The Game of Seasons tetraptych was actually a happy accident! At first I was just drawing my favorite characters from the Game of Thrones HBO series, and challenging myself in the process. I wanted to step outside of my usual stylistic preferences and approach each one as a master study of Alphonse Mucha’s work and iconic style, and to have some fun. Having just been laid off from my job as a pixel artist, I suddenly had the free time required to take on a self driven illustration project like this, and needed the distraction.
First Daenerys happened, then Margaery. Each one took roughly thirty hours of work, not including the time I spent researching and observing the details of Mucha’s paintings and attempting to learn from and emulate them. After a few months, I finally added Ygritte and thought I would stop there. Again, I was only creating these for fun and drawing my favorite characters. Then an encounter with a complete stranger flipped my perspective on them when he asked, “I see you have Spring, Summer, and Winter finished, so where is Autumn?”
I felt so silly for not noticing the pattern developing in my own work, but decided to roll with it. Three days later I added Sansa to complete the set of Seasons I didn’t even know I was creating, and I’ve never been happier with a finished set of illustrations in my life.
I could write a whole bunch more about my life and struggles as an artist in the comics and gaming industry, but I’m not entering my life story into this contest, just these four pieces. I’m just a big fan who used some free time trying to create something beautiful and symbolic in homage to my favorite historical artist, my favorite series, and my four favorite women on television, albeit slightly by accident. Besides, I would rather have the finished pieces speak for themselves, so here they are. Enjoy!
Credits
- Artist: Missy Pena