Warhammer 40K: Sisters of Battle Artwork Showcase
Games Workshop has some brand new Sisters of Battle Artwork they are showing off – check out let latest from the Battle Sisters Bulletin.
When it comes to making miniatures, GW does a great job. They do so well, that it’s sometimes hard to notice just how good their miniatures are because when everything looks that amazing, it starts to become normal and expected. Often times we go so wrapped up in the miniatures we forget to check out the amazing artwork that inspires these miniatures and armies. Today, we’re taking a step away from the miniatures and taking a look at some of the artwork for the Sisters of Battle.
“The cover art portrays a kneeling Battle Sister, praying to the Emperor for the strength to smite His enemies with the righteous fury for which the Order of the Ebon Chalice is famed. It’s an understated piece, with the holy glow from the Battle Sister’s Chaplet Ecclesiasticus and the subtle light descending from high above reflecting off her armour providing the only sources of illumination on what is otherwise a bleak scene. With skulls lining the floor and the scene representing a faint light in the dark, could this illustration be any more Warhammer 40,000?”
What do you make of this piece? For me, it represents that “light in the darkness” with the Sister kneeling and praying. It’s faith made manifest in a very opressive and dark scene. I like the architecture in the background and how it has a subtle sketched-in look. I also like the coloring and how the background manages to feel cold and dark with the use of the blue vs the warmer colors used on the sister to make her feel alive. Even though she’s wearing mostly black, she manages to stand out in this dark scene.
“In this scene, a cadre of warriors from the T’au Empire are suffering the full force of the Ecclesiarchy’s wrath as the Adepta Sororitas tear through their lines. The division is striking, with the classical aspects of the army on the left – namely the advancing Battle Sisters, and Seraphim descending from on high like avenging angels – and their more sinister auxiliary units on the right, such as the fearsome Sisters Repentia, Arco-flagellants and Penitent Engine looming behind them. In the distance, a Living Saint rises like a phoenix, a manifestation of the Emperor’s divine power who is equally terrifying and magnificent to behold. “
I always like this big battle scenes as there is a lot to process and absorb. One of the funny thing about the majority of these 40k battle scenes is that you rarely can tell who is “winning” and who’s losing. In this case, however, from what we can see it sure looks like the T’au on are on their back foot. On the right, those Sister Repentia and the Penitent Engines have closed the gap and that’s a BAD sign for this batch of Fire Warriors. On the left, you’ve got a squad of Sororiats tearing into their lines with bolters blazing and sword drawn. Even the skies offer no reprieve for the T’au. There is a T’au Drone, on fire, being chased by a cherub! It’s almost comical.
“In this scene, we can see the Triumph of Saint Katherine – the funeral procession of a fallen saint. A divine light is pouring down onto the consecrated body as it lies in state, and a fearsome Battle Sister has hewn down a number of heretics who foolishly sought to desecrate her remains.”
This final scene we have the aftermath of a battle. Fallen enemies liter the floor. It looks like it might be a Genestealer Cult uprising or perhaps another Chaos Cult that has been put down. Their dark colors are juxaposed against the light of the Sisters. While there is clearly a lot of death depicted here it’s almost hopeful as the survivors are gathered around fallen saint’s body. There still appears to be some fighting going on, but this area has been concentrated by the faith of the sisters once more.
So there you have it – 3 very different art pieces for the Sisters of Battle. We’ll have to see what else is inside the covers of their new Codex!
