mixing art styles

[jack1974]

Take a look at the images above. Not just the succubus, also the rest!
I asked this already in patreon and there the general consensus was that mixing different art style was OK, as long as the coloring is more similar (which in the images above clearly ISN'T!).
In practice since the Loren's artist doesn't work for me anymore, I am thinking about the future fantasy games. In some cases luckily I commissioned him a lot of art / NPCs, like merfolks, but as you know there might be the need for example of some extra characters (like the succubus above!) and I am looking for replacements.
I think this artist is quite good and I would like to have her draw some images As long as the style doesn't clash too much with existing art work.

Anyway if you have any comment/feedback, let me know

[Troyen]

I agree with the Patreon people. If the coloring style is significantly different, then the differences will stand out more and be rather jarring. If you can have your new artist at least attempt to match the coloring/shading of the ones you're mixing with, then it'll be less noticeable.

[BobTheMob]

...as long as the coloring is more similar (which in the images above clearly ISN'T!).

I actually see the coloring for the succubus working quite well: the skin being that ashen color and the muted look of the clothing definitely lending a deathly feel to the character.

The only thing I saw as not working in terms of the coloring is that the character sprites seem as if they should be somewhat darker given that they're in low-light areas (if such is a difficult thing to code and/or draw, my apologies; I hadn't meant any kind of an attack).

[jack1974]

The backgrounds are just random backgrounds I put myself

[fleetp]

My opinion: the styles are similar enough to each other that they don't clash.

[Jaeger]

The lineart is close enough, the problem is the shading. The succubus image is the flattest, having little highlights and shadows. For the elf, there is a more tonal ranges with light and shadows. The lizardman has an even greater contrast with light and dark, along with heavier lines and stark black shadows in a few places.

The SOTW DLC was pretty jarring in that sense. Don't get me wrong, the artist did a wonderful job with the animal spirits. However, having them stand next to the heroes, they look like they belong in different games.

[jack1974]

Yes the coloring is almost more important than the lineart in certain cases. SOTW DLC coloring was indeed a bad move, but at the time I only could use that colorist. The fun thing is that the coloring was beautiful, but still jarring
I asked this artist to do some lineart for a yet to be announced game, and then ask another person to color it (with a style more close to the existing Loren art). Will be the "real test"

[DarkWolf]

I think it's not a problem as long as art is similar enough. You say for those images that coloring isn't similar but I think in first image is similar enough to the point if I saw it in a game I might not even notice anything and even if I did it would be like there might be something a bit off there but I am not quite sure, so noting that I would mind. For second one I would notice somethings a bit off not not enough to that I would mind it.

BTW Can you tell as who/from witch game are characters in those images?

[jack1974]

The succubus was a sort of test character, though I might use it for a future game idea. I made a short storyboard. All I can say is that there are witches, demons and a slave fugitive (I won't say more also because it's just an idea, I'm not starting new games now!)
The elf on top is one of the various "NPC" I asked Loren's artist to make - basically I asked him to do a lot of art in advance, thinking that he might leave (as he did!). So I have a sort of database with various characters from him not seen before which I can use
The lizardman is actually a sprite from the first Loren game.

[BobTheMob]

The succubus was a sort of test character, though I might use it for a future game idea. I made a short storyboard. All I can say is that there are witches, demons and a slave fugitive (I won't say more also because it's just an idea, I'm not starting new games now!)

Can we at least know if the game would take place in Aravorn if it's made?

It sounds like it would, and I personally have loved all of the Aravorn games I've thus far played!