when I was much younger than I am now, Mom, Uncle B and my aunt and a cousin toured Brooklyn Bethel. Many of the original paintings used as Watchtower illustrations hung in hallways. They were well-executed paintings. When translated to publication illustrations all that was lost, and they became quite ugly.
I wondered why they didn't use sketches and line drawings that would have translated to the page more effectively. Today, of course, they can print photographs which translate to text illustrations more clearly.