Daenerys Targaryen

Emilia Clarke’s portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones was nothing short of breathtaking, one of the most iconic performances of modern TV, even if the show let her down in the end. From the start, Daenerys was a character defined by power, feminism, and motherhood, and she deserved to be captured in paint.

For this fantasy pop art portrait, I wanted to blend Daenerys’s iconic beauty and strength with a nod to the rich history of the fantasy genre. The painting is done using a mix of acrylics, ink, and spray paint, with the decoupage background taken from the ‘Art of Lord of the Rings’ book. This choice reflects the deep influences and history of fantasy storytelling, grounding Daenerys in the legacy of epic fantasy heroes.

Her portrait is portrayed in soft, opaque tones, allowing the text and images from the book’s pages to peek through, symbolising the layers of history, mythology, and power that Daenerys carries with her. To capture the raw energy of her character, I scraped and attacked the paint, revealing the story beneath.

I wanted this painting to not only showcase Daenerys’s beauty but also her power, the inner strength that allowed her to rise from nothing to become a force of nature. The broken edges and texture of the piece reflect the complexities of her character, portraying a powerful woman who, despite her challenges, remains unbroken.