Blancheisation of Wh40k.

[AranaszarSzuur]

So, I realised that John Blanche started being listed as art director in 40k books only around the time of compendium. It seems to me that somewhere around Adeptus Titanicus he started having much more input into the art and designs and various blancheisms started creeping in. Older 40k felt very 2000AD/cyberpunk and by the time of Compendium it pretty much became barely recognisable.

 

[Eric]

Interesting, looking back over I guess the Compendium (which of course really is a much longer publishing time since it is mostly White Dwarf reprints) does have a more consistent look over the art - somewhat "cleaner" overall. However the styles are still quite varied in places. The original rulebook had a considerably more varied selection of art styles. I gather from some of the artists that they had very loose briefs, so I imagine a lot of the book represents that creative freedom both in subject matter and style. I guess as the game began to settle down so did the art style, presumably under some direction from Blanch then? What particular elements caught your eye? Were there certain artists who were dropped or made fewer contributions? It'd be quite interesting to record all the artists and the publication of their pieces to see who went in/out of favour over the years! Although some of that would no doubt be down to simple availability.

As an aside I distinctly remember a later period when he (Blanche) had a very sketchy rough style that was extensively used - I seem to recall it around the Undead 4th edition army book (so I guess we're up about WD 180ish) - that felt like quite a change at the time.

I feel I might have to get all the old WDs out and have a nostalgia art tour soon!

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

Interesting, looking back over I guess the Compendium (which of course really is a much longer publishing time since it is mostly White Dwarf reprints) does have a more consistent look over the art - somewhat "cleaner" overall. However the styles are still quite varied in places. The original rulebook had a considerably more varied selection of art styles. I gather from some of the artists that they had very loose briefs, so I imagine a lot of the book represents that creative freedom both in subject matter and style. I guess as the game began to settle down so did the art style, presumably under some direction from Blanch then? What particular elements caught your eye? Were there certain artists who were dropped or made fewer contributions? It'd be quite interesting to record all the artists and the publication of their pieces to see who went in/out of favour over the years! Although some of that would no doubt be down to simple availability.

Last illustration by Wil Rees was in Adeptus Titanicus rulebook. By 2nd Realm of Chaos book they already already lost Ian Miller and gained Adrian Smith and Kev Walker.

I think they made John Blanche an art director when Wh40k was confirmed to be a big hit.

There's a lot of Blanchisms in later designs, I think - mostly moving away from cuberpunkish/vietnam war in space/AD2000 vibes towards epic and baroque. Like Titans, Terminators, later Space Marines look much more Blanchesque. Like even looking at difference between Terminator prototypes and the final design.

As an aside I distinctly remember a later period when he (Blanche) had a very sketchy rough style that was extensively used - I seem to recall it around the Undead 4th edition army book (so I guess we're up about WD 180ish) - that felt like quite a change at the time.

It was very prominent in 40k 2nd edition. I wonder if it was due to budget constraints.

 

[Zhu Bajie]

Certainly true that Blanche has more published work in the later WH40K:RT releases post the rulebook. It's worth considering most of the illustration in WH40K:RT is based on the miniatures design, and so a lot of the changes in art direction are coming from that end, which includes the ditching of the adventurer / pirates / mercenaries of the wider universe outside the narrowly defined factions.

Also I've seen online somewhere John Blanches sketches that were passed to Martin McKenna for the staff portraits in RT, indicating what mutations / cybernetics they should have. Don't know how much of a hand he had in art directing the rest of the book, but it might be more than the few (one?) final pieces by John in the finished book suggest.

2000AD has a lot of baroque stuff, not sure it's a move away from that, but perhaps a move away from the grittier Rogue Trooper and Strontium Dog influences of Dave Gibbons and Carlos Ezquerra towards the more exaggerated ABC Warriors / Nemesis the Warlock ones of Kev O'Neill and Mick McMahon.

 

[ManicMan]

Ah, Nemesis the warlock.. people seam to only think of 2000AD as the judge dredd and semi-related stuff (Rogue tropper, ABC Warriors) or Slaine...

I know John Blanche became the Citedel art director in what.. 89?

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

I know John Blanche became the Citedel art director in what.. 89?

It's basically that period of time.

Certainly true that Blanche has more published work in the later WH40K:RT releases post the rulebook. It's worth considering most of the illustration in WH40K:RT is based on the miniatures design, and so a lot of the changes in art direction are coming from that end, which includes the ditching of the adventurer / pirates / mercenaries of the wider universe outside the narrowly defined factions.

Yeah, but John Blanche was also one of miniature designers. For example Heroes for Wargames has his sketches for WHFB Slann. I would be surprised if he haven't designed at least some of the adventurer/pirate/mercenary range.

Also I've seen online somewhere John Blanches sketches that were passed to Martin McKenna for the staff portraits in RT, indicating what mutations / cybernetics they should have. Don't know how much of a hand he had in art directing the rest of the book, but it might be more than the few (one?) final pieces by John in the finished book suggest.

There was also the Pontifex Maximus painting. Maybe he was simply busy with WHFB at that time and only fully took over in 1989?

2000AD has a lot of baroque stuff, not sure it's a move away from that, but perhaps a move away from the grittier Rogue Trooper and Strontium Dog influences of Dave Gibbons and Carlos Ezquerra towards the more exaggerated ABC Warriors / Nemesis the Warlock ones of Kev O'Neill and Mick McMahon.

I think they have more in common with stuff Ian Miller did than with Blanchitsu.

 

[Zhu Bajie]

Yeah, but John Blanche was also one of miniature designers. For example Heroes for Wargames has his sketches for WHFB Slann. I would be surprised if he haven't designed at least some of the adventurer/pirate/mercenary range.

Yeah, for sure. Along with the Chaos Warriors and all that, and the later Orks redesign and Confrontation gang concept sketches that appear in WD. JB has always had a large influence on the Art Direction - even if not formally acknowledged with a job title or a credit in a book - and that even tho we see more of Blanches 40K illustration work in White Dwarf (and subesquent Compendiums), the changes we see in 40k are less about Blanches art direction than other factors. IIRC the Terminators and Titans you posted were largely Jes Goodwins designs - he drew concept art for both.

I think they have more in common with stuff Ian Miller did than with Blanchitsu.

Stylistically Millers work in WH40K:RT has much looser and fluid mark making than the book jacket illustration work he's better known for, much closer to Blanches pen and ink sketchwork than to O'Neils finished pieces. Content-wise a big red robot with gothic ornament is a big red robot with gothic ornament, Torque-Armarda, Terminator or Titan. What similarities or differences there are depends on whether you're talking about design content or illustration style.

Ah, Nemesis the warlock.. people seam to only think of 2000AD as the judge dredd and semi-related stuff (Rogue tropper, ABC Warriors) or Slaine...

And the range of artists working on each title means it's not all that useful as general descriptor. Bollands Dredd isn't Ewins Dredd. But yeah, Nemesis is pretty fundamental to 40k.

 

[TheLion]

Is John still at GW? It's been a long time since I've seen his name mentioned, which is a shame as his artwork is fantastic.

 

[ManicMan]

in 2021, he was still an art director with games workshop..

Do citadel even credit sculptures and artists anymore?

 

[TheLion]

In the April White Dwarf magazine on page 104 there is an illustration that must be one of John's. The artist is not mentioned at all, which is a shame.

I was wondering if he's left GW as he doesn't seem to get a mention anymore. Really miss his material as it has always been a big part of the hobby.

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

Yeah, but John Blanche was also one of miniature designers. For example Heroes for Wargames has his sketches for WHFB Slann. I would be surprised if he haven't designed at least some of the adventurer/pirate/mercenary range.

Yeah, for sure. Along with the Chaos Warriors and all that, and the later Orks redesign and Confrontation gang concept sketches that appear in WD. JB has always had a large influence on the Art Direction - even if not formally acknowledged with a job title or a credit in a book - and that even tho we see more of Blanches 40K illustration work in White Dwarf (and subesquent Compendiums), the changes we see in 40k are less about Blanches art direction than other factors. IIRC the Terminators and Titans you posted were largely Jes Goodwins designs - he drew concept art for both.

I think they have more in common with stuff Ian Miller did than with Blanchitsu.

Stylistically Millers work in WH40K:RT has much looser and fluid mark making than the book jacket illustration work he's better known for, much closer to Blanches pen and ink sketchwork than to O'Neils finished pieces. Content-wise a big red robot with gothic ornament is a big red robot with gothic ornament, Torque-Armarda, Terminator or Titan. What similarities or differences there are depends on whether you're talking about design content or illustration style.

I think that Blanche's stuff is much more uhh... romantic than that. Like Titans look more in that style because they have more sharp and aggressive elements. Also, it was the beginning of Blancheisation, so it had still a lot in common with early Rogue Trader.
But when it comes to Terminators I mostly mean very characteristic blancheisms like like the checkboards, the shields, Crux Terminatus, etc.

You can see fully blancheised protoherohammer in this transitory era piece featured in Armies of the Imperium (1991).

 

[Zhu Bajie]

Yeah, but John Blanche was also one of miniature designers. For example Heroes for Wargames has his sketches for WHFB Slann. I would be surprised if he haven't designed at least some of the adventurer/pirate/mercenary range.

Yeah, for sure. Along with the Chaos Warriors and all that, and the later Orks redesign and Confrontation gang concept sketches that appear in WD. JB has always had a large influence on the Art Direction - even if not formally acknowledged with a job title or a credit in a book - and that even tho we see more of Blanches 40K illustration work in White Dwarf (and subesquent Compendiums), the changes we see in 40k are less about Blanches art direction than other factors. IIRC the Terminators and Titans you posted were largely Jes Goodwins designs - he drew concept art for both.

I think they have more in common with stuff Ian Miller did than with Blanchitsu.

Stylistically Millers work in WH40K:RT has much looser and fluid mark making than the book jacket illustration work he's better known for, much closer to Blanches pen and ink sketchwork than to O'Neils finished pieces. Content-wise a big red robot with gothic ornament is a big red robot with gothic ornament, Torque-Armarda, Terminator or Titan. What similarities or differences there are depends on whether you're talking about design content or illustration style.

I think that Blanche's stuff is much more uhh... romantic than that. Like Titans look more in that style because they have more sharp and aggressive elements. Also, it was the beginning of Blancheisation, so it had still a lot in common with early Rogue Trader.

Look specifically both the O'Neils Torquearmada and Blanches Titan in the Imperial Army piece - both use the gothic (romantic?) motif of the Galleon, so yeah arguably there is still a lot of 2000ad influence going on, but that's not separate from Blanches work, its part of it.

A lot less of that kind of historical motif, is seen in Jez's Titan concepts, which Blanches painting in the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook cover are based on, but it is where a lot of the angular plate edges, with crimped bits come from (a motif that can also be seen in Jez's earlier Chaos Warriors)

But when it comes to Terminators I mostly mean very characteristic blancheisms like like the checkboards, the shields, Crux Terminatus, etc.

OK you're trying to make a case about the design content, rather than illustrative style, which is fine. AFAIK the "Crux Terminatus", Jousting Shields, are from Jez concept art, rather than anything specifically by Blanche?

And those kind of medievalist design tropes kick in quite early after Rogue Trader (WD98) for example:

IIRC Rick Priestly did think the Art Department went too far with the "gothic" (medievalist) - he meant it in terms of a general atmosphere rather than a specific design language, and still had in mind a more hard sci-fi vision of the universe. I think that's in an interview somewhere.