John Blanche Discussing Some Of His Most Iconic Artworks
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- Here it is!
In this first video, John Blanche chats about some of his most iconic art pieces from the Warhammer IP, along with some other select works. Also included is some footage I filmed with Tuomas Pirinen, which I felt was relevant to this video.
With Thanks to:
John Blanche
Tuomas Pirinen
Harry Kaye (@oldworldpaintedblood)
Ronan Duggan (@barristerinlaridesagain)
Music - "Voodoo Forest" by Jan Warnke
geraeuschmanuf...
John and I (@Filmdegminiatures) intend on filming again, so please do let us know what art you'd like us to cover in future!
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A few years ago I got diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer that meant I lost the use of my legs, had to do all the chemo, bone marrow transplant, whole lot. During this time I was told I may never get my body back, it might get worse, but during this time I got back into 'The Hobby', what an ominous term haha...
Anyway, long story short, during this time, I re-discovered a lot of John's art, I was a keen hobbyist when I was a lad (before 'life' took over), and it reinvigorated me like I can't tell you.
I spent the last year building up my body after the bone marrow transplant, and re building my interest in the hobby by getting back into miniatures and artwork, particularly John's work .
I find it fascinating how someone with his creative knowledge applies himself to painting miniatures. I could look at his work for hours on end. What a treat, especially his miniatures. Not just gaming peices but so much more.
John has been an immeasurable influence in helping me get my health back when all seemed truly lost.
When I was told my entire body might fail yet leave my brain fully functional, John's art helped me through. I made myself a promise that although I couldn't do what I did before in a physical sense, I'd never, ever, let my creative imagination die.
I do continue to recover. Like John says here, just painting miniatures for gaming is a great thing, but the art aspect is something more and that is a mentality I apply to miniature painting. The representation of historical archetypes, natural history, it all feeds into it, if that's what you want out of it anyway.
Also loved what Mr Pirinen said.
Thanks
Your story is inspiring in turn. Thank you for sharing it!
❤ That's an amazing read!
The emperor protects 👍
All the best!
Inspiring! Best wishes to you. You are a space marine warrior!
A bit mindboggling to hear a seminal artist like John Blanche say he struggled with imposter syndrome. Not only an immensely talented artist but one with an extraordinary imagination and a style that is instantly recognisable.
Maybe he felt that a little because he's making art for a commercial sci fi entity and not being appart of a traditional gallery of sorts?
Atleast when he says it’s a talented person saying it. Usually people get a few subscribers and they have it despite doing very little
I can see where he comes from, though. Having a "recognizable style" means you are doing it differently than others, even those that inspired you. And while others see the beauty in the differences, you yourself might just see failure to do it like those you took after. Many (if not most) artists permanently struggle with the idea of not living up to expectations and just being inferior ursurpers to much more talented creators, whether there is actual truth to it or not.
I love the idea that every piece of 40k art kind of exists in setting as something an archivist created.
It makes sense in universe
Welcome to old school 40k 🖤
Almost lost for words to describe how fantastic this is. Mr Blanche is an absolute legend in, and out the hobby.I could listen to them both talk for hours!
I think I've seen you commenting many times on Forgotten Weapons videos, so you are into Warhammer as well? :) Probably deep too seeing as you've found this interview... Nice to see someone with very similar interests. :)
@@Ethnarcheshhhhhhhhhhhhhv h😊
@@denitzseinkanal1962 What's that? :)
@@Ethnarches haha! Yes that’s me :) I’ll look out for your comments now
@@matthayward7889 Thanks for confirming! I don't comment too often on FW videos, but if it's a Finnish firearm, then I'll likely do as I'm a Finn. :)
Thankyou John Blanche for creating such potent art with such unapologetically explorative expressions of the human madness. Imagine how many young people you have inspired to pick up a pencil. People will be exploring and using these ideas for decades.
I have never heard John Blanche speak before, much more discuss his art. I grew up looking up his artwork in books like Warhammer 40,000 2nd edition rulebook, Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 1st edition, and the Beast Within campaign. To actually hear the words 'it was not commissioned, it was a labour of love', when describing the cover of the 40k rulebook, to see his expression after all these years of providing us with magnificent artwork pieces, hellish landscapes, details that you could look for hours and become lost in those imaginary worlds, is a blessing. Thank you very much for this. Thank you very much, Master Blanche. Your work is loved.
I always expected him to sound like Alan Moore 😊
@TwinSkullsPainting Then you’ve missed something. A couple of years ago Warhammer official YT made a video with him, talking about his work while he’s painting. Search for StormCast Episode 8 - John Blanche.
Same, I'd always thought he was a gruff Scot not an amiable Englishman
"I just drew pictures"
That may in fact be the understatement of the century!
The things they sayed about closed doors and primarchs who never meant to be miniatures caused me pain, i feel so much empathy to this kind of thoughts. Im in love with misterious and "blured" warhammer. I still hooked up with curent edition and understand that this is probably more profitable way for game development, but i used to completely sink in this universe and miss that feeling so much. That was my true escape from reality, "my guiding moonlight", and now i feel its almost gone.
I can feel that. I grew up on short stories with 40k, not necessarily the big novels aside from a few. Small, little stories that are self-contained slices of the weird, grey areas of 40k are my bread and butter.
Blanche can never leave GW. There's his creative DNA in every single product GW is currently making. Everything from his start in the company in the 70's all the way up to 2019 when he designed Gloomspite Gitz for AoS is carrying his spirit. He's the god-emperor of Warhammer art.
He was also the leading concept designer for the Kharadron overlords..And gosh his stormcast concept work was incredible. An amazing man.
His Stormcast piece looks like it's informed the design of the Reclusians. It's nuts just how far reaching his influence is.
I think he deserves a comfortable retirement at this point, if he wanted it. Whether or not he's contributing his artstyle to GW directly, his influence will be in the settings for a long time after he leaves it.
“There are better artist than me.”
No John, there are not.
No one will ever be as influential to the warhammer40k’s aesthetic or even influence as John was. John bleeds warhammer.
GW will be forever half the company without this man. He was the birth of my imagination when I was kid and will be forever indebted to him for that ❤
For real. They have a lot of talented people who do great illustrations and I wish I had even a tenth of their talent, but Blanche's work always stood out to me as art, not just illustration. I would always come away from one of his works with so many questions about life in the 40k universe. They were always so evocative and enigmatic.
"I'm not finished yet!" Never change, John.
His style is instantly recognisable, His legacy undoubted. An inspiration for so many of us...🤓
The man who's art defined what WHF and 40K was for me. I would spend hours staring at artwork in the various rulebooks and compendiums i had for the hobby as a lad.
One facet of his work that I always adored in the context of 40K was without fail he always managed to capture the concept of the monstrosity that mankind had become in the 41st millennium.
He deserves far more recognition and praise thsn he recieves, though he might argue otherwise lol.
Edit: the brief sentence he spoke in regards to the Primarch miniatures encapsulates the very core of the problem with modern GW. Ever since they switched to a "for profit" model of business something intrinsic was lost and my own interest in the company and the franchises was entirely gone. I only now wish to see tjem continue because a dear friend of mine works within their writing staff and not only does he have a family to feed, but it is something that is still a passion for him. Otherwise I think itd be better dying a death and returning to the realm of ideas from whence it was born.
The issue was them being bought out in the 90s and going publicly traded. They have to continue to increase profits. Personally i am a big fan of the horus heresy, the books, the lore. I really like the primarchs as characters and as minis. Imo as the setting became less of a thinkpiece and more of a real setting, fleshing out aspects that were originally intended to be mysterious is fine. Plus GWs lore team do still like to keep some of the strongest mysteries alive and well
@@iharpo9292 Some people see old lore as the best
But in all honesty
It was the lore at its worse
Nothing really was set in stone
It was very Wishy washy on where it would go
Now they have a base and are still creating some of the best 40k lore there ever has been
But some people WILL never accept that GW can do good, they only see it for everything bad
Is GW perfect? No
Is it as bad as some people seem to think? No
@@mk_gamíng0609 imo the lore and books are the best thing gw does nowadays. Also the creativity of their sculpts is amazing, just a shame on the prices
Horus Heresy was better written when it was rulebook and whitedwarf entries from remembrancers towing the line of fact and mythology. Thorpe, Dembski-Bowden and the rest betrayed the very foundation of the setting when they turned its mythological past into a trite melodrama, elucidating on it has done nothing to solidify the setting except in the minds of those without imagination or tolerance of ambiguity.
It's worse. @@mk_gamíng0609
Thanks to John Blanche, Mark Gibbons and Ian Miller, my teenage years were full of inspirational artwork to fuel my hobbies. What a legend 🙏
When I was in my teens, I was a bit cheeky towards Blanche's work. When I became a man, I was spellbound. I had to live some hard years before I understood it and loved it. I hate that I ever felt any other way!
If I had to compare him to anyone else, I think it would be Tony Iommi. He is distinctive, iconic and humble. All he ever did was his own thing, and it blew everyone away.
I was a Fighting Fantasy kid! This guy rocks!
It was John's art that made the cost of the old White Dwarf's worth it no matter how much it kept increasing.
I can still remeber pieces I've never seen again 30 years later.
A huge influence and mastermind in the hobby. A legend. Thank you for this, and thank you John for all of your art.
When he talks about the emperor on the golden throne art, he mentions he also drew the artwork for the gates and the steps to the emperor's throne, those artworks are also fantastic and stir the imagination, they also include early concepts for the Custodes too, but i never knew that the emperor depicted here wasn't the real Emperor
Sisters of Battle is my favourite piece of WH art - the mix of sci-fi/cyberpunk, medieval illuminated manuscript, the militia in the style of Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch', and the classical depiction of Armageddon in the background captures the soul of Imperium.
John's art was the fundamental reason I began my fascination with the Warhammer universes. This man is a true living legend. Fantastic interview my friend! Vox
Blanche is the soul of this universe, as simple as that.
What a sweet old man he is. This brought me to tears. Thanks John
omg such a soft and gentle voice, i always thought he would have this deep booming voice for some reason
I’ve been looking forward to this since you started talking about it online, and it is fantastic.
For decades John Blanche has spoken to us through his art, thank you for helping him to speak to us in another way too.
Thanks for the kind words dude! Always a fan of your videos :)
Thanks to everyone involved. Fabulous that John & Tuomas agreed to be interviewed and share their ideas and experiences. 🤩
Thank you so much for uploading this.
Make Warhammer Weird Again!
Blanche did so much to really bring this mad, dystopian world to the page... he's so humble about his skills, but nobody else could have done what he did, honestly. His scenes are a mad juxtaposition of the ethereal and distant and the immediately brutal.
Holy sh*t. This was incredible. I had no idea he was still living. I have goosebumps and I am basically speechless to hear this man talk about his work.
He and Alain Blight defined 40k for me. The first Artwork shown, the Black Templar one is in my opinion the by far most iconic piece of 40k art ever created. It inspired a generation of hobbyists and is unmachted even today. Great to hear him talk about that!
For a short time, I was at Sabertooth Games when John's Horus Heresy concepts were being done, and I was just floored by how great they were. It is so unusual to see an artist who works for a company given the freedom to create work with the primary goal of "inspiring others" - and no one has done it better than John. Can't wait to see what he's working on next!
The impact this guy had on the modern world. His brush strokes guided millions of people.
I always thought that John Blanches art works rivaled the art work I would go to galleries to see, glad to get this exclusive insight from the maestro himself!
John Blanche is such a legend. His art brought the 40K universe alive for me as a kid. Such a talent and nice guy. Saw him in Bugmans Bar once but didn’t want to disturb him having his lunch :)
A massive salute to John and the best and finest man I have ever worked alongside and a real honour to have done. An inspiration then and now
What a great video. Great artist, great visionary and a great man. Thank you John.
Appreciate the kind words!
Seeing his black templars on my first box of warhammer at 8 years old - I’ll never forget it
This is one of the most important GW related youtube videos released
What a guy. He shaped my dreams from jackson and livingstone to 40k. Very talented man.
The GOAT. Thanks for putting this together.
The man has always been a hobby legend !!! Very polite and generous with his time at Games Days in the past.
Understated point that marketing piece is not the same as a passion piece. Bright colors, faces, dynamic pose draws the eye, Passion and room for interpretation connects us.
Absolutely incredible to hear from The Legend. His artwork has consistently stirred the heart with every piece of his work that I've seen. From the Black Templar cover to what we all associate with the drawing of the Emperor of mankind.
Thanks John for all of the years. You are one of my favorit. Grtz from Belgium. I’m 59. Still A Great fan.
Thanks for everything John. I can't measure the influence you had on me and my life.
Beautiful rapier in the background.
Corrupted my young mind! Very thankful for that.
We love John Blanche.
For Black Templars fans, John Blanche is as respected as would be Sigismund for Black Templars in the lore. 🕯
The real founder of the chapter who drawn his lapis and brought to life the Black Templars with his art. 🙏🏻
Also that “i’m not finished yet”, truly a black templar in his heart!
Thank you for posting this video, from a Black Templars devoted fan this is gold!
His artwork is amazing and set the foundation for the Warhammer look and feel. Sir John? He deserves the recognition.
They only Knight blacks and pedophiles.
You can't over estimate this man's influence on the world of fantasy. A true uncompromising artist who has a unique style yet well versed in the works of other masters. Loved the interview thanks so much.
His art is brilliant, but also his painted miniatures and conversions are awesome.
What a treasure Mr Blanche is. Lots of inspiration as a teenager "back in the day" from his glorious artwork. And a classic quote of his in White Dwarf "What?! No thrash?"
It's lovely hearing John Blanche confirm what I felt all those years ago as a teenager encountering his artwork in those 2nd edition books. I enjoy the vast expanded lore of 40K but there was also something unknowable and chaotic about those drawings. As a kid I didn't even know who Blanche was specifically but I remember in art class using pencils to try and emulate what I would later find out was his style. It was like Hieronymus Bosch doing a 2000AD strip.
This man cracked open my head and hose-piped my child brain with images and ideas that set me on a new way of thinking. It’s stayed with me over the last 40 years and brought me such joy. Thank you!
This is simply a MUST WATCH for anyone related to our fantastic hobby!
The living legend. In his own words the thought process included.
Amazing, and thank you John! 👏👏👏
Just casually drops a second, coloured volume of Voodoo Forest coming out
The information was already out, mentioned in the Hollow Press newsletter of late July.
John Blanche is my absolute favorite Warhammer artist.
His style is so iconic and really brings out the grim feeling of the WH40K universe.
I remember opening an art book of WH40K a long, LONG time ago and seeing his work for the very first time and being instantly captivated by it. Loved his work ever since.
I remember staring for hours at John's artwork years before I even got into the hobby. His artwork is utterly sublime!
this is incredible, the importance of deeply creative artists like him can never be understated, abominable intelligence can never and will never produce anything like what he has done, no matter how much they imitate and steal. truly inspiring
What a legend. He's had such a massive influence on my life and art interests. I hope we have more 40k art that's impressionist and weird. Bless you john
Such an amazing interview!
Really good interview. Could listen to John talk about art for hours. One day I'll pick up a copy of Ratspike as I love Ian Miller too
Thank you for this. John Blanche gave me so much through his art it’s not even possible for me to put in words. I just can’t. Thank you, John Blanche.
John Blanche helped shape my imagination as a teenager. Without him 40k and GW wouldn't be the same.
I remember Toumas first releasing his beta rules for Mordhiem. Necromunda but for Warhammer Fantasy.
Thanks for the video 👍
Great interview, and it was amazing to see John talking about his art. As a kid in the 80s, his art has had an influence on me, my gaming, and RPGing.
So much of my youth happily spent gazing into the strange and beautiful worlds conjured up by John's immense talent for building an atmosphere surrounding his characters, this man is a treasure to me.
When i see his artwork, i can just hear canibal corpse playing in my mind
Wow. This is fantastic.
Not only is John a legend in his art format, but I can't think of anyone whose style fed back into the miniatures etc more. He was tapping a source that was more primal and renaissance than most of the current art we see. I felt like I was learning from his art. Almost felt like fun research.
Hi Tom, I only had chance towatch it now. Its just great, I love the format and one of the best contents I have seen lately. Catch you around, cheers.
John Blanche is an absolute legend. His art is been so influential and he is the reason why the 'grim dark' GW/Warhammer because so popular in the first place back in the 80s and 90s.
I'm still so much in awe as much as when I was a kid reading the first pages of White Dwarf or early editions of Warhammer.
Too bad everything is becoming less grim/dark/gothic now.
Absolutely fantastic. Thank you.
Just a powerful interview.
What a first proper vid !!!!!!!!
Excellent.
Pirinen made a good point about the difference between art and illustration.
Great thoughts from an incredible artist. I always felt the strong link between the medieval Warhammer to the 40k version. Just made sense. I hope he continues for years to come
Blanche is a visionary.
This is the sort of interview I've been waiting years to see. Well done, can't wait to see what else you will produce!
Blanche's art on the 3rd ed. box is what drew me into WH in the first place. I was absolutely mesmerised seeing it in the window of my local GW, & proceeded to beg by Dad to buy it for me.
Fantastic to get to listen to this man talk, his art and the lore it influenced remains a huge source of inspiration throughout my life. What a prolific amount of material too, so impressive ❤
Really wonderful insight from John and Tim. Love hearing them speak about his work, I always get lost in those pieces, imagining the bleak yet passionate world depicted in them.
Great video, looking forward to more when you can ❤
Wow these videos are such a treasure! It is great to hear John talk about the art and process of creating it
Grew up with Mr. Blanche Warhammer and Fighting Fantasy art and it feels incredible to finally see the legend himself and learning about his greatest works. Thank you all for this.
Great insight into the artwork, and hearing Tuomas say "lads and lasses" has made my day.
I own many pieces of his art from both Warhammer and other universes. I also have a copy of ratspike and other collections featuring his work.
But I have never heard the man speak before and his cadence makes his art that much deeper. We are truly blessed
I still remember his awesome artwork from the Steve Jackson books, like the awesome "Sorcery!" series.
Fantastic insight. Glad someone was able to capture his thoughts now he is retired. Am I right in thinking he was probably a bit, I’ll say ‘frustrated’ with losing some of his work due to GW claiming IP on it after it was put in their publications.
my jaw is on the floor.
john, thank you.
thank you so much.
This was fantastic!! Thanks so much for putting it up. Would love to see everything and anything you two do together! Just picked up Voodoo Forest because of this video!
What a treat to be able to sit down and listen to his perspective and thought process. Thank you for this, and thank Mr. Blanche for being such an inspiration.
I love videos about artists just talking about their work and this is no exception. So bloody cool!
John Blanche! Absolute legend of my life. Architect of the Games Workshop universe and my imagination.
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview with John Blanche. My father is also an artist and alongside his artwork, John's work's really inspired my imagination as a child and still stirs a mix of nostalgia for the games I used to play and awe of his talent to this day.
What a Legend. Incredible to hear it straight from the man.
Thanks for putting this together, Tom. It's a true gift to all of us.
When Warhammer was influenced by creative brilliance and not corporate banality.
Wow! Thank you for this video! I finally get to see and listen to the man who literally stole my eyes with the Black Templars battle scene, incredible!
John blanche is the top inspiration for my own art journey. And made me start drawing.