The Blood Angels descend into pre-orders tomorrow with a mighty release of new heroes, elites, and upgrades. To celebrate, we are publishing an absolutely stunning Blood Angels army painted by James Otero of Siege Studios. Take it away James:
I have been passionate about Warhammer and painting miniatures since the first moment I entered a Games Workshop at the age of nine. This was during the infamous red era of the 90s and my earliest and fondest memory of Warhammer is seeing the second edition box art by John Blanche and the Death Company Chaplain art in the Codex by Geoff Taylor. Since then I’ve been obsessed with everything about the honourable yet eternally cursed sons of Sanguinius.
My favourite colour had always been red, even before I read the Codex: Angels of Death and its passages about the Horus Heresy, the Emperor, and the fate of Sanguinius. Whether you believe he damaged the armour of Horus and aided his father, or if he was bested quickly and mercilessly by Horus, the fact remains, their Primarch’s sacrifice is one of the most iconic moments of the Heresy.
From buying, building and painting the early metal and plastic second edition kits I was hooked. The bright red armour, black trims, gold details, skulls, and blood drops had me painting every hour in and around school. Their legendary characters and the duality of their honour versus their darker curse has kept me obsessed for decades. In particular, I’ve always loved the way they use their artistry as a distraction from the Red Thirst and the Black Rage.
Lord Commander Dante and the ill-fated Brother Captain Erasmus Tycho of the 3rd Company are my two favourite characters. I have always collected the 3rd Company from the moment I first read White Dwarf 139, in which Tycho was created from a battle report. Dante is, to me, the epitome of a Blood Angel: long-lived, humble, ferocious in battle, and the exemplar of Sanguinius. I also love his refusal to fall, and the burden of weight he carries in his duty to be a beacon of hope. His original miniature and his new Primaris form are some of my favourite miniatures – along with the new Lemartes.
From idolising the awesome ‘Eavy Metal photos growing up, I always tried to paint as best as I could by copying what I saw on the box. This is where the desire spawned to constantly push myself to always paint the neatest, smoothest, and cleanest I can, but to this day, I am still nowhere near where I want to be as a painter. Weighing up finishing an army while not rushing the painting is always a struggle when you love a faction!
Even the way I’ve painted the new Primaris marines hasn’t really changed from the techniques I’ve used over the decades. I still keep their armour super bright and clean, while honouring the artwork and Chapter heraldry as close as possible. For their armour colour I use the old Citadel Blood Red hex pots* as it’s my favourite colour.
My collection has grown substantially over the decades. I have an army of Firstborn, a Horus Heresy army led by Sanguinius himself, and many single projects for display and competition entries. Despite painting many other factions and games, I always return to the Chapter I am obsessed with.
it’s hard to pick my favourite model or unit from my collection. Some of my favourite pieces are my second-edition inspired Primaris Captain Sendini of the 4th Company, Primaris Assault Captain Matarno of the 8th Company, Dominion Zephon from the Horus Heresy, and “Descent of Angels” and “Fear to Tread” competition entries. The latter I was very lucky to win a Bronze Golden Demon for in 2018.
For the Emperor and Sanguinius!
* A colour from the second generation of Citadel Colour paints in the mid 90s – today’s Evil Suns Scarlet is a near match.
