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There seem to be a lot of rose colored glasses running around in here. People just picking up the hobby today will probably feel the same way as a lot of you do 15-20 years from now.

For me personally, there were two pictures that defined 40k: the cover of the 3rd edition rulebook (with the black templars) and the cover of the old Sisters of Battle codex (the woman with the white hair and hazard stripes on her pistol).

If either of those pictures were published today (or pretty much any of the ones posted in this thread) they would probably be met with the same derision the current Blood Angels codex cover receives. And then later on, people for whom the BA codex was the first taste of the 40k universe will claim that it "had character." That's just how nostalgia works.

I liked all the artwork up to about 3rd edition, then I found the whole artwork theme of everyone look left...everyone look right...everyone look forward to get repetetive , boring and just stupid, I can't stand most of GW's art today because of that

bushido wrote:There seem to be a lot of rose colored glasses running around in here. People just picking up the hobby today will probably feel the same way as a lot of you do 15-20 years from now.

For me personally, there were two pictures that defined 40k: the cover of the 3rd edition rulebook (with the black templars) and the cover of the old Sisters of Battle codex (the woman with the white hair and hazard stripes on her pistol).

If either of those pictures were published today (or pretty much any of the ones posted in this thread) they would probably be met with the same derision the current Blood Angels codex cover receives. And then later on, people for whom the BA codex was the first taste of the 40k universe will claim that it "had character." That's just how nostalgia works.

You are correct on some counts (some of the old artwork was tosh, especially around RT) but I also think because GW used to outsource to professional artists the 'cream' of it, the examples I and other people have posted on here (cover of 1st and 2nd edition epic, the Christopher Fangorn Space Hulk stuff, Les Edwards' Heroquest stuff etc.), was better I think.

On your second point, you're right - although there wasn't the internet community around back then, I remember there was actually a bit of derision directed towards the 2nd edition boxset when it came out. It was certainly a busy piece of art, but technically it paled in comparison to some of the oil-based art that had come before it (if you remember it had come out just after 2nd edition Epic, with that incredible Ultramarine/Titan cover - really the scan below doesn't do this justice compared to how it looked on the box, the resolution was much higher). In that sense, people seemed to have warmed a bit to the 2nd edition boxset over time.



I would still argue that the old 1st edition Compilation cover was better than that of the new BA dex however

Would any of you be able to tell me which White Dwarf copy, or rulebook shows an Epic 40K scene of an Ork city being held siege by Space Marine titans. I had the mag ages ago and supidly gave it away:(

Is it perhaps in the 1st edition Space Marine Rulebook Compilation?

That's a great sire and love the scratch build imperial fortress. Hmm, don't happen to have done the old firebase as well? That was by far the scenery peice I have the most love for and I'm loving their temple of skulls just now. NOT LIKE THAT!!!! The plastic would be too cold to cuddle at night...

On about the artwork, I loved the old style. It fitted what other artists were doing for that section of art genre at the time either in comics like 2000ad or books like the Lone Wolf series. Yes a long time has passed and theres been advances in printing, how they can make the artwork etc. But I still believe that the RT stuff has an appeal to it, from either nostalgia or simply because often that artwork inspired a new model!
Oh and look at the old RT era craftworld eldar stuff. Only WD number I can ever remember correctly 127 That can still be used today and look great, in fact... some has been

Totally agree with you there!

Think 127 is possibly one of the greatest ever issues of WD, and that artwork is the reason that many began a lifelong love of Eldar and their imagery.

I'd say my favorite artwork was the art that came out in the main rulebooks for Epic 40k. I don't know what it is but that artwork just rocks!

Some absolutely great flashbacks in here.
Loving that DA Chaplin pic.

Vermillion wrote:That's a great sire and love the scratch build imperial fortress. Hmm, don't happen to have done the old firebase as well? That was by far the scenery peice I have the most love for and I'm loving their temple of skulls just now. NOT LIKE THAT!!!! The plastic would be too cold to cuddle at night...

On about the artwork, I loved the old style. It fitted what other artists were doing for that section of art genre at the time either in comics like 2000ad or books like the Lone Wolf series. Yes a long time has passed and theres been advances in printing, how they can make the artwork etc. But I still believe that the RT stuff has an appeal to it, from either nostalgia or simply because often that artwork inspired a new model!
Oh and look at the old RT era craftworld eldar stuff. Only WD number I can ever remember correctly 127 That can still be used today and look great, in fact... some has been

I do have a brand new firebase that I plan to get lasercut and built like the imperial commander tower on my blog.

92acclude wrote:

Vermillion wrote:That's a great sire and love the scratch build imperial fortress. Hmm, don't happen to have done the old firebase as well? That was by far the scenery peice I have the most love for and I'm loving their temple of skulls just now. NOT LIKE THAT!!!! The plastic would be too cold to cuddle at night...

On about the artwork, I loved the old style. It fitted what other artists were doing for that section of art genre at the time either in comics like 2000ad or books like the Lone Wolf series. Yes a long time has passed and theres been advances in printing, how they can make the artwork etc. But I still believe that the RT stuff has an appeal to it, from either nostalgia or simply because often that artwork inspired a new model!
Oh and look at the old RT era craftworld eldar stuff. Only WD number I can ever remember correctly 127 That can still be used today and look great, in fact... some has been

I do have a brand new firebase that I plan to get lasercut and built like the imperial commander tower on my blog.

*cries* My old one got left with friends along with a hell of a lot of scenery when I did a long distance move. Wouldn't mind seeing the results, just for you know, curiosity sake

Some absolutely mind blowing pieces I stumbled across here:

http://fok.dow-mods.com/viewtopic.php?f=115&t=50

Ye Gods.

This image would never be treated with derision:



The changing art of GW is an interesting example of how the company itself has changed, though. In the early days, GW's management used their networks and contacts to commission art from people like Les Edwards (this was before the Internet, remember?), and in-house art was often done by people doubling up jobs. Tony Ackland illustrated most of the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and contributed art throughout the range despite not being an artist but a game designer.

John Blanche worked with Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson on their Fighting Fantasy books and got drawn across to GW that way. Adrian Smith is interesting for having been in the early studio and returned to it. Comparing old and new illustrations by him is fascinating - he's moved from pencil to paint and gained a superior grasp of perspective and the use of diminishing detail, but certain stylistic elements remain.

Dave Gallagher is remarkable for having hardly altered his style at all in nearly twenty years.

As for the marmite qualities of John B's art, I can recall finding his work quite repellent in my early teens, when I was reading Fighting Fantasy. I wanted my fantasy worlds to be shining and beautiful or at least attractively dark (I was a big Frazetta/Vallejo/Dean fan), but John illustrated (and still illustrates) a universe that is cruel, dirty and painful.

As I matured, I came to appreciate his work better and now recognize in him a master of conceptual expression. I recently had the opportunity to meet him in person - he's a lot shorter than I expected!

R.

A personal favourite of mine by Kev Walker featuring the Blood Axes.

Apologies, thought it would come out better. will try and redo

Put me as another in the category of people who found John Blanche's work less appealing and enjoyable when I was a teenager, but increasingly appealing and evocative as I grew and matured.

I hate the majority of John Blanche's work, at least when we're talking about his 'red' sketches.

His full color work is tolerable though.

This guy right here misses old 70's art i have a stack of 70's white dwarfs and heavy metals my uncle handed off to me before he moved good stuff. My favorite old school images i have floating around on my computer

I notice a lot of people moaning about John Blanche's art. With the exception of that period where he was churning out incredibly poor inkwork in b+w as an "experiment", his artwork has remained consistently good, well-suited to "GrimDark". Ratspike (His shared art-book with Ian Miller) is my bible. Also, he and many of the other older artists have a considerable body of work that has nothing to do with GW.

There is a certain feeling of "rote" in the new art..as if they are all the same picture, and all one must do is change the colour of the armour for the next codex.

And that last Imperial Guard art is the whole reason I ever collected so many of them in the first place. An Epic regiments-worth in 28mm. A lot of people found a lot of inspiration in those pictures, pictures which share a great deal with many classical works in both scale and content.

I've never really liked Ian Miller's work.
But, since his LoTR stuff got used heavily in the LoTR movies, I've warmed to it a lot more.
Looking at these, and those in the little BRB, they're more in line with the Grimdark feel.

Ian Miller's illustrations for James Herbert's graphic novel continuation of the "Rats" stories, The City, are some of the most disturbing art I've ever seen.

R.

Looks pretty good to me.

precinctomega wrote:Ian Miller's illustrations for James Herbert's graphic novel continuation of the "Rats" stories, The City, are some of the most disturbing art I've ever seen.

R.

Amen to that. Though Millers style is hard to reproduce on a mini. All those thorns are more deadly than a fully ranked unit of plastic goblin spearmen.

Totally off topic, apologies, was the graphic novel any good?
I have very fond memories of Herberts work.

I dont miss it, as i dont lived that "age". But they where better for sure... Not in the pure way, new art is tecnically superior, but soulless.

Those pics show you the grim dark future of 40k. The new art dont, the new art resemble pop epic sci-fi.

And it is very clear how space marines changed. They where real mans, just the better of the real mans. Now they are 2,5 metter tall piles of muscle and hardened bones...

Posts like this make me fell like i had born 20 years later than i should...

Les Edwards did some amazing work for GW back in the day.

This is perhaps the only image that I ever found disturbing as a young kid and would turn the page of white dwarf as soon as I saw it.


I also remember being amazed at the textures and the liquid effect in this image:


Tony Ackland's daemons were so great, his chaos and monsters were the very essence of WHFB 3rd ed, both the rulebook and the Realm of Chaos book 1.





Later, Mark Gibbons provided some quintessential images for 40k and the one image that made me love Blood Axe Orks beyond any other army.





And so many others, Jes Goodwin's sketches for the concept of aspect warriors and his initial space fleet sketches as well.

Some great pictures there MeanGreenStompa Totally know what you mean about the Les Edwards pic, some of his stuff was really disturbing, and absolute nightmare fodder for any 12 year old with an imagination!

Ian Miller is a godsdamned genius.

MGS, agree with all your picks as well. I have a big Les Edwards art book which features both of those pieces, as well as some of his GW work.

Next up, here is some art from the 1st edition Space Hulk Expansion 'Genestealer', done by various artists





"I'm sorry, I forget you said you wanted it alive!"



Chaos genestealer cults, one part of the lore that didn't make the transition to the modern era.






There used to be a number of quite awesome genestealer cult armies in 40k, this shows the various generations of hybrid. A few dedicated enthusiasts even run them nowadays with home made rules.



Pretty sure this guy used to do 2000AD art as well.



Uh-oh.

Awesome stuff man.

d-usa wrote:I'm tired of the Ultramarines getting all the cool rocket-lawn-chairs, when will GW quit stuffing those space-smurfs down our throat!

I remember when I actually still had that same model. It was the old metal Land Speeder form 2nd edition. When did the current style get released, 3rd or 4th?

Edit:

Found it:



Not quite as bad as the picture, but I liked it. I was mad when the new model came out.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Found the 1st Ed Land Speeder, compared to it the original picture doesn't look to bad:

I loved those 2nd Ed speeders, but as a kid I couldn't spend the $30 to add any to my army. I got a pair of the old RT ones off of eBay (in 1996!). Very much a pair of flying lawn chairs and absolutely the worst models I've ever had to work with. None of the pieces fit together. Not one.

They took Genestealer Cults away? *expletive deleted*. Are they now pretending they never existed as well, like Squats?