Interview with the Artist - Darren Latham

Join us for another Interview with the Artist. This time, we are sitting down with renowned scluptor and artist, Darren Latham. He spent almost a decade with the 'Eavy Metal team and almost as long with the Sculpting/Design team at Games Wworkshop. We cover his journey as an artist and talk about what inspires him in his personal hobby and how he balances it all.
Twitter: @warhammerweekly
Instagram: VincentVenturella
Email: [e-mail]
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[@jlruss9777]

Two of, if not THE best, painting “Teachers” on youtube at once = extended lunch break! Love this!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that means a great deal. Glad this was enjoyed.

[@tobywade776]

Pro tip: watch movies at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching a lot of movies these days.

[@bentleyisaiah428]

@Toby Wade Yup, I have been watching on flixzone} for since november myself :D

[@Zaoresor]

It’s so nice to see all this talented people giving their time for free to whole world. Thank you! P.S. Darren, thank you very much, you videos really inspired my to paint and to spend more time with my younger brother, painting together.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, and that is awesome that he inspired that, I can think of few better outcomes of teaching and sharing.

[@LandoFabrizian]

Vince this has been an absolute treasure. The importance of having this interview documented is extremely substantial to the history/legacy of miniature painting. You guys are truly an inspiration

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, this was great fun to do for sure. ;)

[@dekai7992]

Two of my favourite miniature painters/tutors of all the interwebs in one interview? I love it!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, this one was great fun. :)

[@BlastastiC]

Yes YES - props for Mike McVey. I think people of a.. ahem... certain age, really have a place in their hearts for Mike. There is a huge unconscious influence there obviously, but for me there was one moment that stood out - I read his article about his original paint job for the Green Knight in White Dwarf. He explained how he had chosen 'cold' and 'warm' greens to create visual interest, how he painted the swirl patterns - all of that information was absolutely a next-level way of thinking about painting for a young kid like myself at the time. So that's one thing that always stands out in my mind!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, he's a great painter and really, he's influenced so much of what we are still doing today.

[@petekirchner9959]

The list of artists in this series is really amazing. I'm glad you're continuing the interviews.

[@VinceVenturella]

Absolutely, got some fun ones lined up for this year. :)

[@davedogge2280]

Darren is a nice guy. Kindly replies to my posts on his channel and he consoled a friend of mine at the Golden Demons stating that 'he thought he would have won' when he didn't get the trophy. The reason why Darren is so great is because he is the 'more advanced' 'Eavy Metal painting tutor on KZbin, it's a treasure trove of videos if you are into painting your Warhammer in that GW style.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, he is a great painter and a great teacher. :)

[@nickr689]

i really wish GW didn't make Darren take down his KZbin channel. His videos are absolutely some the best out there.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's absolutely a shame.

[@joshfoss7407]

What an incredible video. Vince and Darren are directly responsible for getting me back into the hobby after a 15 year gap and their videos have made my painting grow by leaps and bounds within just a couple projects.

[@VinceVenturella]

That's awesome to hear. Thank you, that means a great deal. Always happy to help.

[@oleww50]

Watching this again, such a great interview. Dam I wish Darren wasn’t stopped from doing more video tutorials. So much talent. Thanks again for the great interview 🙌🙏

[@VinceVenturella]

This was really fun for sure, glad we got it in when we could. :)

[@dexcharisma4805]

Probably the best mini painting interview I've ever watched. Vince asks great questions, and Darren gives great answers. Very informative and entertaining!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, this one was so much fun to do. :)

[@jgeldrop9782]

As others have said in the comments....this really is: two (of the best painters) for the price of one (video)!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, this was a great honor and super fun.

[@schmodizzle4465]

Such a great guy. One of my hobby heroes for sure. Always surprises me with a comment that drives me to keep believing in myself.

[@VinceVenturella]

He really is a nice and inspiring person. It's humbling to see someone of his talent still be a genuine person. :)

[@mattobrien4849]

Great interview, but now we really need a video of Vince and Darren spotting for each other at the gym.

[@VinceVenturella]

I'll see what I can arrange at Adepticon.

[@BjornFriborg]

What an absolute treasure trove. Thank you guys.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@landotucker]

I'm astounded with how tidy Darren's desk is.

[@VinceVenturella]

I'm big on keeping the space clean as well. After every project, I put everything away and give everything a good clean. It just helps me clear out my mental space with the physical space. ;)

[@the_musing_kravist]

Vince, you were the ideal interlocutor to draw so much out of Darren. Great interview.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that is very much appreciated. :)

[@Chronic.]

Mike McVeys Eversor Assassin Diorama blew me away when i first saw it back in the Day in the White Dwarf! Awesome Painter, i always tried hard but as you said we had not that many sources for painting guides and help with techniques. Great Episode as always, keep them coming Vince. You are truly one of our best Hobby Ambassadors and a great Teacher. Thank you!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, it's very much appreciated. These are so much fun to do and I have many more coming over the months to come. :)

[@the_sigil4340]

Darren is a legend. His videos brought me back to the hobby after an epic 25 gap years in a row

[@VinceVenturella]

Truly an amazing painter and person.

[@MrTrenttness]

The voice behind the fingers...😜 Thanks for the interview!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, this one was fun for sure. :)

[@13Robzilla]

Little did we know that Vince stole the infinity gauntlet, not to snap and kill half the universe, just the opposite. Vince stole it to keep the universe from imploding when he does interview after interview with so much good talent that keeps getting better.

[@VinceVenturella]

Than you, it seems like what I would use the infinity gauntlet for certainly. :)

[@monnubains6184]

Awesome interview! Thanks for putting this together Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

It was a great deal of fun for sure.

[@MrNaadi]

This series is so motivating as a new-ish painter to follow. It's awesome getting to hear world-class painters walk through their work and get (albeit small) sense of the person behind the art. I would have loved to hear you and Darren speak more about the judging side of competition. It's a subject I've heard very little about and y'all are unique in the hobby world having both a large educational presence as well as experience judging. Perhaps it'll come up in the future! Keep up the great work Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a good point, I'll mark it down as something to discuss in the future with some guests because it's very interesting.

[@Dash277]

Great interview! Love his channel. 26:00 Mastermind groups are an excellent idea. It definitely helped me in business and painting would be no different I would think. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” So if you find people who are also trying to improve at this hobby, it's virtually inevitable that you'll get much better over time.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a great rule for sure and a key to really upping your painting game. :)

[@JLGH111]

Thank you Darren!!! You’ve been a real inspiration this year. Now finding more motivation to paint HQ and with you’re Masterclasses (never boring) the education is priceless Thank you again

[@VinceVenturella]

It was great to have Darren on, his teaching and instruction is wonderful. :)

[@JLGH111]

Thank you Vince for the interview great questions.

[@oleww50]

Excellent video! Really interesting. Please get Darren on for another episode! 🙏

[@VinceVenturella]

I'd talk to Darren anytime. :)

[@brotherjonathan3099]

How could i have missed! One of the most dopest painters in history of minis! But Darren really need to get a mic! Love your content

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, this was a really fun interview for sure. Darren is just amazing.

[@jules_paints_40k29]

Only just found your channel thanks to Mr Latham and funny how he did end up being am art teacher in strange way ( and yes he is my hobby hero who I hope to meet one day ) , guess I'll be binge watching your channel all day .

[@VinceVenturella]

Well thank you, glad to have you along on the hobby journey. There are certainly lots of videos, tutorials and other stuff I would classify as slightly better (but just so) than white noise to have on while you paint. ;)

[@hpjssmith]

Yes! Same for me re Mephiston Red. Those first few brush strokes of it on a Skitarii cloak and I'm always amazed how rich the color is.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a very strong color for sure and there is something wonderful about a strong red.

[@christianschmidt1784]

Watching this, it feels kinda both amazing and intimidating at the same time. You see these years of experience and talent and then you see it breaking down into a 'human form'. I just wish Darren (or maybe SOMEBODY ELSE *nudge, nudge*) would continue his Masterclass level. Its a great level of learning to get good at it and not be afraid of messing an expensive model up. Fantastic interview, thanks a lot.

[@VinceVenturella]

I'll see what I can do, though I fear I am a poor substitute. :)

[@christianschmidt1784]

@@VinceVenturella all you have to do is a bit british accent ('colooor') and you sound much more sophisticated 😆

[@ThePaintingCoach]

Awesome video - thanks both!

[@variable5566]

I regret that I have but one like to give this video. Thanks to the two of you guys for helping me bring my painting up to an acceptable level. :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that means a great deal and is deeply appreciated.

[@finkmonkeyful]

Great interview. Darren Latham is one talented guy!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, his work is so wonderful and inspiring to me.

[@SwashBuccaneer]

Hero Quest...the real gateway drug. Man listening to Darren talk resonates so well with me. I was also into art and went to school for it and wanted to be a teacher as well. And I also can never finish an army cause I want them all to be pretty and hero level jobs lol

[@VinceVenturella]

I think it's a common challenge for sure. :)

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you 👍

[@TooMiniModels]

My favorite mini painter.

[@VinceVenturella]

Darren is just wonderful for sure. :)

[@alexmateiu2904]

I was doing the motivation thing that Darren is using before this video :D, I feel proud :)). Awesome interview

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, you're ahead of the game.

[@trovarion]

ohai there.

[@VinceVenturella]

ohai back. ;)

[@xasi989]

I needed this in my life!

[@VinceVenturella]

I did as well. :) - It was wonderful to interview him.

[@xasi989]

@@VinceVenturella Btw Vince, what happened to the question "which paint tastes the best?"

[@RotoRooster]

Maybe this shows my age in the hobby and as a painter but I'm happy Mike McVey finally got some props. His is a name that you don't really hear mentioned much anymore. Great interview all around.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah great artist and someone that set so many trends we see today.

[@martinsivertsen7485]

@@VinceVenturella an Interview with the artist with Mike McVey talking about his career would be fantastic.

[@alexandregillemadstudio1765]

Thanks you again for this very interesting video!!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tommywagner3154]

This is so damn awesome!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, this one was fun for sure.

[@jaybeepainting9413]

Watching this in late March, I can't help but feel sad for Darren. He was looking forward to Adepticon.. Covid-19 ruined that dream. He was enjoying releasing KZbin tutorials.. G**** W******* ruined that dream. Poor guy is having a rough run. Thanks for everything Daz!

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a shame for sure, it's great content and I hope he finds a way to keep teaching, he has such a gift for it.

[@WengoYo]

That will be the new Darren meme "Don't worry Darren, I can't paint either!" Amazing interview!

[@VinceVenturella]

This one was so much fun, I was thrilled we were able to record this.

[@xavierp.1378]

Hi, Thank you so much for this interview and all the time you put in into your channel. It's always a pleasure to listen to this. I have a question related to another episode I've watched a long time ago, but can't remember which, here it is: You showed a miniature half fire/half ice from a great painter, and you were shocked by the amount of white on the base and how well it was balancing with the intensity of the fire. The sad part of this is I cannot neither find the video nor the mini. Do you remind what this specific mini was and if so, could you please give me the name of the painter / miniature / video so that I can take one more look to that mini? Thanks you so much. By the way : your videos / tips and stuff are wonderful, but what I like the most on this channel is what's unique: interview with the artists, the exploring colors series and the discussion about others people stuff. That unique and the discussion you lead has an immense value as we see those minis/colors partially with your eyes. Hope you didn't spend half a day reading my comment as it is quite long, and thanks again.

[@VinceVenturella]

No issue, happy to help as always. The miniature you are talking about is this one - twitter.com/flameminiatures/status/590490925446656000 It was done by Flameon miniatures.

[@marrokwolf1600]

this is flippin amazing great interview Vince

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you sir, this was a wonderful one for sure.

[@MassimoCristofolini]

OOOOOOO!!!!! The time has come!

[@VinceVenturella]

The day is finally here. :)

[@michaelcoull8590]

I would really, really like to see helmet-less heads options for the Kharadron Overlords!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, that conversion is wonderful. :)

[@nickjohnson2570]

The first White Dwarf I owned was the one after Heroquest and Space Crusade came out. I used to love the oldskool orks with their crazy banners and the lead dreadnaught with the gretchin peering out the hatch......we would never trust a gretchin to pilot one of them these days. Nothing very grimdark about that era - they had so much comic value to them. I remember a vid with you mentioning the people who reckon 40k is not a luaghing matter and must be grimdark with no laughs but it realy WAS NOT way back when! Even the old Imperial Spacemarines were hard to take very seriously - they always looked like they were crouching down tom take a dump! I remember getting that box xetwhen I was 9 or 10 and deciding flesh tearers was the easiest paint job. I painted them all plain chaos black with a bad moon yellow stripe on their head, boltgun metal waepons and that was them complete - and I was proud! The skeleton army plastic box was easy too - just dont paint them as they were a cream bone colour right off the sprew lol

[@VinceVenturella]

Amazing and I was certainly there as well. :)

[@x31omega]

Older video but I hope someone reads this and comments or rebukes my theory. Instead of waiting for your design to be mass produced wouldn' it make sense to 3-D print a test model first, in order to paint and physically manipulate the multiple pieces it will be broken down into to be manufactured in. Build it, Give it a basic paint. Look for issues like gaps, weak points, balance issues and issues with paints, like Layer smoothness, unwanted wash pooling areas and so forth. Then fix your 3D sculpt to address those issues. Rinse and repeat as needed. Final one last print, give to coworker to build, then to paint guys to give a basic paint. Make sure of no absolute necessary issues left. Just seems a better way to do it. That's just my opinion.

[@VinceVenturella]

I see all the comments, but I'm not sure what you're responding to exactly. :)

[@thebag1981]

Tonight the part of Darren Latham will be played by Martin Freeman.

[@VinceVenturella]

They do look similar, it's true. Darren should be going out for Season 5 of Sherlock.

[@TheMiniaturesPaintbrush]

Ah the Space Wolves... Howl on good Sirs howl on!

[@VinceVenturella]

Unfortunately, the worst of all space marine factions are a shared interest of yourself and Darren. ;)

[@davidkinniburgh2265]

I've been waiting for this one :D

[@VinceVenturella]

It was a lot of fun for sure.

[@en10e]

What is the sculptor's name they bring up about the skaven model? I'm sorry, I can't quite make it out :(

[@VinceVenturella]

Seb Perbet. Hope that helps.

[@en10e]

@@VinceVenturella thank you! It does help.

[@Spongemonkey26]

It's too bad Darren won't be continuing his channel once he finishes this series. His tutorials have been game changing.

[@VinceVenturella]

? I didn't see anything that said he was stopping his channel? What made you think he's stopping everything. Did I miss this?

[@Spongemonkey26]

@@VinceVenturella I want to say in one of his videos he stated he wasn't going to continue, probably due to a GW thing. His next masterclass video is said to be his last.

[@triplow1]

The secret to Daz's success revealed at 7:09 A cup of paint water a day...

[@VinceVenturella]

Paint within, paint without.

[@georgesimo9197]

I can only mash the "like" button so hard. The only downside is I can't watch/listen this video in front of the missus. She's got a massive crush on Mr. Latham. #LathamforBond2021

[@VinceVenturella]

He would be a great bond, I would support that. :)

[@dlatham1281]

😬😂

[@benpotter4438]

I have pictures of Darren on my wall!

[@VinceVenturella]

I have miniatures he sculpted on mine. ;) - I think it's basically the same thing, but he's a true hobby hero.

[@deadgamer1918]

Looks like Vince is back on the Diet Dr. Pepper!!!!! TAKE THAT SPORTS DRINKS!

[@VinceVenturella]

Nope, still caffeine free, no Diet Dr. Pepper since August of last year.

[@3djooboy]

Watching this after Darren's announcement on youtube that he's stopping vids.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, it's a shame, but we were lucky to have it while we did. :)

[@Hoppinnerd]

I keep telling my self that Darren's my long lost brother since we share the same first name lol.

[@VinceVenturella]

Makes sense to me.

[@smoothgrvs]

Isnt he like a Keanu Reeves of our hobby.

[@VinceVenturella]

Dead on. 100%

[@PatRick-ru7qe]

Fast forward one month, GW goes "no YT for you bro" :(

[@VinceVenturella]

It's a shame, I don't know the whole story, but I am sad to hear he has to take his channel down. It was great to have the resources while it lasted though. :)

[@jaretmoskal5558]

Just got around to finishing this. It’s a shame what they did to him

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, it's a shame to lose such a great teacher from KZbin, we can always hope for the future. :)