Karl Kopinski

Karl Kopinski is a self-taught illustrator who briefly attended art school before leaving to teach himself classical techniques, drawing inspiration primarily from Rembrandt and Caravaggio. He has been working as an illustrator since 1997, notably for Games Workshop, where he illustrated the Warhammer 40,000 universe—his interpretation of Commissar Yarrick remains an iconic image of the franchise, praised for its harsh and uncompromising realism. This collaboration paved the way for other prestigious partnerships: Wizards of the Coast for Magic: The Gathering, as well as Ubisoft, Hasbro, and Fantasy Flight Games, along with numerous board games such as Cthulhu: Death May Die and A Game of Thrones. He has also been commissioned by director Peter Jackson and fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, for whom he illustrated a portrait and the cover of a book. Passionate about portraiture, Kopinski maintains a daily practice of drawing with pencil and ink, and devotes part of his personal work to series on cycling as well as large-scale oil portraits that blend his expertise in fantasy with the rigor of classical painting. A member of the Superani collective, he lives and works in Nottingham, where he continues to develop a style recognized for its realism and historical depth.