I like warcraft. I like the RTS games, I like the MMORPG, and I like the style of art. I love the oversized shoulder pads, the ridiculous swords, and the pink haired gnomes. Because fantasy is make believe. I enjoy realistic swords and armor as much as the next grognard, but that doesn’t preclude me from enjoying the over-the-top style of Samwise as well.

What I particularly love about Samwise drawing style (and, by extension, the Blizzard art style he helped to define) is that even though his characters have grossly exaggerated muscles and preposterously bulky armor, I’m able to suspend my disbelief and become engrossed in the fictional reality of the drawing.

I particularly enjoy the energy in this piece. Running, swinging, cutting, falling. And at the center of it all a gnome with pink pigtails. Beautiful.