Brushstrokes amid Betrayal

If you read the opening chapters of the forthcoming Clan Wars novel, A Throne Betrayed, in our recent preview, you’ll have seen that this epic tale features a number of brand-new illustrations from long-time L5R artist Axel (formerly Amelie) Hutt.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at a few more of these exquisite brush-and-ink style pieces, with commentary from Axel. No spoilers here, though – as you’d expect, a number of the illustrations depict pivotal moments from the saga, so you’ll have to pick up the book to see those.

Meeting in the Palace Gardens

One of the pieces featured in the preview depicts a meeting in the gardens of the Imperial Palace, between Doji Hotaru and Bayushi Kachiko. “Such a complex scene with complex emotions to convey for this piece with one character sitting and one standing,” says Axel.

“I ended up with a mirror composition so they are both in profile, but we see both of their expressions clearly, and used their hands to enhance their thoughts and feelings and to connect the characters in the center. I ended up with so many doodles for this that I skipped.”

The Arrival of Utaku Kamoko

Alongside Toturi, Doji Hotaru, Bayushi Kachiko and the other protagonists so far revealed, one of the more prominent characters is Utaku Kamako of the Unicorn Clan, whose arrival is depicted in this piece.

“I’m a huge fan of drawing horses and I wanted to show so much of it but for the sake of the composition I had to frame it off a bit. In the original sketch, I even took the armor off so we could see more of this beautiful horse but it had to come back on – haha! Drawing horse riders is always a challenge for me, not because of the complex anatomy of horses but because it’s hard to fit all of their awesomeness in a small square.”

Toturi’s Army

Featured on the cover of A Throne Betrayed (by Mauro Dal Bo) is the rōnin Toturi. The tale begins with Toturi as a man alone, but he won’t stay that way for long, soon gathering to him a small army (though to what end, perhaps even Toturi does not yet know). Toturi’s band of followers coalescing into something like an army is captured in another of Axel’s pieces.

“I felt like drawing more horses after Utaku so of course I took the opportunity to add a full rider in the background of this one,’ he says. “At the same time, I simplified the army greatly so that it didn’t look too busy but still felt crowded like an army, giving each soldier an attitude, a raised arm, a hat or a weapon despite the simple rendering.”

Axel’s illustrations feature throughout A Throne Betrayed, and if you haven’t already you can check out a couple more of them in our recent preview of the first three chapters.

The Clan Wars: A Throne Betrayed will be published on August 5, from Aconyte Books, and is available to pre-order now.