The loss of one of Daenerys’ beloved dragons to the Night King inspired artist Robert Ball’s piece this week, and even he had a hard time wrapping his mind around what happened.
“I was surprised how emotional the episode was. This week I got quite far down the line with one idea, then changed my mind with two days to go,” shared Ball.
“I originally had the Night King in profile, with Viserion over-layed. The idea was that their eyes would meet, symbolising the Night King's new power over the dragon,” Ball explained. “I think it's a cool visual, but something nagged at me — it wasn't really emotional enough.”
Ball went back to the drawing board, “and came up with a new idea that was based on Daenerys' heart breaking. She would be cradling her royal chain of office, with one dragon head missing. Her hands would form the shape of a heart, and her winter coat would turn into mountains toward the bottom, forming a background for the desperate fight below.”
See the final poster and rough drafts of both ideas below.
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