John Blanche on Space Marines
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- Hanging out with John a few weeks ago I got him talking about Space Marines! Here he talks about working on sketches for the Sabretooth card game, some of his more recognisable pieces and how he perceives them in the IP.
Black Templars diorama: / k03rnl
Black Templars model: / cpt.normandy
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John's at the beating heart of Warhammer. He ingrained punk, pomp and grotesque carnival into the DNA of it.
Very well said. True Warhammer, not the generic slop it has become today.
@@nearfall87 They've got some good art nowadays though man, some of the codex art is pretty gnarly
@@itsflyde You're right, I've seen a lot of bad and good stuff these days. The nostalgia took over cause this is just so iconic - it literally captivated the younger me.
@@nearfall87 I agree with you on that! Blanche's art is so one of a kind. It's crazy iconic and so evocative of so much of what makes 40k.
@itsflyde A lot of the theme and music has departed from the Medieval, gothic and have gone to the generic pseudo dubtsep electro with the overbearing bass and reverb. It honestly is just so bland and generic. Luckily a few of the music still remembers its roots.
This is the state of the 40k Universe that I keep in my memory banks
100%
I'm also in the same stasis chamber.
The glory days will never die. I still vividly remember getting my hands on the 2nd ed Imperial Guard codex and spending days poring over it
Me too. I've got nothing against the new lore and artwork but this will always be what 40k is to me.
@Horsemanray spot on.
Trying to make the Lore of 40k more appropriate to modern sensibilities, justbfails to grasp that everything in 40K should be alien to us, and that includes the Imperium of Man. The setting is 38,000 years in the future, which is nearly 4 times the entire length of recorded Human History (give or take 10,000 years).
"Why did I choose blood angels? Cuz it's RED!" Love it.
Find someone who loves you like Blanche loves red
this is how you make an enjoyable setting and this is why 40k will never be good again
@@LumpyBumpyAcidFish true 😔
And thus did they go fasta
Refering to it as not armour, but a habitat, is a wonderful way of explaining Astartes relationship with their tech.
Try not taking off a set of power armour for three months of combat. I bet it'd be a quite ripe habitat.
@@AC20sAkimbo the smell 🥵
They say in the lore that astartes have an acrid chemical smell to them even when they’re clean. Put them in a sealed biome for months where they sweat, piss, shit, bleed, fleck acid spittle and exude protective wax…
[shivers]
@@Scufflegrit recalled all of that except the acrid smell part xd
What makes his art so amamzing is that it looks like something someone drew who saw a marine and tried to capture what it was he saw. Its not 100% realisitc, and its not supposed to be. Ita about capturing the feeling of awe and terror of seeing something like that.
its so iconic and integral it almost seems like it is just as in universe as the space marines are. like some posters on a wall or drawings in an old parchment tome
@@cnut7383 I like to think it's an illustration in a history book on a more primitive planet. An account of when the planet was attacked by Orks and the marines descended from the sky.
This was what they saw.
@@nickchavez720 i agree thats what i was kinda trhing to say with the old parchment tome like the style reminds me of old medieval manuscript drawings but obviously more refined
Exactly. The word you’re looking for is impressionistic. “Realistic” 40k art has its place, but there should be also be a place for more stylized art. Sadly, it’s fallen somewhat out of fashion. I think some of Lewis Jones’ 9th edition covers were the closest to this in recent history, particularly his Genestealer Cults cover. Great piece
John's sneering disdain for the Ultramarines warms my heart
The *_New 40K Artwork_* is _Sloppy, Lazy -&- _*_Uninspired*_* ( * and very closely resembles what it might very well be: if not now than in the very _near_ future; *A.l. Generated.*
(* John Blanche is the _True Warhammer _*_OG._* His Artwork is what 40K really is, not this Corp. Warhammer Inc. Crap)
As an Ultramarines player since 1995 I agree 😜
He wouldn’t even dignify them by saying their name 😂
aka "the other ones"
Shut up tourist
knowing that blacktemplars are only a major force because one of the best 40k artists wanted to draw them is so cool.
It's really emblematic of 40k that the coolest looking characters and armies became the most popular. 40k is all about Rule of Cool and making your dudes look awesome.
Almost like the entirety of 40k was created around appealing to male nerd militaristic fantasies inspired by the "male gaze" taking inspiration from history like how we look at romans knights and every other crazy military adventure. This is why 40K as a setting is bad now. Don't make stuff to fit in 40k. Make stuff that you like yourself based on history and fiction and that way GW cant ruin everything you do and shit on your fantasies and don't attach it to a pre existing IP that will chain you down.
@@jebreggie4225 hoes mad
@@jebreggie4225 i hate you
@@jebreggie4225Who hurt you Reggie?
That black templars art is burned into my brain from the starter box. I remember it fondly from my early Warhammer days in 3rd-4th
I can't thank you enough for these interviews, especially the chats with John. These creative geniuses have brought me so much joy over the years through their work. It's wonderful being able to hear their insights.
Hear hear
'They DON'T get out of them' (the armour). That is very John Blanche and awesome.
That closing statement cut deep.
Primaris objectively look great. The problem is the lore. If it was just the next refresh of the way they looked, the way they've done it in the past. Primaris would be much more widely adored.
@@williampounds5191 what I meant was this statement "I probably never will, though" with this look far off to the side, regarding actually painting a squad of them up.
@@williampounds5191 This! And you heard what he said. They came about because so MANY people were doing true scale marines at the time (And they were, it was the the meme of the day). Whoever thought they needed the shoehorned lore ruined what would have been a fantastic evolution of the models.
Yes it did. And that sunshine through the window...
John's work defined the grimdark: the terror of the environments, the vibrancy of its denizens and the violence of its struggles. I dont think id have been drawn in 35years ago without his art showing the underbelly of the galaxy which most other artists were portaying more and more with smooth clean pictures of well ordered, clean kerfuffles in a field. There was, and never will be, another like you sir!
John's work is what initially got me into Warhammer when I was a kid. It just immediately captured this massive, dark and mysterious universe so perfectly. It's still how I imagine the IP in my head
He's a definite treasure.
It would be amazing and cool to see a John Blanche painted Primaris Space Marine!!
This man has had more influence on my life artistically / aesthetically than any other single human being. Listening to him talk about his experiences is an absolute joy, thank you ❤
he has a totally different mental image of what the 40k universe is vs what is now
I like that his version can still be a part of the current though. Like they're taming a beast. It's still mental though
His version strikes me as a version that can only really exist if it only exists in art and models, as soon as there are actual characters involved, the idea that they never leave their armor doesn't really work, at least not easily. There's still a ton of his work in the DNA of 40k. The primarchs are still based on his original drawings, after all.
I absolutely adore this channel. Thank you so much for all these interviews.
My childhood lives on!
I"m lucky enough to possess an original artwork by John. Out of all the professional art I own, his piece is the one I most treasure.
Wicked! What do you have? I’ve got a few pieces by him which I treasure
"if i had to paint a unit of marines theyd definitely be primaris"
that settles it then huh
Makes me a little sad that the man who inspired so much of what I like about marines just goes “nah, have it plain”.
I interpreted it as Plain is a good thing cause that means you have free creative range to do what you want with it.
The primaris armors were actually alot simpler and cleaner in terms of design look so it matches this gents taste good onehim!
a blank canvas isn't boring to an artist
The 2nd edition cover of Blood Angels is a permanent nostalgia hit for me from my childhood, thanks for sharing this!
As a small child at Games Day I once tried to get John to sign a poster, it was Dave Gallagher's Crimson Fists though!
Absolute treasure of a person...
I love that each of the originators brought a different flavour to the universe.
Dear Mr Blanche, thank you for creating the feeling of the 40k universe through your works. You made it just right. You're the reason we fell in love with the horror of it. We salute you. I hope you read this.
Wow. Didn't expect him to say he really likes Primaris.
Well he likes them cause they are big, so look properly sized for what marines should be. Also because of how plain they are too.
I reckon he would enjoy the newer age of darkness marines just as much though
@@wargamereric9929 think the new Corvus marines are the best example of space marines GW have done. Perfect proportions, perfect silhouette, and anyone can paint them to a good standard thanks to economic use of edges and detail. You could spray one black, paint red eyes and they’d slap.
@jackbriggs9318 yeah they look incredible. One of the best updates they've ever done in my opinion. And it just proves what a great design mk6 armour is. It does look a little strange and maybe even silly, but it still looks amazing. One of the best designs in all sci fi in my opinion.
The main thing is what you get in your hands to kitbash. They're great kits you can do a lot with and whatever dozen hundred novels about them don't matter to Blanche.
Primaris LOOK great. The biggest reason why people hate them is the lore.
Imagine having to come in everyday and try to make a boxy Bulky refrigerator man look ever so slightly different from the last batch, could get very old very fast.
I loved the sepia-tone space marines that appear in the 2nd edition rule/war-gear/codex books. I got the box set as a 12 year old based on the full-colour image on the cover, something which fit more with my idea of sci-fi warriors, but the more sinister images of of these heroes who looked like thy might not be so heroic after all really blew my mind.
That black and white dark angel picture is one of my all time favourite pieces of art. Thank you John❤
There’s another one with a deathwing terminator master that I quite like.
Amazing artwork. This is what I spent my paper route money on.
John was one of the main reasons I fell so deeply in love with the universe. I have ALOT to thank him for.
John Blanche, you're a legend, man! Thanks for making the Grim Dark so intense! You're really truly what the art is about!
Keep painting and inspiring us all! I still have my signed copy of Rat Spike from when we met at Games Day Baltimore almost 20 years ago now.
So cool to see John talk about 40k!
I would absolutely love to see you interview Jez about his development of the Eldar range both originally in the late 80s/90s and over the decades since. One of GW’s most brilliant armies and IPs. Also Rick Priestley about writing the 2nd edition Eldar codex which contains the best writing 40K ever received along with the original 2nd edition game box Codex Imperialis etc.
Jes still works for GW so it’s not on the cards at the moment. I met him a few months ago though and we chatted a bit, so maybe in the future it might happen. Rick and I are doing more videos down the line so we’ll see what he says.
I think there's a strong case that Codex Imperialis was the single best introduction to 40k they ever produced. A lot more formed than RT and a lot more lucid and direct than 3rd ed.
If you ever do get the chance I would love to hear this! I agree with celloguy. The best writing.
Love these interviews. John Blanche is so brilliant, gruff and iconiclastic. Those artworks are the gateway. I remember seeing some blanchitsu marines, they all looked like they had a battle story.
I had the pleasure of meeting John on two occasions at games day just over a decade ago. A delight both times. Thank you for the interview. I never knew that my beloved templars only exist due to John wanting to paint black!
This man single-handedly defined grim dark for me for decades. How the market has changed.
Incredible work. I really like the techno barbarian vibe of early 40k.
I always see early wh40k as something punk, futuristic and acid mote than barbarian. It looks like barbarian style more exist in late 90 s, early 00s and only about Horus Heresy era (primarchs paintings by John as example)
I still have the art book from the release edition of the 54mm Inquisitor game. John's artwork was the entire inspiration for me even getting into that game and the path it took me on literally changed my life. If I ever do a golden daemon entry, it will be a sculpt of something from that book.
As always, thank you so much for these interviews. They really make me happy.
I don’t know what I expected John Blanche to look like but “Frank Miller: Good ending” wasn’t on the list.
Seems like a cool guy, crazy to think the artist mind of his age is the same as one of mine:
“Ahh I just drew all that bc I thought it looked cool.”
Third edition cover artwork is still perfection and perfectly embodies 40k for me. What a masterpiece of composition.
Love his artwork. His work along with Adrian Smith and Karl Kalpinski is was really got me into the hobby as a kid.
John Blanche liking the primaris was a surprise!
Maximum respect to you Mr. Blanche, I sincerely think your artistic legacy and influence is massive and far reaching.
Excellent as always, thanks for sharing your work!
Wonderful interview! So great to hear more of John’s reminiscences.
I really applaud you for making these recordings. These guys are so fascinating to listen to. Thanks for your work.
I seem to recall Dark Angels being black until a specific painter tried to add yellow bloom onto them and they ended up green after that. I'm curious how and when this must have happened if between 2nd and 3rd there were no Chapters in black.
Dark Angels were Green in second edition for sure, the Angels of Death dual codex they shared with Blood Angels shows them quite prominently. IIRC they also have a few successor chapters pictured in bone, bone green halved, and black. I think some of the lesser chapters like Mortificators would have had a single marine painted, likely in the same place that the original Black Templars was done.
It could be a painting by Jim Burns (with Scarface marine). It was used as a cover for some Epic/ Space Marine expansion IIRC.
Very humbling to hear. Thank you for your work in the hobby 🙏
Great video. Thanks for sharing
This man is my favourite artist ever, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for getting John's thoughts on this stuff documented for all of us to hear.
I got into Warhammer 40k because of that Black Templar art piece by John. It graced the cover of the 3rd edition starter box and I knew I had to get it. Been a Warhammer fan since.
Major nostalgia trip 😊 when warhammer was good😢
This men carried warhammer hard. Love you John Blanche your art touched me.
What a fantastic interview,”! I got a good chuckle out of Johns “but they’d have to be black” at the end
Every time a delight hearing John speaking on the iconic pieces!
This made my day, thank you.
How does one acquire an original John Blanche art? In the past 40 years, he was the most significant influence in my life when it comes to art, and I would love to own, literately, anything that he made. I would be up and arm for a napkin sketch of his and I would treasure it for the rest of my life, but I have no idea how to even begin. :(
I really loved this stuff as a kid, and still do as a 37 year old
Busy making a 2nd Ed Marine force with the classic metal models (Jes' first pieces with the original leaner plastic arms sprue) that straddle Rogue Trader and the 2nd Ed era. Clean, iconic and stoic. All the technology integrated into the slabs of armor, hidden. I find them more intimidating. No faff, simple cold forms. The odd detail for an officer stands out so well.
Appreciate that Jes and John see it similarly.
I love this mans style,when i think of warhammer i think of John Blanche.
His art bought Warhammer to life in my imagination as a 11yo. I would go through my uncle’s codex’s constantly looking at the pictures and reading the law. That introduction brought my imagination to life! I’m very thankful for that
Thank you Blanche, for being able to put our sole on paper.
"The four.
Wolves. Blood Angels. Dark Angels.
....and the other one."
even Blanche is annoyed by the Ultramarines lol
Always amazing content
I would be so honoured to meet this man ❤
This really was a genius idea. Took off like wildfire
Very interesting, I been enjoying these interviews greatly. Hope that one day you can sit down with Kevin Adams too. Always admired John Blanche' art
Kev declined unfortunately, he’s said it’s just not his thing which is fair enough. Highly recommend his Goblin Master book released by John Wombat.
Started playing in 2nd Edition, that Cover with the Bloodmarine in the middle is so iconic to me.
Very interesting to hear that John prefers the Primaris style. Did not expect that!
This man is my hero.
His art isthe whole reason I even got into 40k instead of fantasy back in the late 90s
It would be great to see a Primaris warband painted by John. Should have been a White Dwarf #500 Blanchitsu feature!
To me the great thing about this interview to me is how from the start 40k was always about miniatures and imagination. These guys made choices based on their vision that would be influential for decades to come and expanded the universe, not content to just do what had come before. Today with 3D printing and alternative games and ruleset it’s even easier for us to do the same and bring whatever matches our creative vision to tabletop.
It's so interesting to hear him saying he loves the blank canvas of armor without so many accoutrements and nick nacks, and that if he painted marines it'd be Primaris.
I started playing Space Wolves in like 1997 and I love those old art pieces with just like runes and woad and checks and dags and pack markings all over them. I would have loved to see a modern clean armored marines force (whether true scale or Primaris) with that very second and third edition era of marine ornamentation through unique painting.
I couldn't ever quite place what I liked about the Primaris at a time when everyone else raged at them, and haven't liked the newer Bladeguard style that have gotten people to reverse their negativity, and I really think this explains a lot
Also, if people have never seen that Sabertooth art book, you owe it to yourself to at least track down a download of it
not sure about that, i watched a interview with the perrys and they were quite proud of never sculpting a space marine
11:55 “We did the Primaris range, and I really like those. If I was going to paint space marines today I would defiantly paint those… but they’d have to be black!”
John Blanche giving full throated endorsement to the Primaris design wasn’t on my bingo card for today, but there it is.
That’s the end of the Primaris debate in my book. Blanche himself loves them, and that’s good enough for me.
The absolute iron that the Black Templars refuse to accept Primaris reinforcement in the lore is staggering lol
Thank you so much for these videos.
Great interview. Thanks.
John Blanche is one of the greatest fantasy artists of all time. The Fighting Fantasy gamebooks were my introduction to fantasy and his art in those left a huge impression on me.
Legend & a Gent 🙏
I have a print of his famous blood angles vs space orcs painting on my wall, it's the most iconic imagine a remember from my childhood.
Thank you for this wondeful time with the Master. What about a Wil Rees interview ?
good job on improving the audio quality of your videos! this is great!
It pretty much just comes down to if I have access to microphones or not. I don’t own any of the equipment myself, I’m able to borrow it fairly regularly but if it’s needed for my job that has to be the priority
Big Nurgle Bless. Awesome
That last sentence of the vid' had me cackling...
great work, keep it up
John Blanche, David Gallagher and Adrian Smith will always be the best artists for Warhammer.
do scultors count
Great videos, as usual. Congrats!
From which book are those old paintings? Want to buy it, if it is available somewhere :)
The Horus heresy ones at the start? They’re from the various “visions of…” books released years ago. They’re also compiled in the “collected visions” book which comes up for sale online not infrequently
damn wish I could get my hands on one of those
11:58 this is so touching.
I used to be kind of skeptical of Blanche when I was younger. There were so much more accessible artists, you know.
But in the last few years years I've grown into admiring Blanche as an artist.
What are the drawings and paintings being shown early on in the video coming from? Are they available elsewhere?
They’re from “The Horus Heresy: Collected Visions”
I came in during 2nd ed, and its interesting that the colourful themes weren't to John's taste. At the time i found it didnt fit the background either, and loved it when 3rd went darker. 2nd period is still iconic though 😊
Hi from reddit can't wait for more interviews :)
Hes sooooo cool!
Great interview, be nice for a peep to paint up a Templar for mr Blanche.
This guy made the image of GW in the 90s when things really got for them...now... well... it's just corporate sh*t...
GOAT
Awesome!