I’m afraid this first look at the Small Council is one of my better pictures in this series. Even after I realized the biggest problem was I’d drawn Ned’s head too big I wasn’t happy with his pose. Still, this is my first take on three characters, Janos Slynt, Renly Baratheon, and Varys.
Slynt, in a way, was the easiest. Martin describes him pretty well as bald and jowly, kind of a middle manager in armor. The Goldcloaks’ costume was the hard part. I had trouble finding good references for what a 15th-century guard would be wearing. I finally decided to loosely base them on the Vatican Swiss Guard, and since Slynt is the captain, I gave his uniform plumes.
Renly was a more subtle challenge. Most of the fans write him off as just a pretty boy. The thing is, while the show has him completely out of the closet, the book does not and as far as the first book is concerned we’re supposed to be fooled by this handsome charming package.
Finally, we come to my personal favorite, Varys. Now as far as my personal take is concerned, and I look forward to being proved wrong when the next book finally comes out, “Varys” is just another disguise worn by an unnamed character I call “The Pro From Lys”. It is certainly their primary disguise that they spend the most time on. To be “Varys” they probably add a little bit of padding, but not too much since there’s only so much you can do with your face, then they play up their effeminacy with the clothes, mannerisms, perfume, and makeup. )Martin doesn’t mention makeup but it seems to be a logical part of the “Varys” persona.
“It’s the Hand’s tourney that’s the cause of all the trouble, my lords,” the Commander of the City Watch complained to the king’s council. “The king’s tourney.” Ned corrected, wincing. “I assure you, the hands wants no part of it.”
