The Art of Heresy – Interview with Neil Roberts
There are only so many times I can use the word awesome when it comes to Neil Roberts’ artwork, so to avoid repeating myself, I’ve asked the great man to speak for himself.
You can click on any of the images to see them in all their glory (apologies if the page is a bit slow to load, I’ve tried to keep the images as high-res as possible).
To see Neil’s other work, check out his website (www.skinnyelbows.com), or you can follow him on Twitter @SkinnyElbows. Limited edition prints and wallpapers of Neil’s artwork are available over at the Black Library website.
Gav: You’ve created covers for all but one of the Horus Heresy novels. Your art has become synonymous with the series, and I am sure the look on the shelves has contributed to its success. It must be quite rare as an illustrator to get the opportunity to create so many covers on one subject, how have you found the experience?
Thank you, I think the success of the books is obviously very much a team effort, but I am certainly pleased to play my part.
While it is quite rare for an illustrator to cover so many books in one series; in terms of brand continuity, uniqueness and consistency it does makes sense. Especially considering I was so green at the beginning of the series (I’d only done two non-Heresy covers prior) and, purely as an old-school fan-boy, I was just thrilled to be exploring the Horus Heresy. But throughout the whole series I’ve worked with a great team of people: the editors, designers, writers and everyone at Black Library/ Games Workshop.
Neil’s artwork for Deliverance Lost (Book 18 in The Horus Heresy)
Gav: At the start of the series most of the visuals were determined by concepts and art created for the Sabertooth collectable card game. In recent years Forge World have started creating miniatures based on the events of the 31st millennium. How have you dealt with the shifting reference materials and managed to keep a consistent style?
The great thing with working on these covers is the freedom we are given within the existing confines of the world.
I mean, working on any intellectual property has its restrictions, but if you know the rules and how to work with editors it can be extremely rewarding. Not least because you have a chance to progress the IP in some way. With Sabertooth the imagery was already there to build on and, since the success of the novels, Forge World are developing and expanding the setting even further.
What’s cool about miniatures being developed and released is that a lot of the initial thinking (with regards to the design of the characters) is done. I don’t need to concept so many variants of helmets, armour or symbols – because Forge World have done most of the heavy lifting. In many ways it’s freed me to concentrate on composition and overall feel of the covers.
Gav: The series has just passed ten years and is going strong. How do you think your approach has changed from that first cover?
Wow – ten years is a long time!
Personally, the first cover was very much intended as a statement of intent – literally, “this is my vision of the Horus Heresy”. Anything after that was a bonus. Luckily, that was ten years ago and we’re still going strong (but the end is coming…!)
Looking back I’ve noticed subtle shifts in style, uses of colours and choice of compositions as I’ve developed in technique and confidence.
Certainly now, more so than all those years ago, I feel far more confident in producing a piece of art that also functions as a cover.
Neil’s first artwork for the Horus Heresy – Horus Rising
Gav: Black Library offer a range of gallery prints based on your art, and I always see plenty of them doing the rounds at signings. You always have a queue to look at your portfolio. How cool is it to meet fans who like the covers as much as the words between them (sometimes more!)?
I love meeting all the good people who buy the posters, read the books and are generally passionate about the series. It vindicates all those long hours in the studio working on the covers. Also, how they respond to each piece – it’s always with passion and certainly never dull.
It’s always great to see familiar and new faces at the shows, as this series has been such a big part of peoples lives!
Gav: As an author I occasionally see the art briefs passed to the cover illustrators, and they can vary from very specific to quite broad. Regarding the Angels of Caliban cover, how much scope were you given?
With Angels of Caliban, the setting was broadly described – basically, a woodland on fire, whereas the Lion’s look was quite vague but with clear descriptions of his armour. Curze was based purely on the Forge World miniature. So that’s touching on all the things I mentioned – using pre-existing art as reference with some made-up stuff.
Having produced so many covers we often have a template of the book with the title, spine and blurb boxes already in place, so it’s a question of moving elements around to both fit the layout and satisfy the remit of the brief.
Neil’s original thumbnail sketch for Angels of Caliban (final artwork below)
Gav: Could you summarise the basic stages of getting a cover commissioned and finished?
So, the usual stages of producing any cover, albeit book or audio CD, are:
1) Receive a brief from the Commissioning Editor
2) Draw up a thumbnail to scale (taking into account cover design)
3) Get approval on the thumbnail (or revise, if necessary)
4) Sit down at my desk for 1 week, painting the final piece
5) Send off a work-in-progress image for interim approval
6) Revise again if necessary, finishing the painting (another week)
7) Email in the final piece
8) Send on the invoice and paperwork
…and then we do it all again for the next cover!
(that looks quite intense having written it down, it’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds!)
Gav: Were you aware of how excited fans would be for the first cover featuring the Lion, and how did you find it illustrating the Dark Angels Primarch for the first time?
If I’m honest, I wasn’t aware of the impact it would have, a lot of people have spoken to me about it and already dissected his look and his armour – I love that dedication to the Heresy. The Dark Angels are super-cool to draw, their aesthetic is so defined and unique and yet there’s always an interesting angle that can be found when designing them. They’re very cool. And the Lion? He’s so noble and dramatic, an artist’s dream.
Angels of Caliban Full Artwork by Neil Roberts
Gav: What other questions do folks ask at shows? What else have you worked on?
Well, I’ve done the covers for the ‘Path of…’ books – I love talking about those at shows, because I used to collect Eldar and I really get a chance to nerd out over them. I’ve worked on 2000AD, which has given me the chance to draw Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter and Johnny Alpha amongst others. I’ve worked on video games. I’ve drawn Doctor Who for the BBC and robots for Battletech. I’ve sculpted miniatures for games companies.
Wait a minute, I’m just listing stuff now!
Oh, actually, there is one final thing – at shows people often ask me, “Oh, you draw the Horus Heresy covers? Cool! Which ones…?”
…and my answer is always “All of them”
(except one)
Still one of my favourite covers from Neil – artwork for Path of the Seer
A big thanks to Neil for taking the time to answer my questions. To see Neil’s other work, check out his website (www.skinnyelbows.com), or you can follow him on Twitter @SkinnyElbows. Limited edition prints and wallpapers of Neil’s artwork are available over at the Black Library website.
I’m going to publish an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog in a couple of weeks, after people have had a chance to read the book. If you have any questions, comments or observations, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and combine all responses into one blog post.
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