In Memory of the BEST Warhammer Artist EVER

[00:00:00]Hello and welcome back to another video.

[00:00:01]Today we're going to be talking about one of the greatest artists to have ever lived. He illustrated many of fiction's most iconic franchises and had a signature style so unique he would become known as the grandfather of Grimdark. We're talking about none other than the legend John Blanche, a man whose art made Warhammer what it is today. In light of his passing I wanted to do something to honor him so we're going to go back and look at his body of work and appreciate his undeniable hand in making Warhammer Warhammer. To do this tribute justice I think we have to go back to where it all began with Warhammer Fantasy seeing as Blanche began working with Games Workshop as far back as 1977. Blanche worked on many things for Games Workshop including some of the very first White Dwarf illustrations, the British edition of Dungeons & Dragons very first rulebook, and the box art for Warhammer Fantasy first edition. I want to start off with the his first edition of White Dwarf, the fourth issue of White Dwarf ever. He was working with Games Workshop this early on back in 1977. This is so cool.

[00:00:54]His style is so apparent. The coloring I think is very interesting. I don't know if this is like a printing thing cuz I know that like ink like sometimes like printing [music] stuff was different back then. One thing I love that Blanche does so well is he communicates direction and just he communicates the spirit of what he's drawing by over exaggerating certain aspects in just such an iconic way, you know? And I think that the I think that this does a really good job in demonstrating that.

[00:01:22]Up next uh this is the first edition.

[00:01:24]This was the box art on Warhammer, the mass combat fantasy role-playing game.

[00:01:30]And you can I don't know. I don't know about you guys but I can just see it, you know what I mean? I can smell the Warhammer oozing off of this. I can see the iconic silhouettes and the over exaggerated like fantastical armor. I don't know. I just I I think that this is such a good piece of art unironically. I remember when I saw this while I was gathering stuff for this video I just I just looked at it for a minute and I was like this is sick. Like this is so sick. This is classic like 70s 80s era fantasy artwork and I love it. For the the fantasy era, I gathered a lot of white dwarf covers. There's a plenty more work that I that you guys can go find and maybe I'll do a follow-up to this video because I don't know, I just love Warhammer art, you know? But I found a bunch of white dwarf like there's issue number seven, issue number 11. You can see John Blanche's crazy like alien like in in especially number 11 where they're standing on their tippy-toes like that, you know what I mean? That's like the high heel.

[00:02:26]It's actually a high heel. That super exaggerated high heel is iconic in John Blanche's artwork and we'll see it come up in a lot more. But I don't know that the bird with the crazy beak and the weird staff thing and then like back to issue number seven where she's this this woman's riding this weird hog creature and it's I don't know, the features is just so uber exaggerated, so fantastical. And there's a little dude on there. I didn't even see the little dude. I'm not going to lie. I thought that was like a a piece of armor or something. But now that I'm looking at there's like a little It's a little guy sitting there.

[00:02:57]Look at that.

[00:02:59]And then issue number I think 42, this was I I don't know about you guys, but I immediately feel like Ubersreik. You know what I mean? Like I see I can like the Warhammer fantasy is just right there. I've I've literally played as Victor Saltzpyre jumping down this street, you know what I mean? The the the fantastical like medieval style, he had it down so well it's not even funny.

[00:03:20]And this this next one this this next one right here he had like it really reminded me of like Sisters of Battle before they were a thing. You know what I mean? Then you once again you get the crazy exaggerated high heels and the crazy weaponry and the shield he uses shields as faces. I've seen that pop up a bunch and like super uber exaggerated armor pieces and stuff like that which I really appreciate. This one right here, I think that this one's just epic. The guy up on the horse and it's kicking up and he has got that great like huge Tsar helmet with the bull and you can see like the the that crescent moon off in the distance and some weird alien mountains. They're not necessarily alien, but they're just it's his exaggerated style that makes it all look so interesting, you know?

[00:04:03]Like I mentioned in the little intro, here's the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the British edition, that uh Games Workshop commissioned, I believe, for Wizards of the Coast. I I believe that they did the artwork while the book was uh still originally Wizards of the Coast. I may be confused. But, what I'm here to focus on, all that aside, is the John Blanche art. You can just One thing I love about John Blanche and his style is that you know you're looking at Blanche when you're looking at Blanche. You know what I mean? Like it's just so apparent. It's so immediate. And this is such classic such classic '70s era like fantasy work, you know what I mean? It's so I don't know.

[00:04:40]It's such an exaggerated version of like Tolkien storytelling. You you know, I that that that's the vibe that I get from it, very very much. And I don't know, I just love it. I I I absolutely love it. I also wanted to add in, just real quick, just a couple Warhammer Fantasy pieces because I absolutely love Blanche and Warhammer, like deep in the depths of Warhammer. His His other work for D&D and other IPs and everything, very very cool, but his fantasy and his especially his 40K work is my favorite. We have an epic, just unbelievable looking Bretonnian knight.

[00:05:15]Just the flag, the the he had like triple banners behind him, you know what I mean? Like on his banner you can see three flags. I think those are enemy flags of the of the foe he has slayed.

[00:05:26]His horse is trampling down the the corpses of enemies, the tattered row like the the tattered garb that the horse has on, and that crazy mane like making him look like some some '80s action star or something.

[00:05:39]>> [clears throat] >> And the helmet with the ridiculous, I mean, just frankly ridiculous dragon like bust on top, you know? I don't know. Just Just amazing. And then you got little orc skulls hanging off his thing. I don't know. The visual storytelling is unbelievable and there's some storm happening in the background.

[00:05:54]I don't know. I I absolutely love it.

[00:05:56]And then the Undead Legions here, we are legion, you know, taking some biblical notes and you got the gnarled willow tree in the back up in the back and you got lightning striking and there's a storm rolling upon these once green and prosperous plains and the Undead Legion is here, you know what I mean? And they're all marching in tow. It's just ah It's just amazing. Like absolutely amazing work. Now for easily my favorite era of John Blanche where literally every piece he drew was a foundational foundational piece in making Warhammer 40K Warhammer 40K as we know it. He drew the earliest depictions of everything from Titans to the Emperor himself and he is the quintessential old hammer style that people love so much and talk about. When people say old hammer, they they're talking about John Blanche, you know. There are other artists, don't get me wrong and I don't want to take away from their accomplishments. Again, if I make another installment of this series, um uh just appreciating Warhammer art and its history, I'll talk about other artists and their their I mean, we have another White Dwarf cover. We have some of the earliest depictions of Titans that I've I've ever seen. As far as I'm aware, this is the earliest depiction of a Titan that that I know of. Um and you can you ah Just look at that. The bombs exploding in the air, the massive ridiculous guns and the explosion in that one Titan's arm in the back. And then you have early Space Marines and what look like the the those kind of look like really early Dreadknight Dreadknights. Jesus Christ, not I mean, they they do look more bipedal, which is why I said Dreadknight, but I meant Dreadnought. And you got the speeder streaking through and you got that one uh Land Raider in the back getting encased in flame and you can see people like falling in the trench and you can see that one dude's silhouette against the fire. Just [ __ ] phenomenal. This And then you can see the city spires in the back. I I'm I'm actually never noticed those city spires until just now. The longer you look at a John Blanche piece, the more the image keeps evolving and I just appreciate that so much.

[00:07:52]We have I had never seen this until I did research for this video. This might be my favorite drawing of an orc ever. You got a bad moon, obviously. He's got that crazy telescope. He's got the massive gun with several barrels coming out of it. He's got the weird crab claw and pistons in his legs to support his immense weight. I just I like dude dude, like it's just amazing, you know?

[00:08:16]This This rendition of a possessed was sick because his left arm is so thick it's encased in whatever's growing out of his armor and in his flesh, you know what I mean? And he's all warped and he's got the mouth he's got like the the helmet mouth thing and he's got gnarled skulls and faces forming on his shoulder pad over here. Like I the smoking gun he clearly was just shooting and there's like this red aura like coming off of him. It's kind of but there's like some gloppy parts, you know what I mean? Maybe it's blood. Maybe maybe blood particulates are oozing into the air. You know, he's got multiple mouths opening up on his on his hand weapon thing. It's just just so awesome, you know what I mean? And you can feel like I feel like this Chaos Marine still look like just like this, you know what I mean? It's just amazing how much he dialed in the style for it. This is one This is one piece I've seen a lot and it's one of my favorites with the roaring fire in the back and the crazy ridiculous over exaggerated horn with the skull in the middle like holding it in place. It's wrapped by leather. You [snorts] see the plasma gun with the like the It's like a corrupted plasma gun with like a skull growing out of it on the front end. But in the eyeball, there's that little red dot which gives it a little bit more animus, in my opinion. Like it actually makes it feel slightly more alive as if it has its own malice, you know? The sword has those weird tendrils coming off of the hilt skull and then these red inscriptions and and things that are probably blood staining the inscriptions. But the first thing that I thought of was like veins almost. It kind of reminded me of veins. He's got that crazy stabby knee pad. You've got hooks. You've got the flayed dude.

[00:09:46]There's just a dude right there. That's a dude impaled on the horn with his skin like like flapping about. And you can see like hooks and and skulls and more flayed skin on on his back as a cape.

[00:09:57]And then you have a crazy skull bat in the back which like makes no sense, but it's awesome. You know what I mean? Um and just a roaring inferno. Like the heat. It's so this image is so bright.

[00:10:08]The heat is so well communicated. It's literally an inferno. And it's just uh amazing. This entire video is going to be just be going so cool. Dude, this is so cool. Speaking of which, this absolutely titanic representation of the emperor, the dude making the pogchamp face in the in the bottom right, you know? You got the cherubs and you've got the the the sprawling Is it Is someone actually taking notes up there or is that like ingrain like is that like a marble carving, you know?

[00:10:36]Like this is just so so interesting but so creepy, you know what I mean? And you have like the the skulls the serval skulls floating around with parchment in their hands and you their little mandible hands going trying to find some task. You got people cleaning the steps.

[00:10:50]You have a tech priest hauntingly staring back at you. It's amazing how fantastical this art is, but there's also a deep element of horror like deeply ingrained in it. And it's just like it's so essential. You know, he's got the this the emperor rests upon skulls like building up the arm rests he has like ah Classic classic old hammer terminators down in a sewer. I didn't realize that they were in a sewer at first, but then I saw the tunnel and you see like those weird ropy vines and like you see the the piping right back down there.

[00:11:21]They're down underneath some kind of industrial complex with with overgrowth, you know? And they've got the the the ban the super super bright like medieval looking banners. That's one thing that I love about Warhammer and that I feel like is missing from the art a little a little bit is just these ridiculously bright and I mean it's an older style.

[00:11:41]It's a different style, right? It's John Blanche's style and artists like him.

[00:11:44]So, I understand Warhammer is evolving, its art its art style is evolving into something quite amazing and I do love it quite a lot, but something about this art or it's just so bright, it pops so much, the contrast is so high. You see all the details so well. The ridiculous weapons, the little shields, that guy has it on his arm. You know what I mean?

[00:12:02]Switching it up, switching up the style, which I respect, you know? You know, this this video is an excuse to just talk about the myth, the legend John Blanche, right?

[00:12:12]And I hope that I provide some kind of insights or opinions. I'm not going deep into the history or anything cuz the intention with this video, I just want to show off John Blanche's artwork that made me fall in love with Warhammer and some artwork that I've never seen before because it's always a good day when you find new John Blanche piece. But, John Blanche is the reason why I love Warhammer so much. Single-handedly, I could I could attribute a lot of the reason why I ever got into Warhammer is because I stumbled onto a lore video, then I looked up Warhammer and I saw his artwork. This piece of art of the Emperor's Great Gate like on on on Terra, the staircase, the pilgrimage with the banners and what maybe tents but I think that they're all flags and you can see just a single person with two people down down there at the end of the hallway. There's one person holding up what looks to be a spear with an Aquila at the very top and just this grand gate, this bigger than life gate that seems to be at the heart of this cathedral-like structure with cherubs flying overhead with ringing toll bells and incense. My brain's overloading with how much I love this art. I just This is This is Warhammer. You know what I mean?

[00:13:21]Like just unbelievable visuals, unbelievable visuals, just greater than life scale that you can barely manage to wrap your head around. And it's put into perfect perfect perspective with the staircase and the person right here. And suddenly you realize that you're gazing upon something much bigger than yourself, you know? And just if this can exist, what else exists in the galaxy, you know? And just ah.

[00:13:52]And the it also captures the religious zealotry and I idolatry of this of this figure that we know as the emperor, you know? And it's a classic image like Michael striking down Lucifer, you know what I mean? The emperor striking down the enemy of the Imperium, this great dragon serpent, you know, multi-headed dragon serpent thing.

[00:14:15]And baby angels and that almost looks like a Pegasus over here, you know? Like I can barely make this out. I'll zoom in and enhance in post, but like yeah, and then you got your unicorn pegasi flying around cuz why not, you know what I mean? And you got the the this cloud splitting and the stars opening up as the emperor strikes down the enemy. Just just unbelievable work. Just truly unbelievable work. I I I love this piece of art so much.

[00:14:43]One that I think everybody should know.

[00:14:46]Uh and we're back you slightly less ridiculous, but you still got that that crazy arch combat heel that Blanche is so so good at making, you know, for his female warriors. And just this is like the sister of battle art, you know what I mean? You got that crazy raging inferno and lightning pouring out of the firestorm and just a wall of men and women pouring fire like fire and bullets across this this like this trench this entrenchment of skulls, you know what I mean? And there's just pillars of skulls in the back cuz why wouldn't there be, you know? And just warrior men all rallying behind the sister of battle with the priest and his staff and just Gee, like dear god, you know? And the the hazard stripes, hell yeah, brother.

[00:15:33]Hell yeah, I freaking love the hazard stripes. And it's just wow, you know? And the you got those like blood red fleur-de-lis and Oh, my god.

[00:15:45]My god. And she's still like she just has this perfect little podium of of of bones and then a skull with like some kind of inscription along the the the whole thing of his of his scalp, you know what I mean? Right here.

[00:15:58]Along his dome, he's got like Roman numerals etched in.

[00:16:02]And then her crazy sword and her spiky gauntlet and a skull-lined corset that looks to be made out of metal.

[00:16:10]It's just just perfect, you know? It's just just no notes. This entire video is just me going, "It's amazing. It's perfect. It's amazing. It's perfect."

[00:16:17]Cuz it is. This is my honest opinion. I like John Blanche Warhammer 40K art is like the best thing ever to me, seriously.

[00:16:25]And finally, uh just just this video of me gushing over John Blanche will the John Blanche the last art I'll leave you with is this.

[00:16:36]This is the first depiction of the Emperor that will and has decided the way that the Emperor is depicted on the Golden Throne ever ever since. It's the iconic image that has inspired all other iconic images of the Emperor. Just the Aquila with the the the Space Marine helmet, the servo skulls, the purity seals lining this multi-deck thing you the this multi-deck throne that leads up to like the inquisitorial skull, and then you have these parchments papers pinned to it, and then the iconic pose with his hands over the over the armrest gripping, you know what I mean, or curled into a fist, and he's wired in to just an a countless, a a just a multitude of countless countless cables spawning like spawning and descending or ascending into the void where you can't see them anymore, you know, sustaining his life, providing us information, and everything in between, just a countless amount of tasks that these things could be completed completing, you know, and he's just sitting there lifeless, withering, you know, he's not a skull yet if you notice. He made him This is still he's still got some fleshy bits, but he's withering and you like his nose is falling off and he has the the eyeball, you know, the eyeball implant implant, you know, just so cool and so creepy. I think we could sit here all day looking over Blanche's work and maybe I'll do another one of these open conversation type videos just appreciating different artists throughout Warhammer's history. But let me know what your favorite piece of John Blanche art is and if you're interested, join my Discord and share it there so we can all appreciate it with you. But All right, guys, I'll see you in the next one. Thanks so much for watching.