MTG: Earthcraft (1997)
No takebacks
When assigned illustrations for Magic, one generally has little idea of if it’s going to end up on something really well-played and therefore appreciated by players. Tempest’s Earthcraft was the first time I really got caught with a well-played piece that exactly corresponded to an illustration I wasn’t loving.
Of course the maxim in illustration is always bring 100% (Norman Rockwell kept a little plaque in his workspace that just read, “100%,” and there are few who got as close to 100% all the time as he). History shows that mine was a story of turning that knob continually to the right over the years. But in the years of far more hit-or-miss, pieces like Earthcraft were harsh lessons in raising the average.
