Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I shall sacrifice yet more bandwidth for a couple more pics


Cover from the Warhammer 40,000 Compendium, which was an addition to the original Rogue Trader.


Both of these really show the different conception of marines back then.

One big thing which you can notice the difference with: The dead marines! Modern artwork (I say 'modern' but really anything second edition onwards) seemed to make marines immortal. The 'dead' marines in most modern artwork look like they may be lying down to rest for the most part, and you could certainly not say conclusively that they are dead. Now look at the marines in the pictures above; those guys are fethed! Melted from the inside, or even a fire inside his skull. Ain't no way either of those guys are going to be getting up from that one, even the guy at the top is probably only being rescued by the medic so his progenoids can be harvested So 40k is indeed grimdark, and more in some ways nowadays, but not as much as used to be for the guys with large shoulder pads!

I love that top one with the Ultramarines, no matter how the perspective on the bolter looks

Ah man, I love that old Squat army shot. The Commisar makes me smile everytime I see it, without fail.

Some really nice stuff here, memories have been refreshed.

I personally prefer the newer artwork, but some of the older stuff has it's place. I personally love some of the old Fantasy art.

I prefer the older depictions of Marines as they seem more like space soldiers. Now they go in for this overblown super-human-gothic-space-monk-religious stuff, too many tabards and bling bits on their armour.

Someone posting earlier commented on how unkillable Marines are portrayed now, and they had a point. GW constantly push the Marines and being so tough and awesome now, to the point where the eclipse everything else. In the current art that are always colossally huge and tough looking to the point where they look silly with pea-sized heads poking out of huge armour, and often they are standing about just to show off their bling.

As in this image earlier.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s5cjrLNFkok/TEoIYoXweUI/AAAAAAAAADc/NjnkoGydhVg/s1600/poster-emperor-horus.jpg

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

Wow really? Blanche is an extremely talented artist. Just because is stylized and gritty doesn't mean it's inferior to something "realistic". It's art.

Howard A Treesong wrote:I prefer the older depictions of Marines as they seem more like space soldiers. Now they go in for this overblown super-human-gothic-space-monk-religious stuff, too many tabards and bling bits on their armour.

Someone posting earlier commented on how unkillable Marines are portrayed now, and they had a point. GW constantly push the Marines and being so tough and awesome now, to the point where the eclipse everything else. In the current art that are always colossally huge and tough looking to the point where they look silly with pea-sized heads poking out of huge armour, and often they are standing about just to show off their bling.

As in this image earlier.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s5cjrLNFkok/TEoIYoXweUI/AAAAAAAAADc/NjnkoGydhVg/s1600/poster-emperor-horus.jpg

That was the thirteenth take of that shot, Sanguinus kept laughing and ruining it.

I'm new to Warhammer. I'm 21 and have only been playing for about 7 months or so now, so the "new art" is what I started with.
Having said that. I love the old art. I think it's amazing in it's own way. It has a great feel to it and I can't help but feel an attachment to it
even though it's not familiar to me.
And to anyone who speaks poorly of the old art,
I have this to say:

Edited for content. MT11. Now they look alright but their coneheads made me get imperial guard instead. (Yes, I almost bought a bunch of Eldar but their cone head stormtrooper helmets turned me away.)

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

Nice!

I never noticed that one.

Man 40k sure looked a comical in the old art.

I think thats what the new art lacks it's as previously said only skull and skulls and skulls.

Btw love the sw picture it's godlike.

A few more, this time from John Sibbick, who painted perhaps one of the most famous 40k images of all time. For many people, I think this first image is a representation of what 40k is all about - the dark future, where mankind is fethed, but is going down fighting





A couple of the band 'Bolt thrower's' covers featured GW art



The original cover, but a minimized version of this guy stood next to the White Dwarf logo for many years after.

more adrian smith

Loving all the artwork, new and old. Although the older ones bring me back.

One of my favs!!

kevlar'o wrote:more adrian smith

In the spirit of the thread, here are some of the older ones he has done and people might not be aware of:


Another pic from 'Tyranid Attack' (has anyone got a scan of that one with the RT style Nid warrior fighting the Striking Scorpions? The warrior is picking up one of them by the arm. I believe it was Adrian Smith also, but sadly I can't find it anywhere, and it's an awesome picture).


Orc Freebooters





Necromunda pic



From the days before photoshopped pictures with the weapons upside down, the old rhino box cover

Pacific wrote:Now, a selection of work from one of my favorite artists, Les Edwards. There is a ton more of his stuff at his website, see here http://www.lesedwards.com/index.php
I used to have a book with his art in, GW released one with a selection of everything, not just the GW art (as well as another artist, I forget his name) but I left it in the store I used to work in but the dullard manager they had there later lost it :(

I love the style of this guy, you can tell it's late 80's from the use of oils, but it doesn't detract anything from the style.

Enjoy



A cover from WD, I'm not sure if it was used on anything else?

[

This is from one of the heroquest expansions as well, Kellars keep it was called.


Great art all round guys, having started 40k in 2nd ed I recognise and love alot of the old stuff, (I picked up a copy of rogue trader too) the new stuff is cool n all, but as a few people have stated its all bling and skulls and grim dark grim darkyness, not a whole lot of fun.

I also am a great fan of Mark Gibbons, so many of his pictures pop up in my mind as favs.

OK, here are some from Mark Gibbons - most of these go back to 40k 2nd edition (or from codex releases from that edition), and it's amazing how good they still look today:

I would thoroughly recommend a look at his website (he has done a great deal more art than just GW) and they even have some old GW pieces for sale (I would buy the avatar if it I had $1000 ) http://www.redknuckle.com/














This one is one of my favorite ever pieces, I played around with the resolution on these, but sadly I still couldn't get them close to the original.

I want the wolfguard one!!!!

Do you mean the one with the howling guy with crazy hair (I'm not sure if he was a bloodclaw?) or the space wolf terminator? Both pieces were by Mark Gibbons.

Yeah I have to admit I like some of the old stuff. It just has more character to it.

Pretty much everything Mark Gibbons did in the 2nd ed Wolf codex was golden, espicially Bjorn, the blood claw one, and Njal too, and the wolf guard, and not to forget the wolf scout one.


Hmmm if no ones got pics of those I might have to scan them and put them up.

John Gravato has done some dark and dynamic stuff. A lot of it dates back to the Dark Millennium card game, and the days when GW was being a little more prolific with the licensed products.

Chaos Lord


This shoulda been the Codex: Blood Angels cover.


Asassain, unknown clade.

To resurrect this thread, here are some old pieces from the 1st edition epic game (where the whole 'Horus Heresy' concept was created). I love these, with oodles of little marines blowing each other up, and think they are wonderfully characterful!









I will see if I can get hold of my copy of the 2nd edition epic rulebook, that had some real crackers in it also.

I can't help but notice that with the old art, the marines heads were far, far more accurately portrayed in proportion to the rest of their bodies.

So far as my 2 cents, I like the technical skill of the art of today, but it's still not as good as the art from, say, 15 years ago.

Does Blanche's and Jes's Tau concept work blend in? Or is it too new?

Woot more art!

I like the Tau Concept art way better than the execution. No hooves.

Old Ork stuff from Epic.


Howling Griffons.


And some grey knight art from way back.

Whoah, the Tau look really cool in concept art. Haven't seen that before.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m5CKWCwV1-w/TSKauxu9EiI/AAAAAAAAAAU/7xCjqLsf2Hw/s1600/dave_gallagher_crimson_fists.jpg
this got me into 40k

I miss the old art to.