Featured Fan Art: The Calm Before the Everstorm

Greetings, all! To up the hype surrounding the imminent release of Oathbringer (if that’s possible), Botanica and I were asked to write a column centering on the incredibly talented artists in the cosmere fandom. In this issue, we focused on recently created Stormlight fan art, with pieces focusing on scenes and characters from the first two books. We picked a varied group of artists from all across the globe, highlighting the diversity of the cosmere fandom and the creatives who produce fabulous artwork for it. So, without further blab, let’s talk art.

First up, the amazing Toast Samurai from the land of snow, Canada. Over the last several months, Toast has given us a large number of awesome art pieces, including my favorite depiction of Kaladin. In which he swears his oath and glows with stormlight, saving Dalinar from impending doom. This is the piece featured below:

(Toast Samurai, Kaladin)

Deviantart: https://toastsamurai.deviantart.com/
Tumblr: http://toastsamurai.tumblr.com/tagged/toast-draws

Artist Statement: “I was captivated by Kaladin's struggle throughout The Way of Kings—you knew this man was going to be special from his spirit alone. When he finally said his Oath and bursts alight as a Radiant after going back to save Dalinar... It can be no more eloquently put than the line: “Can you feel it? Something just changed. I believe that’s the sound the world makes when it pisses itself.” 

According to Toast, she got into the cosmere about five years ago after a friend recommended the books to her, and has been hooked ever since. She currently works as a legal assistant, but wants to apply to become a paramedic next year. She mainly views art as a hobby, but creates extraordinary pieces of art, nonetheless.

Next up, Meat (Yen Shu Liao), an Asian-American who sometimes hangs out in 17th Shard’s discord server. Meat has provided us with a set of amazing Thunderclast sketches that depict these legendary monsters in a variety of poses and performing multiple different feats. Drawn in ink on white paper, Meat’s depiction of the thunderclast makes this terrifying monster come to life (without Odium’s spren):

(Meat, a.k.a. Yen Shu Liao, Thunderclast)

Artstation: http://yensliao.artstation.com/
Deviantart: https://ysliao.deviantart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yenovich/

Artist Statement: “They are exploring what a thunderclast might look like according to the descriptions in the first 2 books of Stormlight Archive. I'm also thinking of doing a few more location-specific ones next month.”

Meat is a self-employed concept artist living in NYC, who mostly focuses on creating concept art of monsters, creatures, and other beasts. He says that his girlfriend introduced him to the cosmere last year, starting with Mistborn, dragging him into the cosmere like the rest of us.

Our third artist is Angel802 (pansel on tumblr), and is from China. For this article, we asked to feature Angel1802’s Kaladin. This is a digital painting depicting Kaladin near the end of Words of Radiance after he swore his third oath and informs Szeth: “The sky and wind are mine. I claim them, as I now claim your life.” 

(Angel1802, Kaladin the Knight Radiant)

deviantart: https://angel1802.deviantart.com/
redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/angel1802
tumblr: http://pansen1802.tumblr.com/

Artist Statement: “This picture was painted the night I finished Words of Radiance. Since Kaladin really suffered a lot in the first book so I thought it would be easier for him in the second one, and I was wrong. Mr. Sanderson showed me the harder you push him the greater he can become. “I claim wind and sky”, wooo how beautiful it is! he was getting not only physically stronger but also more mentally matured. His image as a wind chaser just pumped into my eyes, and I couldn't get over it the whole night. So I jumped off my bed and drew it down.”

Angel1802 is a professional digital artists from China who has depicted various scenes from the Stormlight books over the last two years. Such as Kaladin’s and Adolin’s duel in the arena, a picture of Kaladin and Syl, and Adolin and Kaladin on the Shattered Plains. She also paints art for The Silmarillion, Overwatch, and various other fandoms.

Next up is Grant M. Hansen, who’s beautiful depictions of scenes, places, and characters from the Stormlight Archives have graced the fandom for years. Hailing from Utah, we picked Grant’s Dalinar from his Stormlight Archive fanzine depicting the Kholin family. In this picture, Dalinar is leading the Cobalt Guard in a charge, riding on top of Gallant and summoning his Shardblade. 

(Grant M Heart, Dalinar)

Website: https://www.gmhansen.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grantmhansen/ 
Tumblr: https://gmhansenart.tumblr.com/ 

Artist Statement: “This is Dalinar Kholin, The Blackthorn. I wish his shard plate looked a whole lot cooler, but I’m really new to designing armor. I’m very happy with the layout, however. And, as a bonus I was able to sneak in a little self-portrait. Indeed, I am now officially an honorary member of the Cobalt Guard.”

Grant is a professional digital artists who designs book covers, logos, and concept art, and works at Bluehost. He has recently created a fan zine (which you can view on the Shard) depicting the each of the living members of the Kholin family and other pieces of Stormlight art. Grant’s art is lively, beautiful, and epic, bringing the characters and places to life through art.

Fifth is Marianne Eie is a digital artist from Norway, who has joined the fandom in the last few years. We picked Marianne’s wonderful digital painting of the chasms, which she aptly describes as a “damp place of life and death.”

(Marianne Eie, The Chasms)

Website: http://marianne-eie.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianne.eie/
Tumblr: http://marianneeie.tumblr.com/

Artist Statement: “The chasms were always my favorite areas in Roshar, and when I decided I wanted to draw an environment piece I knew I had to pick this place. I love the rich transformation from monotonous plateaus and vastness into a swampy world teeming with life -- a damp place of life and death, terrible and beautiful, claustrophobic and serene (unless you meet a chasmfiend, ha).”

Marianne has recently finished her degree in Concept Art, and is currently pursuing a career as a concept artist and illustrator. She describes herself as having a soft-spot for Brandon’s work, and has draw beautiful concept art for the Stormlight Archive in her free time, depicting scenes from the books, characters, creatures, and various other things from Roshar.

Finally, Eric’s favorite piece, Shallan Davar by dnavenom. Dnavenom hails from the beautiful European country of Bulgaria, and has created both this wonderful piece of digital art, and my favorite image of the Blackthorn. This piece shows Shallan running in fear from the Cryptics, displaying a rich variety of colors and a beautiful depiction of the Daughter of Lies:

(Dnavenom, a.k.a.. Peter Penev, Shallan Davar)

Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/dnavenom
Deviantart: https://dnavenom.deviantart.com/

Artist Statement: “I`m captivated by fantasy art, since the moment when I became a sentient being, somewhere after the age of 24-25 maybe. My goal is to portray magic as realistic as possible, but still keep the feeling of mystery behind these alien worlds. I still try to stay away from photorealism. Art must still look like art after all, right?”

Like many cosmere fan, he picked up the books after Brandon was picked to finished the Wheel of Time. Dnavenom is a self-taught artist who formerly studied and worked as an architect, before he realized that he wanted more creativity in his life, decided to scrap six years of his life, and become a game and illustrative artist, focusing on fantasy art. As Dnavenom says, “It`s never too late for fantasy!”

Thanks for taking your time to look at this amazing art! We'll see you after Oathbringer, with articles about the art from inside the book and new fan art create by a our next group of amazing featured fan artists. We hope you're looking forward to that as much as we are, until then, let there be art.

(Botanicaxu, Cosmere Artists)