First Impressions

Hello! 
I just got the game from my LGS and I am excited for it.

I want to share my initial reaction upon unboxing and sleeving the cards and getting a good look at the art.

One artist has gotten my attention; their unique and distinctive style is instantly recognizable and evokes quite a visceral reaction from me that I must admit I was not ready for.  

I came to this game blind, I haven't been following and I am not on the Kickstarter, so everything is new for me.  This artist's pieces would have influenced my decision in making my purchase.

Drew Tucker is the artist in question and...

Is he one of the primary backers and he unlocked a tier where he could have his art used? Because everything else is beautiful top tier art nearly photorealistic eye candy and then his art, for the Toreador Clan comes out and ambushes me with how different it is.  

Frankly I am aghast at my own reaction, but more so that his art was used when higher quality options were available.

I look forward to seeing how this game develops and if Drew Tucker grows on me, maybe make him the Nosferatu artist?  

Oh no...no no no...did they really butcher the Toreador art? Is it that bad?

Honestly couldn't agree more. I think his impressionistic style doesn't gel with the tone the rest of the art design is aiming to create.

His paintings are expressive, sure...but without much regard for sound composition or proportion.

I would strongly encourage the design team to move away from this direction in future releases. Just my two cents!

He's Magic the Gathering alumni from the early days, so he's got street cred.  Landscapes and Nosferatu should be his range for this set.

Yeah, can't say I like the art Drew Tucker made on the cards either - it really stands out in a bad way.

All I'm able to say about the design direction and art direction is that Choices were made.  
From the artist in question to the texture of the cards and even the sleeves provided covering the back of the cards even though there are mechanics that rely on being able to see the back of the card, choices were made that we can nitpick at.

I still need to play with a full group of four but I have this nagging itch to write up a deck builder rules variant for whatever reason. 

Drew Tucker has been in the biz for 25+ years.

His style is specific and not exactly realistic. It`s washed, often with black and white. More so than in any other game that can work in Vampire where at night all cats are grey. 

Fantasy would be more difficult, but in a dirty, noir setting, that should be okay.

And yet, his style JARRS against the rest of the art.  But hey, you defend the nosferatu looking Toreador.

Tucker's art is always outstanding to me, and I really appreciate that his art is part of the game. His illustrations are great for conveying feel and atmosphere, so IMHO should be used mostly for non-vampire cards. I wouldn't use his art on vampire cards because due to his style vampires always look ugly. To illustrate vampires, I prefer other illustrators like Amy Wilkins, or the illustrator of the second expansion The Wolf & The Rat: Ana Horbunova. Ana Horbunova has created the art that Rivals deserves. Her art is wonderful: https://youtu.be/cozynymTBpQ?t=4539

@Eluro I can agree with you on this.