John Blanche is a master of his craft. His sepia-toned oil paintings set the whole vibe for Warhammer 40K, and his artwork still adorns rulebooks and codices years after he retired. He inspired an entire movement of painting style through his Blanchitsu column in White Dwarf. Personally speaking, he has influenced my own Warhammer journey on every step from recreating his artworks to forging my own Dark Mechanicus in his style.
Warhammer is a grimdark setting. The epitome of nihilistic science fiction, there are famously no good guys and only war in this fictional future. The gothicfuturist architecture alone has influenced myriad novels and tabletop games over the past 30 years, to the point where you say the word “grimdark”, and most people’s first thought would be “Warhammer”.
But that doesn’t have to be the case.
Warhammer 40K’s New Emperor’s Children Deserve A Colourful Paintjob
The Emperor’s Children are the perfect opportunity to try out a different style. Having just finished reading Fulgrim as a part of my personal Horus Heresy book club, I looked at the dull grey of the new plastic Emperor’s Children miniatures and wanted to make them as bright and colourful as possible.
This proved a challenge. I’m a man who paints with sponges and washes, I practically drink Streaking Grime. I care more about creating an impression than picking out every edge highlight, and that Blanchitsu inspiration is loud and clear. So I needed to learn how to paint from scratch.
I started the paintjob with a bold primer, Colour Forge’s Rogue Pink. The Rogue Hobbies collaborative spray did a great job, providing ample coverage and a vibrant tone. Then I basecoated the areas that wouldn’t be pink. A lot of Eshin Grey for every area that would be black or silver, a brown for the gold spots, and Ulthuan Grey for the fabric. I opted to also apply this to the weapons in parts, to match the Codex. I’m not going for exactly the same effect as the marines in the marketing, but the effect on the weapons looks good.
I used one wash on my black areas – watered-down Black Templar – and carefully highlighted the edges of my metal areas with metallic paints. Then I added some blue on various wires as a spot colour to break things up. We’re going bright with these miniatures.
I spent the most time on the pink armour, which I recess shaded with a mix of Doomfire Magenta contrast and Emperor’s Children before edge highlighting with more Emperor’s Children. After that, I added in the details, painted any faces, belts, and ephemeral paraphernalia, and called them finished. My Noise Marines are bright, colourful, and unwashed.
How To Tell A Story With Paint
I’m not sure if I could commit to a full army painted like this; this squad took me countless hours of fine painting. But I enjoyed it as an exercise, and the new Emperor’s Children miniatures are the perfect canvases for this pristine paintwork.
Obsessed with all things artistic, the Emperor’s Children’s quest for perfection leads them down the path of excess, to their demise. Fulgrim, the most beautiful and graceful of Primarchs, is drawn in by a daemon whispering inside his head. Soon, nearly the entire legion has fallen to Slaanesh.
A grimdark feel would not sit right with the champions of Slaanesh. I get the sense that these warriors meticulously clean their armour after every battle, adding superfluous flourishes and ornate details each time. It may not make much sense to see their gleaming armour fighting on the tabletop against my grimdark armies, but you can stretch your imagination a little.
Painting is as much storytelling as a novel or codex entry, and I’m trying to tell the story of my band of perfectionists through a clean paintjob. It’s not something I’ve tried before, and the lack of shortcuts or easy routes to a quick, effective army is new to me. But it fits the army thematically; like the models I’m painting, I’m trying a style that exudes perfection to the point of zealotry. No messy washes or ‘cheating’ drybrushes. Just bright colours and clean highlights.
For a first real attempt, I’m pleased with how they came out, and have a newfound admiration for these pink punks. Who knows, maybe I’ll clean my brushes off for a perfectionist approach to Fulgrim whenever he releases.
