Full page scene illustration for sci-fi fantasy crossover based on Warhammer 40K universe

Entertainment & The Arts

An original storyline with characters that are based on playable armies from the main Warhammer 40,000 game and its many spin-offs. The result is a fusion of tabletop gaming with science fiction and fantasy writing.

This is a scene illustration for a fan fiction crossover based on the Warhammer 40K universe. (Warhammer is a tabletop battle game putting players in command of armies of humans, elves, orcs, and a variety of monstrous creatures. It also has a division devoted to publishing novels, audiobooks, art books, and graphic novels based on its storyline and characters.) In the scene to be illustrated, Rel (one of the main characters) sees a Daemon (a sentient embodiment of, and servant to, the gods of chaos) floating away from her. The illustration must include the encounter between these two characters, but the artist is encouraged to interpret the essence and dynamics of the scene according to their vision and style. The final dimensions should be 8"x10" and while a dark aesthetic is fitting, a strong final design most likely will contain one or two colors. The extract of the scene follows: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- So many questions, something cooed in her ear, for something so young. Rel’s skin prickled. The translucent waves of magenta rolling over her arms increased their turbulent boil. Don’t hesitate on my account, the grotesque voice pleaded, words resounding in her other ear, and don’t look to him—this time we have together is precious, Lile Scholar. “Why are you here.” Rel growled, not knowing if she’d spoken out loud, or if her words reverberated in her mind. Well, the voice swooned. The point of reasoning is for another to judge it—otherwise it rots. It festers, the voice became distant. “You’re a daemon,” Rel answered flatly. “You’re nothing save lies.” The voice faltered to a hideous cackle that caused Rel’s armored fingers to dig into the banister’s soft stone. Oh, it eventually managed, no. I think we would be far less successful if all we did was lie, the final word trailed off so violently the voice broke. Unlike humanity, our intentions are quite honest; how you can hide behind an inherent claim to goodness when all a daemon is, is but a manifestation of your wants, is beyond me, Lile Scholar… A chilled wind slammed into Rel. It clawed at her shoulders and gauntlets, attempting to tear the gloves from her hands. She grunted, waist colliding with the banister while she struggled to remain upright. As her eyes lifted from the stone crumbling beneath her clutching fingers, she saw a shaped blackness moving in front of her. Its edges were hard and uneven, resembling ink brushed over parchment. From its thin body stretched two arms, ending in four curving points. Its legs were nothing more than two half finished strokes of a quill, their ends bleeding into the other. All the darkness’ detail lay in its oblong head: a narrow snout, pulled back in a mock imitation of a smile, revealing bright gaps between pointed teeth. Sprouts of black protruded from its face in organized waves, like the feathers of a ruffled bird, and six slitted eyes stared at Rel. They contained nothing. No iris. No pupil. Only an abyss far blacker than the swirling ink around it. Rel shoved herself from the railing, a growl building in her throat. It bled past her tight lips, and the gently drifting visage ahead was torn to shreds. Wind harried her armor, dragging her feet closer to the gallery’s edge. Her boots whirred, mechanical heels digging into the ceramic ground beneath. It cracked and shattered as she sunk. The world disappeared, forgoen in her effort to enforce her will on the tumultuous Warp. Her mind strained. Her chest heaved under a new pressure. Lights mingled across her eyes, and her curling fingers seemed to be made of water, rippling as she stared down at them. Voices flitted through her ears. She might have recognized the scream of one, were she to listen. But her attention was elsewhere. There was a crack. A brightness. If she reached out, she could dig her hands into it. Pry the storm apart. Rel flung her arms diagonally, parting the battering tempest, submitting it to her control. A bow of cultists ahead of Ventillius’ struggling contingent exploded, leaving Rel an unobstructed view of the floating child. She could feel the psyker’s presence; a pinched pain behind her squinting eyes. She wanted to avert them, wished nothing more than to stare down at her tensed hands or her entrenched feet. The inquisitor drew in a deep breath, and concentrated her will, demanding the psyker below to stop. She shaped the desire, sieving out its impurities, grinding it to a point, turning it into glittering lance. As she was taught. Rel flung it—an invisible jolt of energy, shunting from her mind to her opponent’s. Faster than a round. Faster than light. The girl below rebuffed the attack, transforming it from mercurial lance to literal whip of crimson energy. It crackled off the novice witch, thrashing the ground below. Stone exploded, as did the cultist standing atop it, as did Rel’s mind. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: elsewhere, Rel is described as: a young woman (16-18 y/o); a psyker (those able to call upon the energy of Warp with their minds for psychic powers) though not an imperially sanctioned one (meaning she does not look like the tabletop figure); one of the more powerful characters, trained as a knight and field apothecary; usually carrying a large weapon; mossy-haired, though often wearing a neat ponytail; and fitted in a black exosuit (like all other characters).

Ideally, the creator is familiar with the Warhammer 40K universe, but a successful illustration may also be inspired by simply reading the details of the brief combined with some internet research on existing Warhammer 40K depictions. Note that the Rel character is not an imperially sanctioned psyker and so is not clothed or dressed matching the tabletop character design. Imagination outside the character details included is encouraged. The Warhammer setting and Empire in the game resembles a period of European history but with the addition of fantasy and science fiction elements like magic, space travel, and non-human races. Both visually and in geography it is based upon the Holy Roman Empire during the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance/Early Modern period. Images attached include the daemon tabletop figure and three instances of art from within the Warhammer 40K universe.

Every design category has flexible pricing for all budgets. Illustration or graphics starts at $349.