Tuesday 30 March 2010

Imperial Steam Tank - the digging continues


Imperial Steam Tank
 Illustrated story from Inferno! magazine.
©Games Workshop



One of my longest standing clients is Games Workshop. In 1997 The Black Library had not been long spawned and one of it's first creations was Inferno! magazine - a mix of comic strips, short stories and illustrated features. My first commission with GW was for issue #1; an illustrated story collaboration with Jonathan Greene. He provided the words and I the detailed linework that accompanied them. We worked on a number of these pieces together before Jonathan concentrated on the straight prose of his novels, and I began to undertake the writing.


25 x 32 cm. Technical Pen, Ink, acrylic on Bristol Board.

We have just exchanged emails, and I was prompted to look through some of the back catalogue. The Imperial Steam Tank was one of my earliest solo projects, and also one of the shortest, but I enjoy it's nostalgia value, and it reveals my roots.


I was keen to incorporate the text into the illustration as much as possible. That wasn't always possible, but this was a prime example where I got to run riot. Looking back I appreciate how much freedom I had to create with these pieces. I proposed the idea, and was then left to run with it.


The Battle of Nis-Pazar.
48 x 36 cm. © Games Workshop


The subjects also allowed for a wide variety of approaches. The humorous pseuod-technicality of the Steam Tank would be followed by a 'where's Wally?' battle scene like Nis-Pazar or the Military History approach of 'preparing Steel Storm'. It was a great learning experience that I value even more fully now.


Preparing 'Steel Storm'; Battle of Bhavangar.
52 x 27 cm. © Games Workshop.

 Check out Jonathan Greene's Blog, he's on his eleventh novel and lots more besides.

7 comments:

  1. That is very cool! I especially like the last painting, it's almost like something from the Osprey books!

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  2. Thanks Jan. The Tank piece was inspired by those sorts of titles, and all the illustrated history books I had as a kid :)

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  3. Brilliant Ralph !! Wow.. The sketches remind me of Wm.Heath Robinson a bit..

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  4. That's really cool Ralph, especially the tank. It's rather interesting to see the style and direction of Games Workshop stuff over the years... I don't want to say the early stuff was..bad exactly, but there is certainly a strong change in the look recently.
    Ps I've always wanted to submit stuff to them, but wasn't sure who/how to contact them, ie do they have an art drop, or is it just a matter of sending a portfolio to the Design office in England-land?

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  5. Thanks Tommi. The vast majority of Games Workshop's artwork is created in-house. The only freelance work available is through the Black Library. Currently they produce a range of novels and commission cover artwork for the same. There is no 'artdrop' as such, so yes, a general submission would be in order.

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  6. Thanks Ralph!
    Cheers from the colonies.
    Tom

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