Games Workshop Codex: Farsight Enclaves

Check out the e/book here! : [link]
Illustration © Games Workshop

+++++++++++++++++++

For the greater good!

So with the release of the new Farsight Supplement and .pdf material across the internet, thought I'd show off the cover in its entirety! Big shout out to Darius Hinks at Games Workshop for being my AD/producer on this!

The Tau hold a special place in my heart because it speaks to the space commie in me proud asian and admirer of mobile suit wearing space samurai in me. When approached to do this cover, the brief was to try and match the great Raymond Swanland's dynamism, especially with his work on backgrounds. I tried to do it in my own way, bringing a blend of what I'd have liked to see into play to hopefully achieve a similar result without having to try and duplicate his technique. I think its a great intellectual exercise and challenge as an illustrator to stay true to an art brief/established vision of an IP while offering your own personal perspective to it, without recycling too much of others' genius, as they say.

Other bits for my inner fanboy:
-I always wondered about optic camoflauge for the Tau. Given the nature of the stealth-field generator([link], I imagined it skirting across a bright battlefield and almost appearing like a prism at times because of how many facets the nodes create and as such, how much ambient light overload it might carry over to each other detection/ projection point... and the stealth field computer not being able to keep up with calculating the reflection angles accurately given all the atmospheric phenomena occuring... resulting in chroma shifting, or at least just looking like a poor optical feed at the least. Spazzing all over the place with multiple wavelengths of light travelling about. Again, all this was mainly as an excuse so I can work in some colour to pull out the battlesuits from the background and perhaps offer some 'grittiness' where technology meets battlefield conditions.
-A long time ago I saw by IgnusDei and it left a lasting impression on me . That idea of Farsight's Dawnblade literally facing the rising sun, was awesome! When composing this image that was the first idea that came to mind, but this time with Farsight with his back against the sun, offering a sensible, tactical narrative as well. I did a more graphic side-view of Farsight for readability/dynamism sake, but if I had more time or skill I would have preferred a more frontal shot of him descending upon the Ork hordes.
-Custom drones with winglets on the bottom, kind of a 'baby' remora.
-XV25s unloading at point blank /decloaking and about to plow into a sea of greenskins, in the famous Farsight CQB style. Dunno about you but the ensuing carnage to me seems tactically worth it.

Anyways, I hope the Tau fans amongst you enjoy this tribute to the Bane of Greenskins, Commander Farsight.