The Deluded Minds of GW's Visual Artists

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**DarkHound**

Has anyone noticed that there are no beards in 40k. Everyone is white and clean-shaven, or at worst have 5'o'clock shadow. Sometimes they have awesome sideburns. The black people are token and respectably generic. Other ethnicities are officially represented in concentrated doses with Space Marine chapters. However, there are no beards among any of them. What is going on inside the minds of GW's art department?

An internet to the person who brings an official GW picture of someone with a beard!

**Walrus**

Space wolves

**Squash**

I've often wondered where all the black guardsmen are. It's the same in Fantasy - is dark skin just hard to paint or something? It seems intuitive to paint a drow army with Dark Elves.

**Monster Rain**

Is this why they got rid of the squats?

**timetowaste85**

Walrus wrote:Space wolves

Absolutely. Space wolves have plenty of models with facial hair. Also, if you look in the IG book, there are plenty of Catachan guardsmen who have faces with hair as well-yes, I realize these are taken from Fantasy Empire Militia models, but they are using cross overs. Eldar don't have beards, neither do daemons, Nids or Tau (I guess you could possibly have an ethereal with a beard). If you want to just focus on imperials though, Blood angels are described as being kind of vain and fastidious and beards don't really represent that well (no matter how groomed you are). Space wolves show a rough appearance, and the beard works well for them-so they have beards. I could probably go on...but you get the idea. Beards exist where they need to. And as for black-skinned imperials, just look to the Salamander space marine army. I know, it's not quite the same, but it IS there...

**MinMax**

What up now?

**Gavo**

MinMax wrote:
What up now?

/Thread.

**Brother SRM**

A game designed by white Englishmen full of white Englishmen!? Why I never!

There are beards all about depending on where you go. Space Wolves, as given, are bearded up. A few Guardsmen have beards or mustaches, but they don't very often. Mostly Vostroyan command guys.

**Commander Endova**

This thread came up a few weeks ago. Basically the conclusion is that, actually, a fair number of chapters have facial hair.

White Scars:

Black Templars:

Imperial Fists:

Space Wolves:

**DarkHound**

Gavo wrote:
MinMax wrote:
What up now?
/Thread.

He has side burns and a mustache. There is nothing on his chin.

The White Scars have no beards. Khan might have a beard, but I can't see. The bottom center of Black Templar has a beard, no one else. I wouldn't dare call that patch on Lysander's face a beard. Top right of the Space Wolves has one.

Regardless, all of the beards are wimpy. Show me a real beard!

**Commander Endova**

There are plenty of models with facial hair.

**VictorVonTzeentch**

My count is two Black Templars with beards I've seen the models, and I'm fairly sure there are two. Also mutton chops are a form of beard, especially when they are a muttonstache. Soul Patches are actually a beard whether you agree or not.

Guy riding the Wolf on page 34 of the SW Dex has a beard, in fact numerous guys in the black and white photos look like they do. Black and white of Lukas the Trickster on his Fluff page has a beard. Njal Stormcaller has a beard. Canis Wolfborn has you guessed it a Wolf Beard. Also check the coloured army showcase section it has beards.

Yeah just proving you wrong here.

**GalacticDefender**

There are a few Black IG in the back of the codex, mainly catatchans. I think there might even be a black commisar in there, but I can't quite tell if he is or not.

ANd space wolves pretty much all have beards.

**DarkHound**

I'll award an internet to Commander Endova, although your second batch of picture aren't working for me.

Contest jovialities aside, let's have a discussion. Why are Space Wolf beards exclusive to the Space Wolves? There are patches and sideburns, and plenty of mustaches, but no hair flowing down over one's neck save for the Space Wolves. It makes me think full beards are reserved for the Space Wolves, because it helps define the individual Space Wolf compared to Space Marines (and the rest of 40k). A Space Wolf is a helmet looks pretty damn similar to any other Space Marine. However, with even a few beards in a squad, the wreak of Nordic influence. Maybe the Space Wolves need beards, so no one else gets to have them or it deludes the effect.

**Evaelc**

Facial hair is overated. As well as some models would just just look silly with beards. Even the Ig i suppose wouldn't have beards as their life is highly milataristic (spelling?). So they wouldn't really have beards.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
On the subject of black people though...

**DarkHound**

Evaelc wrote:Even the Ig i suppose wouldn't have beards as their life is highly milataristic (spelling?). So they wouldn't really have beards.

Men in Iraq have to have two things: a beard and a gun. That clean shaven spartans are the ideal soldiers is very... western. I'd say it is unfortunate from a continuity stand-point that GW's posterboys are the ideal spartan, given that the Emperor was "born" in Central Anatolia, just east of Iraq.

**Evaelc**

well there are a lot of things we can argue about but in the end yeah so their are not many beards in warhammer 40000 but if you really wsih to make beards then make them.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
wow, i should shoot myself.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
That was horrible.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I apoligize for those last posts.

**d-usa**

I will attempt a "no beard" justification of sorts. I have volunteered as a firefighter in the past, and we always had a "no beard" policy.

The reason for our policy was the fact that we had to wear masks & respirators. Facial hear will break the seal between your skin and the mask and allow smoke and gas to enter the mask.

I could easily see the IG not having beards for a similar reason. When poison gas is raining down on you, the last thing you want is to have a beard keep your mask from sealing out the bad stuff.

Similar thoughts for Space Marines. That picture of the space wolf with the wicked beard is pretty cool, but if he had to put his helmet on he would have to use his giant gloves to try to stick his pretty beard between his face and his armor to make the mask seal with the armor.

So even though GW has always prefered the "Factor of Cool" over the "Factor of Real", not having beards makes kind of sense fluff wise.

**Kurgash**

If the Jokaero get a model that will solve this discussion as they are nothing more than walking beards.

**Ascalam**

The old Necron Lord model had a metal pharaoh-beard

You're right though. The 'I swallowed a bear and left it's ass hanging out' fashion statement it a bit few and far between.

**Sckitzo**

Ehh the official reason of why the US military cannot have beards is the same that d-usa gave. Masks make a poor seal over hair, potentially killing you. Now the German Bundeswheir I worked around had facial hair, as did Iraqis and Afganis, don't think the French, Polish or Brits did though.

Thing is, they make OSHA approved masks that will seal over the hair, so it boils down into a fashion statement type deal. Alot of people see them as unprofessional, so alot of the militaries of the world do not have them, or if they do in small numbers. I'm just assuming this is directly influenced in GW's art work, only the rough, crazy ect ect types (looking at you Space Wolves) would have them, because they fit that image.

As for non white Imperials, beats me. I'd venture a guess and say take a good look at their art department, see how many white folks are in it. When folks make art that has people involved, their race is usually reflected in their product.

**Ascalam**

Sikhs have special dispensation for full beards in the british army (not sure if in other armies) due to it being a religious observance. I think the british navy still allows them too.

I'd love to see/build a sikh themed army sometime

Awesome bunch of guys, at least the ones i've met personally.

**Hans Chung-Otterson**

Sckitzo wrote:
Thing is, they make OSHA approved masks that will seal over the hair, so it boils down into a fashion statement type deal. Alot of people see them as unprofessional, so alot of the militaries of the world do not have them, or if they do in small numbers.

In the military it's not about being unprofessional, it's about suppressing individuality.

**papathrax**

maybe you guys should take a look at yourselves for no blacks or asians in the Imperium. You're the guys that paint them.

**Bromsy**

That ain't east of Iraq, bro

**Commander Endova**

@Bromsy: North West. You can argue petty semantics all you want, but I think what he means was "near" Irag.

@ DarkHound: Thank you for the Internet. I will add it to my collection.

**Sckitzo**

Hans Chung-Otterson wrote:
In the military it's not about being unprofessional, it's about suppressing individuality.

True enough, though I'd say it's a mixture of both.

Ascalam wrote:
Sikhs have special dispensation for full beards in the british army (not sure if in other armies) due to it being a religious observance. I think the british navy still allows them too

I did not know that, interesting though.

I'm still sticking with the beards are only are the rough and tumble types though. Hence why we see them on Space Wolves and IIRC, Catachans.

**MechaEmperor7000**

Dont know about you guys but I actually find it very hard to properly paint black dudes. It either ends up looking like the guy just had a dynamite explode in his face Daffy Duck style, blackface, or make him look like chocolate (like actual, edible chocolate), all of which are rather insulting to say the least. As for asian people (me being chinese myself) it's kinda hard to differentiate them through skin tone alone, as we're just a tad bit yellow, something that's too subtle for minis. The eyes and facial structure is what differentiate us, but that would mean a whole separate head.

As for facial hair, dont modern militaries require you to cut your hair short/shave your head and regularly shave your face?

**Lord Castellan**

The Vostroyan Firstborn have moustaches.

**Fire_for_effect**

Off topic, I never realized how badass Lysander looks with his goatee xD