I'm not familiar with any of her work but by the picture alone, damn near exactly the face I had in mind when reading.  I know it doesn't really make sense as Aes Sedai are supposed to have "ageless" faces but thats what I pictured lol

I've recently started rereading the series (just finished TDR) and I gotta say, it's even better the second time around.  So much foreshadowing and small details I never picked up on in my first read through.  It helps that Its been like 10 years since the last time I read it, even though I know the major story beats most of how we get to those is completely new to me again.  

As far as Ishamael telling Rand that he had sometimes resisted and sometimes not, we KNOW that to be false.  Had the dragon ever failed or succumbed to the shadow the pattern would have been destroyed and this age would never have come to pass.  Ishamael was either lying or insane and had false memories.