[x]

Browse More Like This

more ▶

More from *Aerion-the-Faithful

View Gallery

Featured in Groups:

#The-Sabbat-Worlds
Dan Abnett fanclub

#Art-Hammer

Details

Submitted: February 23, 2009
Image Size: 379 KB
Resolution: 1000×701

Thumb

Statistics

Comments: 265
Favourites: 759 [who?]
Views: 38,652 (3 today)

[x]

The Past Recedesby *Aerion-the-Faithful

Fan Art / Traditional Art / Drawings / Books & Novels

Me again? So soon...? I bet you didn't see this one coming!

Neither did I, truth be told, when ~Ravenkeeper approached me again about a commission.
He said he wanted me to depict one of the most famous characters of the Dark Millenium; the protagonist of the most praised saga from Black Library yet and one of Dan Abnett's most excellent works within the Warhammer 40,000 franchise: Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn. And not only that. He also wanted his full retinue, past and present, dead or alive in there as well...
I was, quite literally, scared to death. Even more so taking into account the fact that I've yet to read the books (yes, shame on me!).
Luckily, Keon was there to guide me every step of the way, quoting the books to let me know how the characters looked and just what their essence was, but carefully avoiding giving much away so I could still enjoy the read when I got around to it.

Thus, this illustration, which I think is (along with my latest productions) one of my best. We started tossing ideas back and forth and finally decided on something very powerful: to have Inquisitor Eisenhorn looking at a shattered glass through all the years behind him, into his own young self's eyes. This reflection would also show him those he'd lost, cared and knew for so long too, reminding him of the cold presence of the daemon Cherubael beside him, his accursed current company.
The palette was carefully chosen and I'm happy to say Keon trusted me to go fully grey on the glass in contrast to the colour of the "present", so as to accentuate the reflection effect and the "past essence" of the characters portrayed.
I could go on about all the little details I love, but I think I best leave that up to you, my dear fellows.

I hope you enjoy and tell me what you thought as usual!

Nic.-

© Games Workshop Ltd. 2009

~~mad 0 0~~

~~fear 0 0~~

~~neutral 0 0~~

~Empty-Hand May 10, 2013

I've lost people close to me despite how young I am and let me tell you on a bad day this is exactly how you feel when you walk down the street. Well done Aerion, the emotion here is real and wonderfully portrays that in the charnel abyss of the 41st Millenium that even an unsympathetic inquisitor can have regrets, has cared for people and all in all is very human. I think by far this is one of, if not the, best in this series of yours.

~joentheamouni May 2, 2013

Very moving piece. Thank you. -bows-

~The13Inquisitor Mar 22, 2013 New member

Well, the fact that you haven't got all of Eisenhorn's retinue there, that's a very, very good piece of work.
There's just something slightly comic about the look on Cherubael's face though...
I can't put my finger on why I find it ever-so-slightly funny.

Still, this is an epic picture. I'd love to see what you'd make of the new 'Pariah' series though.

~Nacerius Jan 17, 2013

Holy...

I'm a hardcore fan (& I DO 40k pencil drawing myself, only too lazy to clean/edit it digitally). But YOU, esteemed brother, definitely have the touch. DEFINITELY. My point is, I never dreamed to see such a unique style about the lore: cartoony characters & dynamic colors while STILL -& herein lies one of its merits- managing to preserve the GrimDark mood we all know & love. Before, I would have shot anyone who'd have told me this blend possible; but witnessing you achieve it again & again throughout your gallery, & quite brilliantly at that, makes me now think of shooting myself in total awe.
I'm always very positively struck aback by how your every piece revisits familiar themes/figures whilst breathing new life into them. Take your awesome re-masterings of the Primarchs for instance: my mind can muster no comments to do them justice. My Commissar hat goes off in deference to your VERY original contribution to the 40k universe. I mean, all I've seen so far from other (official) 40k artists is classic style, so much it kept reminding me of Historical/museum paintings (not that I disliked them, far from it!). But YOU managed to conceive & (render!) a truly modern vision. About time!
Just look at this masterpiece! Juxtaposition! the present in color & the past greyed out; and even though the two beg to switch palettes, harsh reality decrees that such shall never come to pass.
Emperor's golden balls... Sorry for rambling on, brother!

~NetBug Jan 4, 2013

Damn, there is just something so regretful on the face of old Eisenhorn.

~clevelandexpress Dec 19, 2012 Writer

Fantastic work! This was the first set of Black Library Omnibus that I read and I have been hooked ever since.

The attention to detail is wonderful.
The mirror idea has been used before and I've seen many where it just doesn't connect the two different points in time. This picture certainly connects one to the other. I keep scrolling back up (as I'm typing this) to look at the image again. I really amazed by it.

I'm glad I found this, I was just doing a general search for Warhammer 40k stuff, suddenly remembered the beginning of the end of the trilogy of trilogies was recently released (Pariah) and did a quick search for Eisenhorn. This was in the top few that came up and was the first one I clicked on, it drew me in.

!IAmMissing Sep 22, 2012

Wow. Just wow. I'm a big fan of the books, and this just made me cry, like, balls out, cry a huge torrent of tears. Really good work, man.

~StGene Jun 15, 2012

All-time favorite picture on DA.

~F50Grunt May 17, 2012

I absolutely love pictures like this

~ONeillMartialArt May 17, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

My friend (also a fan of the books, as am I) showed me this a while ago, and I'm not ashamed to admit it brought a tear to my eye.
Really love it.

More from *Aerion-the-Faithful

Featured in Groups:

Details

Statistics

The Past Recedesby *Aerion-the-Faithful

The Journal Portal

Polls

What is your preferred drawing software?

deviantART [dee·vee·un'nt·ART]

Keep in Touch!

Deviousness

Add Media

Style