Video game original art

[Bronty-2]

Anybody out here know where most of the video game art is? Locked up in private japanese collections, or what? I'd love to be able to find or purchase some of the original box art from NES/SNES games - can anyone point me in the right direction? :hmm: There must be a few people out there with nice collections of this stuff. Would loooove to find the box art to Brandish, for example.

Hmm.. better question... does anyone know how to identify the artist on a given box? Is there a list of credits somewhere? :) Any ideas guys? x_x

thanks for any input anyone might have.

[Stevie Boy]

Would actually Love to know this myself

[DeputyMoniker]

I'd like to get ahold of some SNK animation...I bet that would be some really cool stuff!!
I don't know where it is but after finding all the garbage Pail Kids art on eBay, I know it's out there somewhere.

[TheRedEye]

Coincidentally enough, I just referred someone who has the original Castle Wolfenstein box art to these forums. Don't know if he'll post, though. He's looking to see how much it might go for.

[Mayhem]

I've got the original artwork to two C64 games: Wizball and Parallax, both done by Bob Wakelin. Priceless now imo. But you do wonder where a lot of it ends up...

[Cthulhu]

The production materials for Japanese games are/were often divided up among the production committe members when a game is/was finished. Unless you have contact information for one of them (who could point you in the direction of who has it), it'll be pretty much a crapshoot to track it down... I'm not aware of any companies that deal in this sort of thing either, unfortunately. If you're looking for box art for a game from a company that still exists (like Falcom, who made Brandish), you might want to try contacting the company directly. Be sure to mention how you're aware of how much original artwork costs and how you have lots of cash you're willing to spend. LOL

[Ed Oscuro]

Coincidentally enough, I just referred someone who has the original Castle Wolfenstein box art to these forums. Don't know if he'll post, though. He's looking to see how much it might go for.
C64 or PC version? Or something else? Sounds awesome.

[Bronty-2]

The production materials for Japanese games are/were often divided up among the production committe members when a game is/was finished. Unless you have contact information for one of them (who could point you in the direction of who has it), it'll be pretty much a crapshoot to track it down... I'm not aware of any companies that deal in this sort of thing either, unfortunately. If you're looking for box art for a game from a company that still exists (like Falcom, who made Brandish), you might want to try contacting the company directly. Be sure to mention how you're aware of how much original artwork costs and how you have lots of cash you're willing to spend. LOL

thanks for the insight. I figured a lot of it would be stuck in japan :bawling: And yeah, i know it would be ridiculously expensive.. sigh. x_x Definitely don't intend on collecting a lot of it, but I'd love to have a few :D

I don't know if contacting the company will work though. It depends on whether the ownership of the art remained with the artist or with the company. I think contacting the artists might be a better bet... does anyone have any resources with respect to box art credits? :eek 2:

[Bronty-2]

Coincidentally enough, I just referred someone who has the original Castle Wolfenstein box art to these forums. Don't know if he'll post, though. He's looking to see how much it might go for.
C64 or PC version? Or something else? Sounds awesome.

Yeah! details!! :D Maybe you can pm me with how much he needs for it? :hmm:

[Cthulhu]

thanks for the insight. I figured a lot of it would be stuck in japan :bawling: And yeah, i know it would be ridiculously expensive.. sigh. x_x Definitely don't intend on collecting a lot of it, but I'd love to have a few :D

I don't know if contacting the company will work though. It depends on whether the ownership of the art remained with the artist or with the company. I think contacting the artists might be a better bet... does anyone have any resources with respect to box art credits? :eek 2:

Creators rights are indeed stronger in Japan, but I think work is still generally done on commission - once the artist produces the piece and sells it to the company it belongs to the company. Games based on existing properties - games based on manga, anime, movies, etc - are probably an exception, however. I've never looked into this very much though, so everything I'm saying should be taken with a grain of salt ^^; .

[Promophile]

Nintendo is known for keeping a VERY tight reign on all their prototype / "original" stuff, so it wouldn't suprise me if Nintendo Japan has some sort of art museum with all the original boxarts framed.

[Bronty-2]

11 years later, this thread is good for a chuckle ;)

[Tanooki]

Well maybe for you, but there still is quite a bit you can't find very easy still. A lot of that old 8/16bit art from the boxes isn't so easily found, and even if it is, it's not the originals you did but the junk people scanned off 9/10 quality boxes and manuals so you have the cruddy packaging art around it.

I've got the original art image of the Castlevania1 imagery stored here without the box bs in the way. I'd love to find a huge archive of the original un-doctored art missing the game name, the other textual junk and generic console box tags many/most boxes shared. Recently I got the Centipede MB board game and the box art is epic, but I can't find that original image. I'd probably rotate it into my phone background art which currently is one i put up of my Pinbot play field (and backglass on the lock screen.)

[Bronty-2]

Those centipede graphics are great.

When I started the thread though I was talking about the physical objects. It's cool that you're interested in the images because there are so many great ones :) a jpg being hard to find on the internet and finding an actual 1/1 object are two very different conversations though. Digital images are child's play comparatively, but I know what you mean the digital images aren't really on the net. I do have a collection of industry film which could be used to create that kind of material, but I am unsure of what will happen to it for now as I was hoping to use them in a book, which may not be possible due to legal issues, and they can't be scanned with normal scanners. I'm sure some of these images will get out there at some point

[Aussie2B]

I'm good with art books, haha. Tracking down the original paintings is a rich man's game. I imagine it's not even an option with games made in the last 10+ years since all art assets are probably produced digitally now.

[Bronty-2]

I'm good with art books, haha. Tracking down the original paintings is a rich man's game. I imagine it's not even an option with games made in the last 10+ years since all art assets are probably produced digitally now.

The digital switchover started a lot earlier than you'd imagine. 20 years not 10! Even the great majority of n64 and ps1 are all digital

[Tanooki]

Those centipede graphics are great.

When I started the thread though I was talking about the physical objects. It's cool that you're interested in the images because there are so many great ones :) a jpg being hard to find on the internet and finding an actual 1/1 object are two very different conversations though. Digital images are child's play comparatively, but I know what you mean the digital images aren't really on the net. I do have a collection of industry film which could be used to create that kind of material, but I am unsure of what will happen to it for now as I was hoping to use them in a book, which may not be possible due to legal issues, and they can't be scanned with normal scanners. I'm sure some of these images will get out there at some point

I know what you intended, just was putting it out there that JPG/RAW whatever format you like copies are a pain to get as well, just not as painful clearly as a one off original like the stuff you used to show off on here or elsewhere. It was a treasure seeing the stuff, but you're right, people would for-profit the hell out of the stuff and it's a shame that stops it from arriving. And you're right in response to him, it's more like 20 years ago definitely. When I was at Midway at the dawn of the Gamecube era they already were just doing it digitally then, but they would for people to get eyes on it internally run copies for people to thumb through. Now if they were shelved, shredded, tossed or burned after the fact I have no idea, but it was digital as far back as 01 and I know EA was doing it that way in the 90s when my brother was at the short lived EA San Diego.

I just get discouraged as I see really nice art, sure I could scan a cart label but man that sucks, so I just don't bother. I'd love nothing more than to retire the years of orioto art I put on my laptop and have a 24hr hour (or less) shuffle of original 80s/90s art instead and if possible convert some to my tablet/phone size in good clarity too.

[Bronty-2]

Not sure what you meant with the "for-profit the hell out of it" ... do you mean that you think people would steal the images , put them on tshirts and crap? I never thought of that, but yeah it would happen. IMO though the real reason it's not on the web is because there was no system of taking care of these things, at most American software houses. Once the game came out everyone was on to the next project; not worrying about what happened before. The reason that the clean sharp images aren't around is because the companies themselves don't have them anymore. I have better pictures of capcoms art than they do. (both capcom and sega have been asking me for images and I did just provide a few to capcom).

[Bronty-2]

And yeah the 20 year thing is fact, surprising as it is. 1996 stuff was already digital.

[Tanooki]

Yup exactly what I meant. Make a dime on it, someone will steal it. Shirts, cups, hats, selling image packages, cards, even stickers, wall art in various styles of printing, cartridge labels, new boxes, anything to make a buck off of. Good on you yet still stunning Capcom and Sega would have to beg an outsider to get their own art back since they basically tossed it away. Lesson learned I guess since it's digital they'll back it up more than once place. I know you're serious about 1996, was in college then and people were already using the lame Macs with the preferred version of Photoshop back in the day to do crazy stuff including hobbyists trying to learn the trade copying, scanning+editing or otherwise type stuff of anything from photos to cartoons and even game art off magazines boxes and manuals. If some random nobody on a college tuition was doing it, damn certain the game companies were already on it years earlier.

[Bronty-2]

Yeah for example twisted metal was done with something called lightwave which I guess was a precursor to photoshop, and that's late 1995.

[Bronty-2]

I'm good with art books, haha. Tracking down the original paintings is a rich man's game. I imagine it's not even an option with games made in the last 10+ years since all art assets are probably produced digitally now.

Books are not the same :)


http://members.shaw.ca/images101/mm7.JPG

[Aussie2B]

Not the same, sure, but art books along with official posters, wall scrolls, etc. are all good enough for me and about a million times more affordable. Owning the original piece of art is very impressive as a collectible, but I'd never drop that kind of money, if I could even afford them in the first place. Same deal with prototype collecting. It's interesting and cool and all, but I'm not rich, so it's not for me. I'd rather spend $20-$40 importing a nice Japanese art book (way better than the little preorder bonus art books you get from US publishers), and I can enjoy looking at dozens of pieces of art from an artist I like rather than dropping presumably hundreds or thousands on just one piece.

Like, I loved the Japanese cover of Brain Lord, so I tracked down a copy of this book:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sachiko-Kamimura-Art-book-Guardian-OOP-1996-Japan-/370778795799

And because I love the Dracula XX art, I got this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Akihiro-Yamada-Fantasy-Art-Works-Dracula-XX-JAPAN-ANIME-GAME-BOOK-/232176347552

Just a couple examples that I have in my collection. These types of Japanese art books are often really large with quality printing and paper. It's a great way to enjoy box art without logos and such in the way or worrying about the condition of the box.

[Tanooki]

Yeah an art book from Japan maybe the best option for a lot of people who aren't making money into the 6 figures a year or more (or higher 5s if you're a loner.) That MM7 is fantastic, never miss seeing the crazy stuff you pull out to make a point or just to share.

Lightwave? Never heard of it. I was thinking lightroom but that's a 2000s product.

[Bronty-2]

Well, as I was saying collecting images vs collecting actual art are two completely different conversations. Nothing wrong with either as there are different ways to approach things. I certainly understand that POV as I spent close to 20 years being a comic collector who wondered why people collect comic art.

The originals are for people who enjoy the images, sure, but I also think they are really for the collector who has been around a long time and kind of seen and done everything else. In my case I've had enough sealed NES through my hands that whatever game I might buy or happen across, its just not going to excite me much anymore. For example, the first time I got a sealed copy of dk math jr it felt like I had found the lost ark... angels sang... light radiated from it... and I thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen. I've had three copies now. The last one, I'll tell you, despite paying 11k, I enjoyed it for about two minutes and then it went into a box.

Art on the other hand is a whole different level of special as a collector's piece. I've had that mm7 for a long time, but I still think its the best thing I've ever seen ;)

[Tanooki]

I'm on that level in a way, just on a cheaper one. I've done the buy and enjoy/hoard(collect) old 8/16bit games since 1995. I've had most of it pass by me in some form or another so I get little that gives me a rise anymore. I picked up for a deal ($65 being still annoying) a copy of Trip world for GB probably 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, a game that goes into the hundreds. I thought I'd be all heart racing and jacked. I didn't care one way or the other over anything else. I just was happy to have something to plug into my gameboy to play just like any five dollar title and enjoyed it, and I still do. But as I'm (not sarcastic tone here) loaded like you while like you where you can turn over stuff that isn't your favorite, I still keep it because the price sucked then and sucks more now so I hold some things for that reason alone. :)

[Aussie2B]

Well, as I was saying collecting images vs collecting actual art are two completely different conversations. Nothing wrong with either as there are different ways to approach things. I certainly understand that POV as I spent close to 20 years being a comic collector who wondered why people collect comic art.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the mentality and appeal perfectly. For me, I care about appreciating the art itself, so there's not much advantage to owning the original outside of them probably being larger than the pages of an art book in most cases. For those who want the originals, it's about it being a collectible, on top of the appreciation of the art. It's like the difference between those who would, say, buy a retro game digitally on VC or PSN or what have you versus those who would track down a physical copy. The former is obviously interested in playing the game and that's it. The latter may want to play the game too, but they probably enjoy it as a collectible as well. On a totally different scale, you could apply this to my collecting of art books as well, when many people are perfectly satisfied to look up the images online. I enjoy my art books as collectibles too, seeing them lined up on my shelves.

There aren't a lot of active topics on this board these days, so I figured I'd comment on how I enjoy game art, especially when the topic had gone into how to see cover art without all the logos and such plastered over them. My point was that there are more avenues for that than tracking down the original work. I wasn't aiming to change the topic. Though, really, you're probably the only active member here who has the money and connections to land these pieces, so I don't think you're going to find much conversation here from others collecting originals. Or is this topic just intended for showing off your pieces and getting others to "ooh" and "aah"? Nothing wrong with that, if that's the case, but the topic is presented like a discussion topic.

Me, I'm only impressed with that MM7 piece in that it's a one-of-a-kind collectible. On an artistic level, I don't think any of the Americanized Mega Man covers are particularly well-drawn or painted. I'd rather look at the art in my Rockman Perfect Memories art book, which had a MSRP of a mere 1000 yen.

I dunno, I feel like there's some degree of a breakdown in communication when regular folk try to explain this kind of stuff to very wealthy collectors who have caviar tastes and can't be satisfied with "normal" things. Honestly, I'm kinda glad I'm not in a position where I could drop $11k on something and still feel blase about it.

[Bronty-2]

Don't get me wrong, I understand the mentality and appeal perfectly. For me, I care about appreciating the art itself, so there's not much advantage to owning the original outside of them probably being larger than the pages of an art book in most cases. For those who want the originals, it's about it being a collectible, on top of the appreciation of the art. It's like the difference between those who would, say, buy a retro game digitally on VC or PSN or what have you versus those who would track down a physical copy. The former is obviously interested in playing the game and that's it. The latter may want to play the game too, but they probably enjoy it as a collectible as well. On a totally different scale, you could apply this to my collecting of art books as well, when many people are perfectly satisfied to look up the images online. I enjoy my art books as collectibles too, seeing them lined up on my shelves.



.

I totally understand your viewpoint, and sure its about it being a collectible as well. I think appreciating it from a book, a jpg, an original are all equally and completely valid. That being said, the idea that they are even on a visual level "the same" is just not right, but you wouldn't know that unless you'd seen one, and you've never seen one. That box, that jpg, whatever it is, is a print taken from a photo. Lots of losses in detail along the way to say nothing of yes, the scale and colors being completely different.

Now, as you say, you can get a book for ten bucks and many will be happy with that and I totally understand, but if nothing else I wish I could show them to you in person so that you could understand in a real way that they are not "the same" any more than a postcard of Michelangelo's David is the same as the statue itself.

As for the whole wealthy slant, I'm not sure where you got that impression. I do fine, but I'm not wealthy and I don't throw around 11k without thinking hard about it. That was kind of my point - that even a major purchase no longer really does much for me when it comes to games.

[Bronty-2]

Don't get me wrong, I understand the mentality and appeal perfectly. For me, I care about appreciating the art itself, so there's not much advantage to owning the original outside of them probably being larger than the pages of an art book in most cases. For those who want the originals, it's about it being a collectible, on top of the appreciation of the art. It's like the difference between those who would, say, buy a retro game digitally on VC or PSN or what have you versus those who would track down a physical copy. The former is obviously interested in playing the game and that's it. The latter may want to play the game too, but they probably enjoy it as a collectible as well. On a totally different scale, you could apply this to my collecting of art books as well, when many people are perfectly satisfied to look up the images online. I enjoy my art books as collectibles too, seeing them lined up on my shelves.

There aren't a lot of active topics on this board these days, so I figured I'd comment on how I enjoy game art, especially when the topic had gone into how to see cover art without all the logos and such plastered over them. My point was that there are more avenues for that than tracking down the original work. I wasn't aiming to change the topic. .

And I appreciate your participation in the topic.

As for the point of it, it wasn't to brag although I'm not above that once in a while, I think we all do it from time to time. I started the thread eleven years ago when I had not a single piece, and no idea on how to get any. I stumbled across it now, and just kind of chuckled aloud about it, and bumped it, you and tanooki had another POV on the whole thing, and that's fine, but the topic was always started to be about originals and nothing else. That doesn't mean we can't discuss books and prints now, but they are separate conversations.

[Bronty-2]

Me, I'm only impressed with that MM7 piece in that it's a one-of-a-kind collectible. On an artistic level, I don't think any of the Americanized Mega Man covers are particularly well-drawn or painted. I'd rather look at the art in my Rockman Perfect Memories art book, which had a MSRP of a mere 1000 yen.


I disagree with the whole 'omfg japanese box art is so awesome' thing that you hear a lot. There were many great covers, and many terrible ones, on both sides of the Pacific.

I find the japanese rockman covers overly cluttered personally. Its a matter of taste, and certainly there are many, many wonderful japanese covers, but there are lots of great american ones too.

[Bronty-2]

Anybody out here know where most of the video game art is? Locked up in private japanese collections, or what? I'd love to be able to find or purchase some of the original box art from NES/SNES games - can anyone point me in the right direction? :hmm: There must be a few people out there with nice collections of this stuff. Would loooove to find the box art to Brandish, for example.

Hmm.. better question... does anyone know how to identify the artist on a given box? Is there a list of credits somewhere? :) Any ideas guys? x_x

thanks for any input anyone might have.



12 years after this post I am still looking and still always interested if anyone reading has some to sell... thank you. Please pm me if so.


https://i.imgur.com/aXlXVyW.jpg

[Niku-Sama]

whered you find the cover art for X2 at?

[Bronty-2]

whered you find the cover art for X2 at?

In my storage locker ;)

[Niku-Sama]

sheet I wish my storage locker had game box art in it.

instead its got mounds of old systems I naver seem to bring home....




some day it'll happen, I wanna play some 5200 that I found in a dumpster 10 years ago now that I got some games 3 years back