Artist Spotlight: Paul Carrick

Paul Carrick is a U.S.-based illustrator, sculptor, and writer whose earlier works graced many cards in the Warhammer 40K CCG and whose art is a fixture in Lovecraftian mythos. After he recently shared some of his 40K CCG artwork on Reddit, I reached out to Paul to learn more about his art and his experiences. He graciously responded for the blog – thank you, Paul!

I asked a number of questions about his work on the 40K CCG, as well as his career and current projects. Read on!

What was your experience working with Sabertooth and Games Workshop?

I was already a fan of the game so it was exciting to be asked to create artwork for it; it was one of the times I could use my hobby knowledge for a job. As it seemed that the official artists for Games Workshop were all full-time staffers, this was as close as I was going to get to be making official Warhammer art. I do recall feeling a bit of unease because of the way GW was presented to us.  

Unlike the more familiar Mom & Pop style of publishers of so many other role playing and card games, GW came across as a serious business so the pressure was on. We were told that they would have final approval of everything, but I do not recall any direct contact with them, nor do I believe they wanted anything changed that I submitted.

They had given us an informal ‘40K bible’, which contained some of the rules for depicting various factions. For example, Space Marine shoulder pads were to come up to eye level, despite that not being so on the miniatures of that era. Orks‘ heads sprout more from the upper chest rather than between the shoulders—a lot of people miss that one.

How many pieces did you illustrate for the Warhammer 40K CCG?

My guess is 25; I don’t yet have a complete collection of those cards.

Which of your artworks from the card game is your favourite, and why?

I seem to have contradicting reasons for why I like certain cards. In some cases like the Possessed Land Raider or Blake’s Storm Troopers,  it was because I got to explore units I liked yet hadn’t used in games. It was also fun to set up my own models as reference for cards such as War Buggy or the Imperial Guard tank cards.

It may be hard to imagine for some, but at that time the Internet was not as extensive and it was still hard to get quality reference images online, especially if you had a specific view in mind.

Your website mentions your history with tabletop games. Do you still paint or play?

I got pretty serious with it for a while, mostly in the modeling and painting department—I even won a Golden Daemon. It was a way I could be creative and there was a community with whom I could share it. I ended up gravitating towards Orks, for the color and the opportunities to scratch-build and convert.

I helped create and mod what I believe was the largest Ork forum, the-waaagh.com. It was a great time to be an Ork player because the model line was so lacking and so we had to be very inventive.

Eventually the local stores by me closed down and my gaming buddies moved elsewhere, I decided to invest more of my time into personal artwork. I still like to follow the Warhammer universe and enjoy all the eye candy. I love seeing how mini painting is developing in the community, the exchange of information has vaulted skill levels through the roof.

Daily I see photos of new paint jobs online, any of which would have had a chance for the Slayer Sword twenty years ago.

One might call you a specialist in H.P. Lovecraft-inspired art! Is there a favourite story, character or setting you like to sculpt/illustrate?

Lovecraftian subjects certainly have become a specialty of mine. There’s a special place in my heart for the Great Race of Yith, one of the more random and pulpy aliens in his universe. Usually they look rather goofy, but I think there’s a lot of potential in them and their aeon-spanning survival technique is intriguing! 

Whose art inspires you the most?

It is primarily illustrators who have inspired me over the years. My father was an illustrator and I became familiar with that world earlier than most. I was exposed to 1e Advanced Dungeons & Dragons at a very impressionable age, those illustrations captured my imagination and set me on my path.

This was reinforced by subsequent roleplaying games and comics, especially some of the European artists who contributed to the early issues of Heavy Metal (Metal Hurlant) magazine, especially Moebius.

Other favorites: Simon Bisley, Frank Frazetta, Berni Wrightson, H R Giger, Arthur Rackham. I am not sure any of them are noticeable within my artwork, at least stylistically. Rather I think it is the enthusiasm which comes through their art which inspires me… you can see through the lines and color that they love what they do.

Your career has spanned gaming illustration, to book publishing, and sculpting. What draws you to this wide range of media?

Intense curiosity. I love learning about new techniques and I often can’t help but to give it a shot.  In the case of woodcarving it wound up being more than a curiosity. I think like many other people who are into D&D, Warhammer and other similar games, I see value and romance in some old world forms of art.

Digital art, as lovely as it may be at times, just doesn’t grab me as strongly as using my own hands to make something.

What projects are you working on these days?

I work freelance so there is always a variety of projects happening. Art for card games, roleplaying games, album covers, tattoo designs, book covers, and so on. Today I am designing a Lovecraftian scene which will be engraved onto a brass pick guard for an electric guitar.  

How can fans contact you, or see your newest work?

http://www.nightserpent.com

nightserpent.deviantart.com – I update this the most frequently     

https://www.youtube.com/@pmcarrick

Thanks very much again to Paul Carrick for taking the time to do this Q&A!