Illustrating the Warhammer 40,000 Primarchs

Hello friends, you might, or might not know that I was an illustrator. Like many artists I had been drawing since I could first hold a crayon. In the past few years I drew mostly using Adobe Illustrator on my computer. I hadn’t done much drawing in my sketchbook, but I was hoping to turn that around in 2026. It’s a slow going so far. I was very critical of my pencil, or ink drawings because if they didn’t come out exactly as I imagined them then I would be disappointed. This pressure that I placed on myself was something that I had been dealing with all of my life. It was something I had to work through, and was only getting worse with age. I had to make time to draw because it was good for my mental health. Also because in times of darkness creating was the greatest source of light. Over the weeks I would like to share some of the pieces I created when I was a little bit more active. It might inspire me to pick up the sketchbook. Today I would like to feature what was arguably my most active month in creating illustrations. This batch went back almost 20 years. You could find all of these and more on my Warhammer & Warhammer 40,000 Gallery.

Games Day was a traveling convention put together by Games Workshop. For a few years they held it in the LA County Fairplex. I would go with my brothers on those days. When I heard that Games Day was coming to Los Angeles I decided to enter an illustration into the art contest. Naturally I thought of doing an illustration of the Emperor from Warhammer 40,000. But he had to be unique so I sketched out what I thought he must have looked like when he was young and full of wonder. All of the art in books features a stern man that looks very down. Not at all like the look I gave this guy. It took me about three days to get this look right. Then I figured since I have time I might as well do Horus. After finishing Horus I wondered if I could do a version of every primarch pre-heresy. I'm not a prolific artist so doing 20 illustrations in one month seemed impossible. But here they were, ready for Games Day LA 2007. It also took me a while to get the armor right for Horus. What was funny was that I printed full page color versions of everything to take with me to the convention, however the Games Workshop organizers didn’t want to display them because they were digital, and because they didn’t think I had created them.

Lion El'Jonson - This was one of the last Primarch illustrations I did. I was so sick and tired of drawing by then that I really didn't care. Still I had to make sure that the first Primarch had the proper respect he deserved so his armor came off very priestly. In a previous version I even gave his armor a white collar. Unknown Primarch I - There were 20 Primarchs in canon but two of them were deleted from Imperial records. I wonder what they would have looked like, or how they would be remembered. The shroud design I actually wanted to use on a Lamenters Captain... I might still do that.

Fulgrim - Fulgrim had actually been painted a few times so I tried not to deviate too far from the character but still put my spin on him. What do you think? Peturabo - This primarch was described as the master of siege warfare. I really wish there had been a fight between him and Ferrus Manus, who was the master of fortification. It would settle who was the toughest of all the primarchs.

Jaghatai Khan - I didn't want the armor to look too samurai since it is supposed to be more Mongolian than anything. I did some research and came up with this look. Leman Russ - This guy was possibly the most popular primarch. At least he's the easiest to remember since there is a tank named after him. Like all the other primarchs I illustrated I wanted to show him young and before the heresy. The hair took a while to draw, take a close look at that.

Rogal Dorn - While I'm not a big fan of the Imperial Fists I do like the loyalty they have shown in Warhammer legend and that they were the founders of the Black Templars. Konrad Curze the Night Haunter - Again, look at this guy... how did the Emperor not know he was going to side with Chaos?

Sanguinius - I made him look young by adding freckles and the warm smile. I want people to feel sorry for this guy because he knows not what the future holds for him. Ferrus Manus - This primarch killed a monster made of living metal by drowning it in lava with his bare hands. If that doesn't make him a complete bad-ass then I don't know what does.

Unknown Primarch II - I went for memorial statue here. Missing a head and ravaged by time... what could this primarch have become? Angron - Fans think Horus was the first to turn against the Emperor. Take a look at Angron and you'll know that he was actually the first to turn to chaos. Heck with a legion called the "World Eaters" why should it come as a surprise?

Roboute Guilliman - I wanted to go Julius Caesar with Roboute but it just didn't come out that way. Oh well... Mortarion - The guy had an obsession with death plus his health was not always that great. How can the Emperor not know he would turn to Nurgle?

Magnus the Red - Magnus and his legion the Thousand Sons are easily the best-looking squad pre and post-heresy in 40k. My brother really likes the way this one came out. I kept the cyclops look even though more recently Games Workshop says he was missing an eye, not a real cyclops. Lorgar - Thanks to a eagle-eyed reader. He corrected my mistake. It's Word Bearer legion, not World Bearer... I feel like such a dope but the new version it up.

Vulkan - Not many gamers know that some of the Space Marines are colored. One of the strongest was Vulkan. He's the Primarch of the Salamanders from 40k. Corax - Here's the Primarch of the Raven Guard. According to Games Workshop text (and inside jokes) Corax is supposed to be somber and melancholy like Edgar Allen Poe. Instead I illustrated a Native-inspired Corax rather than a pasty white guy to take with me to Games Day. Alpharius - Here's the Primarch of the Alpha Legion. The last of the Primarch illustrations I'm doing for Games Day 2007. A bit of a surfer vibe? Did you have a favorite primarch, or a favorite unit of Warhammer 40,000? If you create art do you ever find yourself fighting with yourself on how to start? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!