The Emperor

Prompt: Azazel

Artist’s notes:

I’ve done several cards for this deck, and I’d have to say that the Emperor card has been the most difficult. I would have preferred to do the card with John in this role, but as someone had already taken that prompt, I agreed to look at Azazel as the Emperor.

In the Major Arcana, the Emperor is filled with enthusiasm, energy and aggression. He is direct and irresistible. He can be a tyrant, impatient, demanding, and controlling. He can be the leader everyone wants to follow, ruling with a solid foundation, intelligence and enthusiasm, but he can also be trapped by his throne, restless and bored.

As I can’t really draw, I was limited to images from the show, and it was difficult to find Azazel seated in the typical Emperor fashion. I ended up using a picture of a seated Samuel Campbell before he had been possessed and colored the eyes. I used the image of John possessed by Azazel, first of all because I loved that scene, but mostly because I felt it represented clearly the tyrant aspect of the card, demanding and controlling, aggression and intelligence.

Frederic Lehne is probably the most popular incarnation of Azazel, so I made his image prominent as well. His face is steadfast, resolute, the demanding leader who will go to any lengths to win. The last image of Azazel that I used was that of him standing over Sam’s crib, a pivotal scene in the show, and an image that shows him building the foundation of his ‘special’ children.

I tinted the card for 2 reasons, both artistic. The various images didn’t quite match up as far as saturation and coloring, and making most of the card a monotone color really let the yellow eyes stand out.

The Emperor

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