It's Friday, and that means fan art! For all of those going to JordanCon (and those of us deadly jealous we can't go), I've got a real treat. We're taking a look at the artists participating in the art show, and I've also got an interview with one of the artists.

Edsel J. Arnold

Edsel is a dad to three, he lives in Atlanta, and his favorite Disney characters are the blue fairy and Pocahontas. He also makes, really, really awesome art, strongly influenced by Art Nouveau. You've probably seen some of his Wheel of Time art before! How about we look at his awesome art first, and then on to the interview!

Pink Ribbons - Mat and Tylin

Selene

Graendal

Semirhage

The Ecstasy of St. Nynaeve the Healer

I think Edsel's art is so special and precious. The Mucha-inspired style is very unique when it comes to Wheel of Time fanart, and it is a style he truly masters! My personal favorite is the one of Selene, but I find it very, very hard to choose. I'm very much looking forward to following this artist in the future and see what he comes up with next!

Now let's get to know him a little better shall we? Interview time!

1. What is your own personal favorite Wheel of Time fanart artist/piece?

There are so many, because I'm such a WOT fan… I love all the e-book covers, especially the New Spring cover by Jason Chan, Moiraine by Dan Dos Santos and the Bowl of Winds by Julie Bell. I also like Seamus Gallagher's character sketch of Faile.

2. What will be your next Wheel of Time project?

I plan to finish the Nouveau Female Forsaken… including one wielder of saidin <>. I also have major ideas for Lan, Mat, and Rand.

3. Who's your favorite characters, and moments in the books?

Nynaeve and Mat are my favorite of the Fab Five… mostly because I relate to both. Like Nynaeve I come from a small conservative town and strike a balance between keeping my old values while being attracted to the trappings of exotic cultures. Like Mat, I always complain the whole time while I'm doing the right thing! LOL My other favorites are Verin (BIG fan) and Moiraine.

4. How long have you been doing digital painting?

Probably about 3 or 4 years.

5. Did you do traditional art before going digital?

Yes, I used to paint solely in Watercolor. Pink Ribbons is watercolor which has been scanned and placed on a darker background than the original white paper. However, digital painting works best for me these days because of my scattered available working time between 3 very busy kids and my regular job and my wife working full time, too. I can put it down and pick it up as often as I need to, and nothing's ruined in between!

6. What can those going to JordanCon expect to see from you? Are you bringing prints etc?

All the paintings from last year plus 2 new WOT pieces and a new non-WOT piece. I'll be selling pieces in the silent auction and will also try to make a few open edition prints available as a pre-launch to the print page I'm adding to my website around May 1st.

7. If you could go back in time and talk to Robert Jordan, what would you talk about?

I want more information on Alanna… was she a dark friend… and especially more information on Verin's letters to see if my guesses are correct. In a general sense, I'd like to talk to him about the Seanchan, who I find fascinating, and also about his personal religious beliefs and how they influenced a world without a specific religion.

8. Is there one thing you've always wanted to paint (WoT or not) that you've never been able to do?

I have so many ideas… but some are beyond my current Digital skills. They stay on the list though, and I'll eventually do them as I learn what I need to create them. I have an idea for a Galadriel piece I need to get working on soon.

9. What others books do you like beside Wheel of Time?

Lord of the Rings was my first love, I was enthralled with the history book Warriors of God by James Reston, Jr., and Devil in the White City, and Song of Ice and Fire.

10. Do you have any tips for new artists?

Practice, practice, practice. No fear in art… experiment. Not necessarily the best advice in life, but certainly the best advice in art and design. If art is really what you want to do, don't give up on it even if life throws you roadblocks… unlike a sports career, you can draw until you die. I'm coming back to it at the end of a successful Architecture career. Honestly look at what's unique about your work and enhance it to strengthen your personal style.

If you have the cash, I'd absolutely recommend buying a print from Edsel! And someone stop by and say hi to him from me!

Let's take a look at some of the other artists showing!

Larry Elmore

The Artist Guest of Honor this year in the art show is Larry Elmore! If you haven't heard the name before, you must be pretty new to the fantasy genre! His art is iconic. I was introduced to his art through the Dragonlance books (shown here, Raistilin and Crysania from the Twins trilogy.). He's made art for Dungeons and Dragons amongst others, and his career is spanning 40 years! You can see more of his art at his website.

Melissa Gay

She works in several mediums; acrylic, oil paint, digital art, pencils, and watercolor. Her art ranges from book covers, to t-shirt illustrations. Her works has been in a roleplaying book for the Dresden Files, among other things. Check her out at her website.

Sam Flegal

A specialist in oil paintings, Flegal has made art for Warhammer, among other things, and he specializes in epic fantasy and graphic horror. His works have been used both as book covers and game art. View more at his website.

Ariel Burgess

Our well known and beloved Wheel of Time artist, the maker of the card deck and the calendar for sale through Ta'veren Tees. Burgess is a natural to find at JordanCon! Among other things, you can buy a poster of the image featured above (The Dragon Reborn)! Here's her website. And for those of us unable to go to JordanCon, the print will be available at Ta'veren Tees after the Con!

Now this is just a small amount of the artists you'll see at the JordanCon art show! So for those that are going, the art show is absolutely worth your time!

So, are you going? Which artist's work are you most looking forward to see? And if you're not, how are you gonna spend your weekend?

Until next week, my darlings!