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Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






Arlington, Texas

Spoiler:











Massive number of pictures. And no, I don't miss it in the slightest.


Worship me. 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







http://artmight.com/Artists/Warhammer/will-rees-warhammer-40583p.html

This gallery is fairly good. Goes, near enough, from old through to new as you scroll right through the images. I'd say after going through that I like the new stuff better.

   
Made in us
Ultramarine Master with Gauntlets of Macragge





Boston, MA

jamessearle0 wrote:the old stuff looks god awful, next thing people will be saying how awesome blanche is, personally i think all blanches work looks like a childs drawing of a transvestite


How does it feel to be wrong all the time?

Check out my Youtube channel!
 
   
Made in us
Deranged Necron Destroyer





Northern Virginia, USA.

Brother SRM wrote:
jamessearle0 wrote:the old stuff looks god awful, next thing people will be saying how awesome blanche is, personally i think all blanches work looks like a childs drawing of a transvestite


How does it feel to be wrong all the time?

I dunno, I kinda agree with him. I do like some of Blanche's stuff but certainly not all. And the old art was garbage.


malfred wrote:Buy what you like.

Paint what you love.
 
   
Made in us
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General






A garden grove on Citadel Station

Brother SRM wrote:How does it feel to be wrong all the time?
Art is subjective. However, if you honestly think that old 40k art is better in any way other than comedy value, your art opinion does not hold much weight.

ph34r's Forgeworld Phobos blog, current WIP: Iron Warriors and Skaven Tau
+From Iron Cometh Strength+ +From Strength Cometh Will+ +From Will Cometh Faith+ +From Faith Cometh Honor+ +From Honor Cometh Iron+
The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence?
When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence.
 
   
Made in us
Automated Rubric Marine of Tzeentch






VA Beach

I prefer the newer stuff.


Let the galaxy burn.

 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







ph34r wrote:
Brother SRM wrote:How does it feel to be wrong all the time?
Art is subjective. However, if you honestly think that old 40k art is better in any way other than comedy value, your art opinion does not hold much weight.


If it is subjective, which i agree entirely that it is, then no one person's opinion holds more weight than any other.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/01/31 01:01:17


   
Made in kr
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

The thing is, it's possible to cherry pick pieces of old art which were obviously done in a short peried of time, then put it next to that Horus/Emperor piece which is blooming fantastic and obviously had a great deal more time and effort on it. But, a couple of you guys are posting the awful stuff and selling short everything 'old' I feel. So, I would like to post a few of the better ones so the younger members on here don't get the conception that all of it was bad. And, like others have said there was a lot more freedom for the artists, so a lot of it was more memorable.











This was one of my favorite pieces of artwork when I was a kid, it's just so evocative.

Epic 30K&40K! A new players guide, contributors welcome https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/751316.page
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Made in us
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General






A garden grove on Citadel Station

Many old pieces had a great deal of feel and atmosphere. Sure, they were outnumbered by the "we need some art to fill the book" pieces, but they were definitely there. You posted some good examples.

whatwhat wrote:
ph34r wrote:
Brother SRM wrote:How does it feel to be wrong all the time?
Art is subjective. However, if you honestly think that old 40k art is better in any way other than comedy value, your art opinion does not hold much weight.


If it is subjective, which i agree entirely that it is, then no one person's opinion holds more weight than any other.
Though how much worth you attribute to a piece of art can be entirely subjective, you can say things like "I think this 5 year old's sketch is technically superior to this professional artwork" and be just wrong. There is some room for objectivity in art.

ph34r's Forgeworld Phobos blog, current WIP: Iron Warriors and Skaven Tau
+From Iron Cometh Strength+ +From Strength Cometh Will+ +From Will Cometh Faith+ +From Faith Cometh Honor+ +From Honor Cometh Iron+
The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence?
When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence.
 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







ph34r wrote:
whatwhat wrote:
ph34r wrote:
Brother SRM wrote:How does it feel to be wrong all the time?
Art is subjective. However, if you honestly think that old 40k art is better in any way other than comedy value, your art opinion does not hold much weight.


If it is subjective, which i agree entirely that it is, then no one person's opinion holds more weight than any other.
Though how much worth you attribute to a piece of art can be entirely subjective, you can say things like "I think this 5 year old's sketch is technically superior to this professional artwork" and be just wrong. There is some room for objectivity in art.


No. If someone thinks a 5 year old's sketch is better than a piece of professional artwork they are not wrong, as it is judged from their own perspective. The fact that you find their opinions awkward doesn't mean they are wrong.

   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





I think the old art is more evocative than a lot of the new. They give a better sense of scale of things and the setting.

The new stuff, while technically brilliant sometimes feels a bit 'wooden'.

There are some gems from the new stuff though.

I do find some of the new art with tiny heads in a huge suit of power/terminator armour a bit disturbing. Or maybe it's not armour, and it's controlled by the wearer like a vehicle and he's actually really small.

hello 
   
Made in us
Ultramarine Master with Gauntlets of Macragge





Boston, MA

whatwhat wrote:
No. If someone thinks a 5 year old's sketch is better than a piece of professional artwork they are not wrong, as it is judged from their own perspective. The fact that you find their opinions awkward doesn't mean they are wrong.


Opinions can be wrong. If they couldn't then conspiracy theorists would actually be on to something.

This is getting way off topic. Lets get back to posting awesome old artwork:






Check out my Youtube channel!
 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







Brother SRM wrote:
whatwhat wrote:
No. If someone thinks a 5 year old's sketch is better than a piece of professional artwork they are not wrong, as it is judged from their own perspective. The fact that you find their opinions awkward doesn't mean they are wrong.


Opinions can be wrong. If they couldn't then conspiracy theorists would actually be on to something.


Opinions on an objective issue can be wrong, of course. The only person who can determine whether a subjective opinion is wrong or not is the person who holds that subjective opinion.

Brother SRM wrote:This is getting way off topic. Lets get back to posting awesome old artwork:


The off topic part was turning this topic into an argument. Something which you yourself contributed to with lines like "How does it feel to be wrong all the time?" in response to something someone has clearly labelled as their own opinion. Art appreciation is subjective.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/01/31 17:12:54


   
Made in us
Ultramarine Master with Gauntlets of Macragge





Boston, MA

whatwhat wrote:
The off topic part was turning this topic into an argument. Something which you yourself contributed to with lines like "How does it feel to be wrong all the time?" in response to something someone has clearly labelled as their own opinion. Art appreciation is subjective.


There's a difference between saying "I like the new stuff better" and "the old stuff looks god awful, next thing people will be saying how awesome blanche is, personally i think all blanches work looks like a childs drawing of a transvestite" - the former is fine, the latter is what I was replying to and a quote from this very thread. Someone who posts like that obviously isn't here to have a coherent discussion.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/01/31 17:36:33


Check out my Youtube channel!
 
   
Made in gb
Wrathful Warlord Titan Commander





Ramsden Heath, Essex

I can not believe that some seem to be dimissing the allot of or all RT artworks as poor. I would suggest that the worst that can be said of allot of it was that it was of its time.

Anything after that is building on established mythos and themes for the most part and you would expect an increase in quality (though not necessarilty inspiration) from that original point.

How many clones of the original "last stand" RT cover have we seen adorn the cover of codeci over the years?

How do you promote your Hobby? - Legoburner "I run some crappy wargaming website " 
   
Made in us
Strangely Beautiful Daemonette of Slaanesh




Tucson az

I liked how alot of the older stuff tended to have a lot more sense of humor to it compared to skulls spikes and more skulls.
but from then and now theres alot of good and alot of bad.
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Scotland

Some of my favourites that i remember grabbing.








Mary Sue wrote: Perkustin is even more awesome than me!



 
   
Made in kr
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

Haha great! For anyone sufficiently geeky, that 3rd one down is actually the background of the 4th edition BRB! Look closely

Got a few more, these are some of my personal favourites:


I'm pretty sure the original of this was in standard mono but the only one I could find was this one with a red hue.


This one I feel has got a certain 'sinister' aspect to it, I feel almost afraid for the Emperor in this drawing! For all it's brilliance, the modern painting is lacking this factor, instead it is more like a car showroom, with a ferrari and porsche displayed side by side and showing their wares. I think this has got much more of a 'diorama' feel about it.



The original Space Marine box artwork. This was from a time when GW used to commission work from different artists, I think part of the reason there was such a divergence in the representation of the universe at that time. You can see how the conception of a marine has changed since that time - not a sword or look of righteous indignation in sight, these are the 'Sardakur' of 40k, desperately blazing away as they get blown to pieces.



I'm pretty sure this is one of Adrian Smith's early pieces. There was a ton of stuff that came out for the Tyranid Attack boardgame, with some of it making its way into the 2nd edition rule books. Again a really evocative piece of art, you feel really terrified for these scouts and what they had to face! The guys in this picture closely resemble the models of the time, even down to the sergeant (the guy with the pauldrons being waylaid on the floor!)



This kind of stuff doesn't age - you could put it in the next 40k eldar codex and it wouldn't look out of place. Simply beautiful in my book, this is the reason so many veteran collectors fell in love with the Eldar, and think WD127 was the best of all time. Again, I think Adrian Smith did this one.



Cover from 2nd edition Space Marine, sadly the resolution of this shot is much lower than the actual thing. I think it perfectly captured the scale of the combat going on, and what epic was all about!

I will post some more later on, as long as bandwidth allows!

Epic 30K&40K! A new players guide, contributors welcome https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/751316.page
Small but perfectly formed! A Great Crusade Epic 6mm project: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/694411.page

 
   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





Chicago, Illinois

Yep I like old art sometimes more feel to it and more inside jokes and really cool looking stuff, that I have to say is that the artwork of the olden days is good but compared to nowadays its actually more feel to it. More Personnel. I really wish GW got rid of the skulls and grim darkness. There isn't war everywhere GW Even that is theortically impossible. I studied Astronomy and most of the things in the 40k universe is ludicrous but still don't nail us down with skulls and such. Were talking about 800 billion square miles + thats A TON. Plus the milky way is just a dot compared to the rest of the gaxaly, this is related in depth and preception and geometrical figures, which is lacking in the newer 40k artwork.

From whom are unforgiven we bring the mercy of war. 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







Pacific wrote:
The original Space Marine box artwork. This was from a time when GW used to commission work from different artists, I think part of the reason there was such a divergence in the representation of the universe at that time. You can see how the conception of a marine has changed since that time - not a sword or look of righteous indignation in sight, these are the 'Sardakur' of 40k, desperately blazing away as they get blown to pieces.


less Sardakur, more Tony Montana


   
Made in kr
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

Haha yes that is well documented. But watch the movie - what is Al Pacino doing at this point? Desperately blazing away with his gun, and against overwhelming odds. You could say the artist chose the subject to copy well!

Epic 30K&40K! A new players guide, contributors welcome https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/751316.page
Small but perfectly formed! A Great Crusade Epic 6mm project: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/694411.page

 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







Well considering he's chose the most iconic image in a fairly iconic movie I'm not so sure it was a good choice. Unless his attention was for everyone to remember it as 'the boxart which ripped of scarface.' I litterally can't look at it without thinking "Say hello to my little friend!' A line which seems to have lost all sense of irony in the marine picture as the gun actually does look tiny.

   
Made in kr
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

But how many of the (especially younger) viewers would be aware that it's from a, what, 35 year old movie now? It's become wider knowledge now, but I remember some years ago on other forums that it had to be pointed out to most people about the resemblance.

And does it detract from what an awesome piece of artwork it is? (which I guess I am trying to say is the important thing!)

Epic 30K&40K! A new players guide, contributors welcome https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/751316.page
Small but perfectly formed! A Great Crusade Epic 6mm project: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/694411.page

 
   
Made in gb
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter







Hey someone might like it for the same reason I dislike it. But in my mind the image belongs to the film and the artwork looks like a parody of it.

   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





dead account

OH man this thread is great! Its like reading old issues of Heavy Metal!
   
Made in ca
Plastictrees





Calgary, Alberta, Canada

whatwhat wrote:Well considering he's chose the most iconic image in a fairly iconic movie I'm not so sure it was a good choice. Unless his attention was for everyone to remember it as 'the boxart which ripped of scarface.' I litterally can't look at it without thinking "Say hello to my little friend!' A line which seems to have lost all sense of irony in the marine picture as the gun actually does look tiny.


Personally I like how the artist got so caught up in copying the still frame that the marine has a bare right hand that is a careful copy of Tony's. There's no reason at all for him not to have a gauntlet there other than the artist going "Well...whatever, that's a quality hand, I'm keeping it in there!"
   
Made in us
Nigel Stillman





Austin, TX

Pacific wrote:


This is one of my favorite images of all time and is currently my desktop background. Fangorn was a sweet artist. Too bad they let him (and a lot of the other artists that really defined the game) go.

As for the trolls claiming that the older stuff sucks: At least each of the artists had their own distinctive style. Now all the gak looks the same except for Blanche's.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/02/01 04:34:13


 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Thanks for the old Emperor vs. Horus picture! I remember seeing that one way back.

It seems a lot more dynamic than the current one, where they look kind of 'awkward' despite technical excellence and detail.

Their poses say much more; it looks like a dynamic painting compared with a portrait, comparing the old and new.

hello 
   
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[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury









The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Scotland

As you can see from my selections i am by no means a hater of the old art but i have to admit that the 'scarface dark angels' is one of the worst pictures from the past. It is completely artless, not only does he have to plagerise an iconic image but the proportions and perspective are atrocious and inconsistant with the hyper-real airbrush work. It is an example of how in the early days of 40k, blanche aside, the artists had no real idea of the setting and were just doing it (as tony montana would say) 'Forr de Maohnee'.

Mary Sue wrote: Perkustin is even more awesome than me!



 
   
 
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