Kushiel's Dart Art Analysis: Tran Nguyen

See larger versions of the images here!

Subterranean Press recently released a special edition of Kushiel's Dart (which is already sold out) featuring new art by Tran Nguyen.  Being a fan of Tran's already, I was ecstatic to see one of my favorite books illustrated by one of my favorite artists!  As an artist endeavoring to create art for this world, I thought I'd share my thoughts on these illustrations for my own education (and for other curious minds).

First off, that main cover image.  What a risky move it was to portray Phèdre without relying on her iconic tattoo or eye coloration!  The cover relies on atmosphere dripping in sensuality and a dreamlike quality, which suits those moments of divinity that mark the lives of the characters of Kushiel's Dart during their most trying times.  The hint of an angelic figure lifting Phèdre up perfectly plays on her connection to the divine.  The faint silhouette of a city on the bottom right also does well to place the narrative in a picturesque medieval land.  

My only critique would be that the image doesn't seem to crop very well to the front cover, in my opinion.  I would have liked to see more of a hint of wing on the front cover in the corner, since it's such a telling detail.  These are just minor complaints, however, as the whole cover is so dreamy and gorgeous!  It's also a perfect supplement to the previous cover art by John Jude Palencar, Tran's art being a more feminine subtle rendition similar to his.

As for the new interior art, it's wonderful to see Joscelin portrayed, especially!  He's a character that never seems to get as much lime light as other characters when it comes to interpretations.  Tran's portrayal of him is spot on to my mind's eye, though I would have liked to have seen more attention paid to his iconic twin vambraces, which I always envision as metal instead of leather, an important detail to the lore of the novel.  Even still, the simplicity of the composition is elegant and beautiful.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Melisande and Phedre adorned in their masquerade attire for the Longest Night, an image many fans (including myself) have been waiting for!  Melisande's imposing figure in the composition clasping Phèdre's with the leash wrapping around them both is perfection and I love the choice of physical features for both characters.  Melisande reminds me of Monica Bellucci, who I always cast as Melisande in my headcannon.  

I would have liked to have seen Phedre with a more elated expression in this piece to show Melisande's power over her.  I also would have enjoyed seeing them with their bird themed masks, but the presence of the masks may have distracted from their gorgeous facial features.  I'm not a fan of the night gown style for Phèdre's diamond studded sheer dress either, but I can understand the need for it to keep the interior art PG.

All in all, I hope Tran starts selling prints soon!  I know I'm not the only one who would love collecting these images.  I'm always happy to see more official Kushiel's Legacy art, especially when it's this gorgeous!

What do you all think of these new illustrations of our favorite Kushiel characters?  Share in comments!

Sketch Diary: Kushiel's Dart Cover Part 3

After designing Phedre's marque and Kushiel, this painting has finally arrived at finished!  It's been a long, long journey and there was a definite turning point in the middle where this image changed completely, much to my surprise.

What was the turning point?  The biggest one was a change in color scheme inspired by Giancola's beautiful cover for Kushiel's Dart.  I decided mine was too similar and wanted to strike out on my own by experimenting with the color scheme, swapping the strong reds and whites for jewel tone garnet and pale blues.  The difference was like night and day!  Check out this process video to see how the painting morphed into what it is today:

The finished art:

Kushiel's Dart by =AngelaSasser on deviantART
Prints available at my Storenvy shop.

You can also view a step-by-step with detailed notes at WiPnation.

What did I learn?

- Keep it simple!  If I were to start over, I would make this even more simple, since I got very carried away by all the details.  Clear figures and composition with a hint of narrative to tease the mystery are better than jam packed images that tell you everything.

- Master copies are the best medicine if you're ever stuck on a piece!

- Don't be afraid to 'murder your darlings'. I changed this image SO many times by the end that I pretty much destroyed it - ALL in service of making a more successful piece.

What's next?

Inspiration begets inspiration!  I'd love to return to the carving of Kushiel and brush up the design, as well as try my hand at the rest of Elua's companions in the same window carving style.

Considering how much I learned from this exercise, I'd really love to try my hand at rendering other covers in the series.  I've been wanting to re-read the books and this would be the perfect excuse.  I'm sure character sketches and other art will sprout up along the way.  I hope you'll stay tuned!

Go to Part 1

Back to Part 2

Sketch Dairy: Kushiel's Dart Cover Part 2

The last entry involved a lot of ideation about the composition of the cover.  Well, we're not through yet!  Here comes the fun part that the research nerd in me adores.

Gathering Reference

The reason I gather references after creating my thumbnails instead of before is so that I can preserve the energy of my drawing without getting caught up on details that don't need to be defined just yet.  It can be a real time sink when you're trying to get ideas out fast!

But now? Research, glorious research!  Here are just a few of the images I pulled up to get my creative juices flowing:

This is just a sample of the items I've gathered
on my Kushiel's Legacy Board  on Pinterest.

The visual themes I kept in mind while I researched:

- Classical Orientalist/Romantic paintings
- Blood red roses
- White marble
- Sheer cloth
- Glowing skin

I also lit and photographed my own references for the figure.  Here's just one from the set of many that I took trying to get it right:

Sketch Dairy: Kushiel's Dart Cover Part 1

In the last post, I shared my thumbnails exploring the idea of a redesign of the cover of Kushiel's Dart as illustrated by John Jude Palencar.  I explored many themes in this initial set of thumbnails, including Phèdre's masked guise at the Longest Night masquerade to a more spiritual connection with prayer and doves in the later thumbnails.

It was very difficult to choose between what iconic symbols of this series I wanted to show - the heterochromia of Phèdre's eyes or her symbolic rose marque tattoo.  In the end, I personally favored the tattoo, as her eyes just aren't readable from far away and a prospective reader needs to be drawn in a little more immediately.  Number 7 seems the most aesthetically pleasing, but it feels too confident to me for a coming of age story such as this one.  Number 8 vogues the most with me for the possibilities of creating a very atmospheric spiritual piece and the presence of an angel statue, which very much ties into the lore of the universe.  The rest of the thumbnails feel too generic and posed to be interesting.

Nothing is quite hitting the mark, so on to the next set of thumbnails!

Number 1 still feels too boring and generic while number 3 shows the very important object of Melisande's diamond. However, new readers won't understand the significance of this diamond, which still leaves me with a rather boring image.  Number 4 is my second favorite in this batch again for the possibilities of a twilight garden with Phèdre in somber prayer before an angel statue.

Number 2 was my 'eureka moment' and my favorite out of this batch. Something about the idea of Phèdre framed by a bronze panel engraved with angelic wings and guarded by the bronze masked priests of Kushiel resonates visually.  Is Phèdre a prisoner enchained or is she chained to the post willingly?  Readers who know the story can appreciate the moment that inspired this scene (the scourging at the temple of Kushiel), while those who don't know it yet will (hopefully) start asking questions about her predicament, which is exactly the kind of interest I want in a cover!