Army Painter Masterclass: John Blanche Vol. 1 & Vol 2. Review — The Grim and the Dark

John Blanche is one of the greatest artists in fantasy history. His work defined the look and feel of Warhammer 40k. Many people associate him with the “grimdark” or “Blanchitsu” style, typically defined by the dark, bizarre, gothic, sometimes horrific visuals of his artwork, which definitely helped create the notion that, in the far future, there is only war.When one looks at Blanche’s pieces, the color palette evokes dystopia. Nothing feels natural, the usage of ochres, yellows, reds, blacks, and ivory tend to stand out, especially in his iconic pieces that show the Black Templars, the Sisters of Battle, and the iconic painting of the Emperor of Mankind. His paintings feel like a disturbed extension of Rembrant, Bosch but combined with pulp sci-fi.Diving deeper into the colors, John uses a Zorn palette, which is a “limited” palette of four colors, and named after the Swedish painter Anders Zorn, though there’s debate about whether he used it or not…but you’re not here for an art history lesson. 

That limited palette, which consists of yellow ochre, vermillion, ivory black, and flake white are the core elements of the Army Painter Masterclass John Blanche sets, and I think they are glorious. Let’s dig in. 

First, the boxes are very pretty. They feature custom work by John Blanche, but outside of that, there’s nothing about this that feels like a precious item. Inside, you find the 10 paints per set, along with a bi-fold which explains how the paints fit into the existing Fanatics set, which is a nice touch. The boxes also include a nice gift that I’ll detail below.

The two sets come with 10 paints a piece, which include versions of the paints I’ve mentioned above, along with some darker paints which were curated and handpicked by John Blanche. They also include 3 new washes, all of which compliment the other paints, 2 speedpaints, 2 metallics, and a new rust technical paint, all of which I’ll go into further detail below. Like the rest of the Fanatics line, these paints are all consistent. With the exception of the washes and speedpaints, the line is semi-matte to satin, mostly high opacity, responds well to thinner or water, and all mix fairly well, as long as you’re careful with some of the more dominant paints, like The Darkness (a black greenish blue) and Banshee Brown (a black reddish brown).

In fact, most of the paints are all very dark, which makes sense considering the artwork that inspired these paints. When using these paints, I want you to remember to keep  your mixes simple. When I painted my two test models, I tried to use tertiary colors to brighten my palette. For example, to bring Midnight Olive (a very dark olive) to a sickly green color, I used the Moonbeam Yellow (a brilliant orange yellow), and then added small parts of Ivory White in order to pull the color out of the paint, resulting in the highlight I wanted.

And finally, Grim Rust. I love rust effects, and by now, I own 5 different varieties of rust, either in oil, enamel, and acrylic. Army Painter does a great job of putting small bits of plastic into their rust paints, which really adds to the chunky nature of rust. This paint also blends well with the other paints, so if you need a lighter rust, add a little Moonbeam Yellow. Need it darker? Blend in a touch of The Darkness.

Coverage is excellent. Most times, I only needed one or two coats of paint. The washes and speedpaints then help add shadow to the colors. I found myself gravitating to the Voodoo Shade, which is dark with a hint of green, and the Shadow, which feels like an adequate replacement for the old GW Nuln Oil.  Bloodmoon Red is so intense, it feels like ink.

And finally, the gift. Each set has a John Blanche print, which has a small story on the back about John and his appreciation for all things gothic and some explanation of his style and the paints. It’s a nice touch, and will sit on the wall of my paint desk. 

If you use these paints on their own, it’s a fun challenge and experiment in learning how to use a limited palette. I was actually very surprised and enjoyed my painting session with these paints. Both of my models are painted to the tabletop standard, and I would say the first took roughly 2 hours, and the second took an hour. You can also add these to your existing paints range as they do fill some gaps with the original Fanatics set. I don’t think anyone looking for neons, bright blues, pinks or sharp contrast will be happy with this set, but I don’t think this set is for them. This set is for the weirdos, the people who want to see dust and rust all over their models. Everything being chipped, slightly broken, askew. Maybe these paints were made just for me?

You can purchase the paints now from Army Painter ($50 a box), or pick them up at your FLGS (friendly local game store). The individual bottles are not for sale yet, so if the price tag scares you, maybe wait, and see if individuals will be for sale. At the time of this review, they’re not available yet, but I would expect Army Painter announcing single bottles.