New Spring, the prequel to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, will be available in ebook form on July 22nd. In celebration of Jordan’s work, we have commissioned fourteen artists to interpret one of the Wheel of Time books in their own style. (Previous editions can be seen here.)
I’ve been a fan of Jason Chan’s since he was still in school, although I didn’t know he was still in school at the time. I had been following his work online for a while and, yes, clearly he was a young artists but I was still shocked when he mentioned going to his graduation during our first project together. He is a quiet and thoughtful artist and over the past handful of years has worked to hone his craft, both as a freelance illustrator and video game concept artist. Jason combines a love of manga with a strong background in traditional narrative painting and I was excited to get the chance to work with him on New Spring.
When it came to scenes to depict, it seemed natural to revisit Moiriane and Lan. New Spring is their story before Rand’s begins. Jason chose to express a quiet and contemplative moment. The early spring blossoms suggest changes about to occur, yet it is still cold. It is a heavy moment. The weight of their mission is just starting to take over youthful abandon.
Working with Jason is a dream. The action pose was very tempting but I thought the solemn moment between these two characters was more fitting for the beginning of the their journey.
Through these process shots, you can see his love of drawing and comic book influences. And then see how he slowly build up color and rendering on top of that foundation.
To keep up with all of our Wheel of Time posts, including information on the ebook releases, check out our Wheel of Time Index.
To see more of Jason Chan’s illustrations visit his website and Tor.com gallery.
Dragonmount has a video feature on the New Spring ebook cover, including a larger cover image.
