Trying Too Hard

I follow several Tumblr pages devoted to fantasy artwork, especially those of the Old School variety.

One of my favorites is Meanwhile, Back in the Dungeon, which features images both sublime and silly.

This would be of the latter type:

I adore this image. Fantasy artwork is known for being over-the-top and it can be hard to tell where the line is between “awesome” and “trying too hard”. I’m not sure where that line is, but I am sure that this… cattaur? It’s definitely well past that line.

At the same time the swordswoman is far better attired than the norm for fantasy artwork. She’s reasonably armed, posed, and dressed, which somehow makes the overall image even more strange.

This screams “80’s paperback cover”. Does anyone know what it is from?

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