New Pic

[Tysha]

Hey guys!
Just wanted to share with you my new pic:
Snow by ~jekaa on deviantART


the old ones:
jekaa's deviantART gallery

[Charming Serpent]

Always good as usual, Tysha. When u going to do one of me?? :P

[KiwiBird]

i like it, it has actually given me a new perspection, on how he might look like, i always imagined him with longer hair then that till now.

The one thing i 'd maybe like different is his skincolour. Do the books say that his skincolour is like that? I always figured Robb, Bran, Sansa to be the fairfaced ones, with white easy burned by the sun skin. Whilst Jon an Arya have a darker look, accostumed to the north. i mean it's like when you go skieing, from the sun, and its reflection on the snow you get easily tanned. not that i see him with a yellowed tan, but something between kaukasian blank, and brown skin. i cant explain it very well. like how they depicted the farseer skincolour on one of the paperback covers. though i have no idea what editon it is/was.

After a second glance i noticed it is a complete black/white image and i just made an utter fool out of myself. Dont be too hard with the hatemail pls.

[Lady of Winterfell]

Very nice Tysha!

[Pravuil]

I always imagined Jon with longer hair as well--thanks fors the new perspective! Great artwork as well.

The books do say Jon has darker skin, but after all his time on the wall I'd say the poor boy is blanched white and discolored from the extreme cold.

[Wiggum]

Probably my favorite one so far.

Jon is my paramount character, and I've never put a face to him, but you may have just done it for me.

[Boaz]

Tysha, this is the first picture of Jon sans Ghost that I've seen. I think showing Jon without Ghost is brilliant.

Once again, you've gone straight for the humanity of the character.

In this picture I see a boy (let's not forget his extreme youth) wrestling with a decision. More than any other character, Jon has to make many tough decisions without major input from external forces... except for being returned to Castle Black by his young brothers. Dany, Tyrion, Catelyn, Theon, Eddard, Jaime, and almost every other character make their decisions amid the omnipresent and intrusive whirlwind of social expectations, family, religion, and peer pressure. Jon is removed from most of these. He does not have parents, sycophants, maesters, priests, friends, and bosses telling him what he must do. The Old Bear, Maester Aemon, Sam, Benjen, and Donal all share their wisdom, but ultimately leave him to his own decisions. Only Qhorin, Alliser, Janos, and now Stannis try to heavily influence his actions. By contrast, Dany is constantly being manipulated and pushed by Viserys, Illyrio, Drogo's bloodriders, the Dothraki, the Dosh Khaleen, Mirri, Pyat Pree, Xharo, Quaithe, the Good Masters, Jorah, the Titan's Bastard, Daario, and now her dragons. Only Brown Ben, Grey Worm, and mayhaps Arstan will prove to not unduly try to influence her.

I can imagine this picture coming from a number of scenes. He could be pondering Tyrion's words on their way to the Wall. He could be going to say his words to the heart tree. He could be listening to the near impreceptible cry of that albino pup. He could be walking back to Qhorin after not slaying Ygritte. He could be thinking of running off to join Robb. He could be on his way to treat/assassinate Mance. He could be watching Aemon, Sam, Gilly, and Mance's son leave. He could be pondering Stannis' offer of Winterfell.

He looks too young to be forced to make decisions like these... especially at his age.

Of course knowing the story allows me to bring an interpretation to the picture. But after reading and seeing your art, I must say that it is a more appropriate depiction of Jon than the original cover art. (The original US cover is here on the left side... the picture continues around to the back and it shows Ghost loping along behind Jon.) That cover art depicts the passion, ruggedness, majesty, and hope of the overall story, but not the struggles in Jon's heart. You've captured that.

Thanks again for sharing with us. Once again you've made me reflect upon the heart of one of Martin's characters. Well done.

[Eulalia]

I really like the complexity in your portrait of Jon. I can see his seriousness, decency, his intensity and his thoughtfulness.

[Tysha]

Thank you guys for all the encouragement
For me Jon was the second hardest character to draw (Tyrion is the first).

And OMG I never imagined him with a dark skin, I thought
"...dark where Robb was fair" was more about hair color... But I quess I was wrong, and now it's too late to change the pic of him in my head...
I thought that because Stark family is so northern their skin shoud be white :/

Boaz - wow, thanks. I really appreciate your comment, and that's very interesting thoughts.

There are too many "25-years-old dark wizard/hero Jon" pics...
I think artists that do not really know the characters (like for the cards games illustrations) make technically good but soulless pics... I wish I had their skills (not trying to get a compliment here).

Thanks again everybody

[HareBrain]

What does it for me is his right eye, and the contrast with his left. It gives his expression an astonishing complexity.

Eyes are the most important thing in a portrait and you've got his perfectly.

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

I love it. You're all right... Too many pictures of Jon looking mid twenties with a broad chest and pointed beard. He is a fourteen year old youth away from everything he is used to and thrown into a harsh world of cold and cruelty. He is bound to look concerned

Seriously, great picture, my joint favourite of all time.