The quality, beauty, grimdark, terror and epicness of 7th edition artwork, all in one picture.

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**Plumbumbarum**

number9dream wrote:
The Harlequin codex had some good pieces in it... but ye, overall flipping through these new dexes makes me miss the black and white days >_<

Yes it varies from codex to codex, I think Necrons had the worst offenders for me and Dark Eldar was mostly ok, though every book seems to get at least one or two cartoonish, characterless and mediocore pictures.

For a new art, that one was good imo:

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/p.txt-31.jpeg

**The Riddle of Steel**

Asmodai Asmodean wrote:
What reaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllyy bothers me about 7th edition art is how every piece of artwork has to a) Be of the models GW is selling and b) be in the official colour scheme from 'Eavy Metal.

The Mechanicus codex is a particularly serious offender in this regard. Because the codex has only five units (Kataphron, Dominus, Electro-Priest, Baymax and Datasmith) they're repeated in every. single. piece. of. art. The Kastellans in particular are jarring as they don't fit the aesthetic at al. The Cult mech codex should have been full of weird, Blanchian monstrosities- all artwork to date has
portrayed the Mech as singularly contemptuous of repetition in their war-creations, instead we're bludgeoned with essentially ads for the GW kits. It's no longer art, it's advertistment.

The art should inspire and suggest and hint, like in 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th. Post-Chapterhouse, it just annoys.

Don't get me started on the horrible art in the new DA...

I agree. The photos of models show me what those troops look like. The point of the art is to capture the portion of the setting that is not represented by the models. Help us imagine the other beings, places and characters that populate this universe. Draw us in to the depths of the setting without revealing everything as models or rules. Let us know the setting is wider than we can imagine and inspire us to convert our own models and armies based on the art.

**Musashi363**

So flat and soulless. That describes 7th edition and the artwork for sure .

**Vaktathi**

most newer 40k art, even going back to 5E, just doesn't quite match the same feel most of the older stuff had. Be it RT/2E's very 80's heavy metal feel, or 3E/4E's oppressive darkness, the newer stuff, really starting about in 5E, really feels a whole lot less immersive.I mean, even the 4E Tau codex managed to have an air of Grimdark about it (with the very post-apocalyptic Admech stuff, pictures of Tau civilians fleeing under cover of airdropping Firecast, etc)

From a technical level, most of it's great, but just doesn't capture the same level of atmosphere, and often really feels increasingly appropriate to something like League of Legends or World of Warcraft.

**j31c3n**

Hmm. I'm a fan of the style of the new art in the SM codex, but I do have to agree with you on that point. Not all art needs to be of official buildable kits you can purchase from the GW webstore.

**Agent_Tremolo**

While 6th edition was probably my least favorite iteration of wh40k so far, the artwork on the rulebook and some of the codex covers has yet to be matched. Well, it has been matched, sort of, by 7th edition, which recycled most of it

7th is, IMHO, the weakest edition of all in terms of art. Art style has moved from evocative to merely representative. GW now employs mostly freelance artists for 40k (I guess the efforts of their own art department have been focused on Age of Sigmar for a while now) and, while some of the newbloods are certainly very talented, they don't have as much creative freedom as GW's own artists, and it shows.

**Jimsolo**

Plumbumbarum wrote:
number9dream wrote:
The Harlequin codex had some good pieces in it... but ye, overall flipping through these new dexes makes me miss the black and white days >_<

Yes it varies from codex to codex, I think Necrons had the worst offenders for me and Dark Eldar was mostly ok, though every book seems to get at least one or two cartoonish, characterless and mediocore pictures.

For a new art, that one was good imo:

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/p.txt-31.jpeg

The new Dark Eldar book was garbage for art work. The Covens supplement had some truly dynamit pieces, but far too few for my taste.

**Crabbit**

My old time favorite! Mean as

! Thanks Alex Kolodotschko!

http://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/at2/2015/6/26/272ad187d2c3dd80fa3ff6ef8190b7c5_7625.jpg

**-DE-**

Furyou Miko wrote:
Of the new art, this is my favourite.

Spoiler:

Brought to you by John Woo.

**Vaktathi**

I don't even think that's new, is that from an actual GW publication or fan-art (or from FFG)? That's the pre-5E codex Necron Wraith, which certainly wouldn't appear in newer GW art.

**ALEXisAWESOME**

Fan art will always have more free reign to do what they like, but i think this picture captures the Grim-Darkness of being a normal human in 40K.

http://ukitakumuki.deviantart.com/art/Only-War-No-Surrender-399727799

**Thairne**

The biggest problem in all the new art... are the proportions. Wasn't always really perfect, but the new art really, really took a turn for the worse.
Check out this DA Codex "artwork":

Tiny Head Syndrom (4th pic). Also, stretched Plasma Pistol, tiny Chainsword and the forearms look way off.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614059286055022592

That RW Knight in the front looks really unhealthy with that neck (4th pic). Also, why does the background guy not have any legs?!
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614060069630668800

They even managed to make a effing DREAD look terrible.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614060455502417920

And the compressed spine syndrome gets ridicolous... The legs are about 150% the size of the rest of the body.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614061333244452864

**Purifier**

Grimtuff wrote:

Um, it's a Wraith.

And they are... not part of the necron faction?

**-Shrike-**

Purifier wrote:
Grimtuff wrote:

Um, it's a Wraith.

And they are... not part of the necron faction?

What does that have to do with anything? The defining feature of Wraiths is that they phase through solid matter (hence the in-game 3++), so that bolter round should do absolutely nothing to it.

It's also a cool piece of art, and I'd really like to know where it came from.

**Xenomancers**

-Shrike- wrote:
Purifier wrote:
Grimtuff wrote:

Um, it's a Wraith.

And they are... not part of the necron faction?

What does that have to do with anything? The defining feature of Wraiths is that they phase through solid matter (hence the in-game 3++), so that bolter round should do absolutely nothing to it.

It's also a cool piece of art, and I'd really like to know where it came from.

If you can phase through matter - you'd literally be indestructable at all times. A few wraiths could overtake entire planets - since that doesn't actually happen. I think we need to assume that the phasing is temporary and unsustainable - therefore bolts should actually be able to hurt them.

In any case - it would just be a better piece if the SOB didn't look to be gloriously useless - even some sparks flying off it would have been fine. Or even some kind of phase shifting going on. What I see is a solid wraith being shot by explosive bolts with no interaction. It bothers me.

**Purifier**

-Shrike- wrote:
Purifier wrote:
Grimtuff wrote:

Um, it's a Wraith.

And they are... not part of the necron faction?

What does that have to do with anything? The defining feature of Wraiths is that they phase through solid matter (hence the in-game 3++), so that bolter round should do absolutely nothing to it.

It's also a cool piece of art, and I'd really like to know where it came from.

Alright, no need to get sassy. I don't know the Necron fluff, so when all you say is "um, it's a wraith" (and I can sort of hear the "duh!" after that in my mind) it doesn't explain anything. The models I face on the table do not phase. They just sort of stand there, being plastic.

**Jambles**

I think my new favourite is the art on the inside cover of the 6th edition Space Marines codex, where a marine with a powerfist punches a Chaos Marine's head off. The action in that piece is very well done

**Psienesis**

On the subject of Wraiths, those green cores in its body and running down its tail are the powercells it uses to do the phase in/out thing. Its Codex entry in 6th noted that this ability was rather voracious when it came to energy-consumption, hence being a flying battery-pack with ginsu knife fingers.

**Bobthehero**

Spoiler:

Personal fav of GW stuff, otherwise I prefer the things FW does.

**Plumbumbarum**

Jimsolo wrote:
Plumbumbarum wrote:
number9dream wrote:
The Harlequin codex had some good pieces in it... but ye, overall flipping through these new dexes makes me miss the black and white days >_<

Yes it varies from codex to codex, I think Necrons had the worst offenders for me and Dark Eldar was mostly ok, though every book seems to get at least one or two cartoonish, characterless and mediocore pictures.

For a new art, that one was good imo:

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/p.txt-31.jpeg

The new Dark Eldar book was garbage for art work. The Covens supplement had some truly dynamit pieces, but far too few for my taste.

Well I meant mostly ok as in nothing jumped at me screaming complete crap, the style was bad and not 40kish and there was a lot of videogamey) cartoonish art in there afair but those were imo a notch above the pic from my opening post or some from the eldar or necron books. Same with Skitarii, I hate the palette but cant pinpoint any obvious offender. In general all of the recent art is worse than older stuff, just some are acceptable or have redeeming qualities and some are really abysmal, especialy in context of 40k.

I liked a few pictures in DE 7th though, I think those were old coloured art like the one with IG and those Dark Eldar crazy dogs (Khymerae? I don't know much about DE tbh).

**Korinov**

Thairne wrote:
The biggest problem in all the new art... are the proportions. Wasn't always really perfect, but the new art really, really took a turn for the worse.
Check out this DA Codex "artwork":

Tiny Head Syndrom (4th pic). Also, stretched Plasma Pistol, tiny Chainsword and the forearms look way off.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614059286055022592

That RW Knight in the front looks really unhealthy with that neck (4th pic). Also, why does the background guy not have any legs?!
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614060069630668800

They even managed to make a effing DREAD look terrible.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614060455502417920

And the compressed spine syndrome gets ridicolous... The legs are about 150% the size of the rest of the body.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614061333244452864

Wow, those do look terrible. First and second examples are simply atrocious, and the whole picture in the 3rd example... looks wrong. Like everything's badly proportioned, and quite awkward. It would be acceptable from the style GW employed in the late 80s and early 90s, but looks incredibly ridiculous amidst the whole "so serious business" flair they currently stick to.

**Furyou Miko**

Vaktathi wrote:I don't even think that's new, is that from an actual GW publication or fan-art (or from FFG)? That's the pre-5E codex Necron Wraith, which certainly wouldn't appear in newer GW art.

If I have not been mislead, its from Shield of Baal.

**Crevab**

Jambles wrote:
I think my new favourite is the art on the inside cover of the 6th edition Space Marines codex, where a marine with a powerfist punches a Chaos Marine's head off. The action in that piece is very well done

Ah, yes

**Vaktathi**

Furyou Miko wrote:
Vaktathi wrote:I don't even think that's new, is that from an actual GW publication or fan-art (or from FFG)? That's the pre-5E codex Necron Wraith, which certainly wouldn't appear in newer GW art.

If I have not been mislead, its from Shield of Baal.

It's at least got to be older than 2013, it's up on a Bolter and Chainsword thread over there from May of that year, I suspect much older given the pre-2011 Wraith design.

Hrm...

**Plumbumbarum**

Vaktathi wrote:
most newer 40k art, even going back to 5E, just doesn't quite match the same feel most of the older stuff had. Be it RT/2E's very 80's heavy metal feel, or 3E/4E's oppressive darkness, the newer stuff, really starting about in 5E, really feels a whole lot less immersive.I mean, even the 4E Tau codex managed to have an air of Grimdark about it (with the very post-apocalyptic Admech stuff, pictures of Tau civilians fleeing under cover of airdropping Firecast, etc)

From a technical level, most of it's great, but just doesn't capture the same level of atmosphere, and often really feels increasingly appropriate to something like League of Legends or World of Warcraft.

Yes since 3rd the art got progresively more toned down and lost a lot of its style, horror and madness but some of the 7th art is a full nosedive on all fronts, quality grimdark etc just as in thread title. Looking at 6th edition art, I still see mostly beautiful, well crafted and still grimdark just not grimdark enough pictures showing epic battles but looking at 7th I see mostly Iphone game loading screens with vibrant palette showing not really that epic anymore battles.

5th went into let's get real direction which had some merits imo, not my favourite but showing the ott ridiculous universe in a 'realistic' tone worked and had a hard sf vibe to it. Now they seem to be aping Blizzard and LoL indeed, I noticed it first in that blood angels vs nids campaign book, looking at the latter it just screamed starcraft to me. Well at least they were quality pieces, not a trend anymore.

**-DE-**

That's because 7th edition art is by and large outsourced to generic CG artists of wildly variable skill, and they are explicitly commissioned to follow the designs of particular models. Yes, models. Current art has devolved to being 2D representations of 3D simplified representations of 2D concept art.

It used to be the other way around - household artists would let their imagination run wild and explore all the many facets of both universes, and models would be sculpted based on their art work. This is sadly no more, and the continuing deterioration of the art is painful to watch.

There is a number of veteran artists left at GW, but they are apparently overwhelmed by the pace of releases.

**Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl**

Furyou Miko wrote:
Of the new art, this is my favourite.

Spoiler:

According to DeviantArt, this is some fan-art by… the Lead Concept Artist at Privateer Press

.
http://nicholaskay.deviantart.com/art/Massacre-at-Sanctuary-101-316785001?offset=200#comments

**BrianDavion**

some of the newer art's not nesscarily bad. it's DIFFERNT but differnt isn't bad.

that said IMHO the khorne bloodtide book's art is just bad. It was bad eneugh to influance my decision to not buy the book

**Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl**

My favorite recent art :

Spoiler:

Sisters looking like badass, fighting until the bitter end, despite completely impossible odds. They continue to shoot even when the ground below them is exploding from whatever that is, I guess some Tyranid organism bursting from underground. Also look at the effect the bolts are having on that drop spore!
That does not seem very different from old-style art, though.

**TedNugent**

Thairne wrote:
The biggest problem in all the new art... are the proportions. Wasn't always really perfect, but the new art really, really took a turn for the worse.
Check out this DA Codex "artwork":

Tiny Head Syndrom (4th pic). Also, stretched Plasma Pistol, tiny Chainsword and the forearms look way off.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614059286055022592

That RW Knight in the front looks really unhealthy with that neck (4th pic). Also, why does the background guy not have any legs?!
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614060069630668800

They even managed to make a effing DREAD look terrible.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614060455502417920

And the compressed spine syndrome gets ridicolous... The legs are about 150% the size of the rest of the body.
https://twitter.com/Lady_Atia/status/614061333244452864

Yup, the new DA Codex art is way terrible. The best art in the codex is by far the older dioramas and character portraits, like the old Librarian art.