artwork used? Because that would, spark interest plus we get a piece we really want. (of course the vote will only be about pieces that are pre-selected by candb that are suitable for printing).

Maarten Brands · #15 09-09-2013, 05:10 PM

Hi Ingmar,

We do really appreciate feedback and for The Last of Us we actually did ask several customers and fans for their lists and favorites. Then it is up to the actual artists what they want to show or have made as a print.

I'll think about a system whereby we could do more in the future.

P.S. I have to say that the size and crispness of the Joel/Ellie shot in real-life make all the difference.

If anybody knows of a good tool whereby you can make easily shareable presentations that retain maximum image crispness for PC, please let me know