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2023/06/01 07:46:39
Subject: John Blanche has retired from Games Workshop
Today, the legendary artist John Blanche who was my Art Director on Mordheim, Realm of Chaos and WFB has retired from Games Workshop. He was the last of the titans. Truly an end of an era. However, we will see more of John's genre-defining art as he can work projects of his own.
so the end of an era assuming it's true, but there are probably plenty of bits of art tucked away in the vaults we've not seen
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/06/07 16:32:52
2023/06/01 08:01:04
Subject: John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
Also head of their concept department. Whilst his art can be marmite, his overall influence on the look and feel of everything 40K cannot be underestimated.
I can only hope that whomever steps into his esteemed shoes is just as crazy and fearless, confident the miniature designers can Make It Work.
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I do watch a lot of crap.
2023/06/01 08:07:39
Subject: John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
Chairman Aeon wrote: John scooped Jes up from art school. Jes is a designer not a rules guy. Those two defined Warhammer to what it is today.
IMHO Jes has earned his place among the 'titans' with his design work on the Eldar, and on Space Marines. He practically defined the look of the Eldar, and especially Craftworld Eldar, since 2nd edition, and was hugely influential on Space Marines and all of their derivatives. Primaris, Plague Marines, Terminator Armour, Aspect Warriors and many other things can be traced directly to sketchwork and designs made by Jes. John Blanche has shaped the general feeling and mood of the settings to a degree that can be hardly overstated, while Jes has populated these sweeping vistas with designs and objects that actually live in these worlds. Both are great visionaries in their own right.
2023/06/01 10:05:33
Subject: Re:John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
Chairman Aeon wrote: John scooped Jes up from art school. Jes is a designer not a rules guy. Those two defined Warhammer to what it is today.
IMHO Jes has earned his place among the 'titans' with his design work on the Eldar, and on Space Marines. He practically defined the look of the Eldar, and especially Craftworld Eldar, since 2nd edition, and was hugely influential on Space Marines and all of their derivatives. Primaris, Plague Marines, Terminator Armour, Aspect Warriors and many other things can be traced directly to sketchwork and designs made by Jes. John Blanche has shaped the general feeling and mood of the settings to a degree that can be hardly overstated, while Jes has populated these sweeping vistas with designs and objects that actually live in these worlds. Both are great visionaries in their own right.
Chaos warriors too. I really don't think Jes has ever sculpted a bad model. Even back in his Asgard days his stuff was clearly the best.
2023/06/01 10:58:00
Subject: John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
I don't like Blanche's artstyle, but I do like his concepts, and then the miniature designers can take one of his concepts and bring it to life in 3D, it really is wonderful.
The Voystroyans remain the most Blanche-esque Guard unit they've ever made. Even if he himself didn't design the concept, they're more 40k than any of the other transplanted 18th/19th/20th century regiments that got turned into Guardsmen over the past 30+ years.
I did not like his sketchy art in the second edition rulebook but as time goes by I like it more and more. His classical art allusions and crazy grimdark ideas are just brilliant. I met him once at Games Day and still have his autographed Realms of Chaos books.
I totally agree with the poster who hopes this frees him to pursue non-GW projects which I know has kept him from releasing some artwork in the past. I just hope there's no non-compete clause.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Tsagualsa wrote: Calling him 'the last of the titans' might be a bit unfair on Jes though...
Next to last of the titans certainly.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/06/01 11:22:14
2023/06/01 11:44:32
Subject: John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
Will definitely miss his work on 40k, but I think he's earned his retirement. Good luck to him!
Oh, it would be nice to see an acknowledgement from GW themselves about this though. Heck, put out a big art book of crazy unseen concepts he's done. I'd buy the gak out of that.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/06/01 12:23:56
2023/06/01 12:28:13
Subject: John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
Blanche brought the Art into Warhammer; his contributions will live on forever. Blance proved that more "serious" art could work as illustrations in a toy soldier game. May his retirement years be full of good days, well deserved.
Jes is the last great on board now, eh?
2023/06/01 12:55:14
Subject: Re:John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
I've sent an email to GW demanding for a "John Blanche: Book of Art". If enough of us do the same GW could begin to be interested on doing a tribute, at least in the form of a limited edition-thingy
H.B.M.C. wrote: I don't like Blanche's artstyle, but I do like his concepts, and then the miniature designers can take one of his concepts and bring it to life in 3D, it really is wonderful.
The Voystroyans remain the most Blanche-esque Guard unit they've ever made. Even if he himself didn't design the concept, they're more 40k than any of the other transplanted 18th/19th/20th century regiments that got turned into Guardsmen over the past 30+ years.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. Had they never printed a single piece of Blanche's artwork yet the designwork influenced every other artist on the payroll, then my life would have lost nothing with the omission of his actual art.
Probably one of the greatest fantasy artists ever, but easily the single most important figure in the look and feel of the worlds of Games Workshop. Fast and efficient, and yet still able to imbue his paintings and drawings with an absurd amount of detail.
The overall look and feel of the worlds of Warhammer and 40,000 may have moved on and become slightly more refined over the years, nothing illustrating that quite as clearly as the night and day contrast between a hand-sculpted metal miniature from the 1980s to the Primaris Marines of the modern era, but I like to think that, the second you scratch that surface, the underbelly is immediately Blanchian in look and feel.
His influence is going to continue to be felt for decades regardless of what he does. One look at the Skitarii, the backdrops and gangs of Necromunda, the completely OTT depictions of Black Templars on the battlefield, Sisters of Battle. He set so many templates in place, it's kind of nuts (Jes, too, of course).
Sheer bloody creativity. Just the box art alone would have secured him his legendary status, so iconic they've been over time, but the sheer breadth of his influence is difficult to really quantify. He's a real life primarch in GW history.
Yes, I love him, I love his art, I love his miniatures. I love that he's a working class lad who became successful painting dragons and space marines and wizards and amazons. I can't quite grasp how anyone can truly dislike his art but still like Warhammer, so intrinsically tied into each other they are, it seems almost like a case of cognitive dissonance, but whatevs!
2023/06/01 16:10:46
Subject: Re:John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
I really disliked his style when I first got in to the hobby. It was just really bad sketchwork with awkvard poses and cluttered details that didnt make sense. I just took it for sketches done by one the guys writing the rules and groaned about why they could not just tell the guy who thought he could draw they had to hire an actual artist.
I suppose his style grow on me, and I guess you have to acknowledge the part he had to play in the dark and weird design of warhammer I have grown to love more than any setting.
Well, he earned his retirement. He didn't looked that good for many years with ups and downs and I hope he stays healthy for many years to enjoy his life and passions.
I liked his artworks and many of the sketches, though not much of that stuff he drew in a mad rush for 2nd edition 40k. And of course, his influence on Games Workshop was huge. Especially the 40k universe wouldn't be the same without him.
2023/06/01 16:48:37
Subject: Re:John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
John Blanche on the old Voxcast is definitely worth checking out, as well as quite an interesting chat he also does some live sketching and talks through his methods.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/06/01 17:44:46
2023/06/01 17:49:19
Subject: Re:John Blanche has apparently retired from Games Workshop
ekwatts wrote: I can't quite grasp how anyone can truly dislike his art but still like Warhammer, so intrinsically tied into each other they are, it seems almost like a case of cognitive dissonance, but whatevs!
Go look at the art in the 7th Ed. Vampire Counts book, then ANY book on anatomy. That should square you away on why...
Wish him the best in his retirement. Bloody superb artist, someone who understood what it means to create something that could help others create their own worlds and imagine their own styles and colours.
Chairman Aeon wrote: John scooped Jes up from art school. Jes is a designer not a rules guy. Those two defined Warhammer to what it is today.
IMHO Jes has earned his place among the 'titans' with his design work on the Eldar, and on Space Marines. He practically defined the look of the Eldar, and especially Craftworld Eldar, since 2nd edition, and was hugely influential on Space Marines and all of their derivatives. Primaris, Plague Marines, Terminator Armour, Aspect Warriors and many other things can be traced directly to sketchwork and designs made by Jes. John Blanche has shaped the general feeling and mood of the settings to a degree that can be hardly overstated, while Jes has populated these sweeping vistas with designs and objects that actually live in these worlds. Both are great visionaries in their own right.
John was the "big picture" guy who did art in broad pastiche to set feel and tone. Jes was the guy in the weeds translating Johns wacky out-there stuff into workable tabletop concepts. The two exist in symbiosis and need eachother to function, we shouldn't treat them as being competitors, because neither one of them exists in a vacuum without the other. Without a Jes Goodwin, Johns art probably doesn't really translate itself to the tabletop. Without a John Blanche, Jes Goodwin would probably be drawing stuff that looks more like teletubbies.
Put another way in Star Wars terms, John Blanche is the Ralph McQuarrie or Colin Cantwell (to a lesser extent) of 40k, Jes Goodwin is like Doug Chiang or one of the countless specialists that work to adapt Ralph and Colins artwork into the physical forms that we are more familiar with.
Personally, I've never much cared for Blanches work, but I respect how it formed the visual foundation for the game and setting. I'd go so far as to say that he isn't a particularly good artist, but he is a visionary, and his contribution wasn't so much the quality of the art he produced, but rather how he distilled this far off concept down into something visual that people could look at and understand, and then better skilled artists - who were themselves perhaps not necessarily as visionary or creative - could then distill into a finished and more approachable form.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/06/01 19:06:42
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