Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Children of Stark

I made up this illustration based on Game of Thrones (or A Game of Thrones, for the book aficionados out there) for a mini-zine that someone is putting together. Hopefully it makes the cut, but nevertheless, it was fun to make.


I'd like to think that this is a full blown illustration, but at its heart it's fan art, I know. And is that such a bad thing? I think most of the work I make is inspired by someone else's work, and while my effort pays tribute to their work, at the same time it tries to capture the same energy and spirit that the original work was created with. That doesn't make much sense, but that's the best way I can describe it.

And so, it should be known that George R.R. Martin's books have become sort of an obsession for me. In a matter of two months I've consumed the first two books, and I'm now on the third, and this coming from a very slow reader. Chances are that the rest of the summer will be devoted to the fourth and fifth books, and then I have to wonder what I'll be reading in the fall because I doubt that I'll find anything to live up to this series. And from what I hear, the HBO adaptation is top notch, so I can't wait to finally see that (I lack the means for cable TV).


Also, I fell in love with the pencils I made for this illo, to the point where I was considering just leaving it at that (with the exception of the bottom text, that always needed work). There was just an energy and vibrancy to the pencils that I really liked, and that I've rarely been able to capture through inks. But at the same time, the ink forces you to commit to something, whether a line, expression, or layout, and it has a very good way of exposing your mistakes. So, in the end, I'm pleased with the final result, and I'm even thinking this may deserve a watercolor treatment down the road.

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