Kurt Sutter's epic Sons of Anarchy has been lauded by fans and critics alike. For 7 long seasons, viewers watched Jax, his family, and his gang of biker brothers battle each other and other gangs to violent ends.
The show was relentless with constant violence, gritty scenes, and numerous dark moments. Nonetheless, fans could not look away.
Fans, more than critics, have carried on the show's legacy, as they continue to lend praise to SOA and its characters. One of the best ways they do this is by creating fan art. Some of the best fan art depicts the characters and the show in a much different way than viewers saw it weekly from season 1 to the end of season 7.
The illustrations in the fan art provide a totally different visual representation than what viewers became accustomed to. They touch on themes that the show never focused on. They even connect the show with other shows and movies that one would never think to associate it to.
Altogether, these pieces of art provoke thought and remind people of why they love the show and the characters. At their core, they are celebrations of a show that fans still miss to this day
With that said, here are the 20 Sons Of Anarchy Fan Redesigns Better Than What We Got.
20 Jax Riding with The Reaper
During its 7 season run, Sons of Anarchy was constantly praised for its gritty storytelling and realistic portrayal of the harsh and violent nature of biker culture.
SOA provided illusions to thematic elements such as tragedy and passings, but mostly stayed within the boundaries of real life.
Characters constantly discussed the Grim Reaper, even talking about him as if he existed and was an essential part of their lives and the club.
The show never personifies the Grim Reaper, instead keeping him as an unseen symbol.
This artist does show the Grim Reaper personified, by showing him follow Jax closely as he rides his motorcycle.
It speaks towards the theme of the show and also the fate of the show's main character.
19 Star Wars of Anarchy
Part of the fun of fan redesigns is that the art is open for interpretation. A drawing, painting, or digital design can take one piece of art and connect it to something completely different.
This is the case for this Star Wars and Sons of Anarchy crossover.
On their surfaces, Star Wars and Sons of Anarchy are two very different pieces of visual media. In fact, they do not even take place on the same planet.
Just by looking at the piece of art, however, one can make any interpretation they want.
Regardless of the conclusion reached, this piece elevates both Star Wars and Sons of Anarchy by taking it out of its box and stretching it across different mediums.
18 Sons of Anarchy Jacket
Jax Teller and crew are not concerned with the way they look. Each character, some more than others (Happy, anyone?), is covered in tattoos and clad in denim and leather.
The show never really addresses the fashion of its characters beyond the fact that they wear their leather and ink their bodies out of allegiance to the club.
Nonetheless, fans find it as an essential part of the show. Fans have paid homage to the show's fashion through cosplay and fan art, such as in this piece.
Here, the artist takes a specific focus to Jax’ leather jacket which shows the seal of the club that has the Grim Reaper holding a sickle on it.
While Jax may not care what his jacket looks like, the fans sure do.
17 The Originals: Jax and Clay
When the show premiered in 2008, Sons of Anarchy maintained a steady focus on two main characters: Jax and Clay.
Clay was a sort of father figure to Jax, despite not being the greatest person and rumors swirling that he was involved in Jax’ real father’s death.
This illustration by artist ADN-z does a great job reflecting the above two notions.
First, the piece is labeled as “SAMCRO Redwood Original,” which notes that these two characters were the original two on a show that focused on many characters.
It also highlights the nature of Clay as he stands above Jax, almost as if he is protecting him, but holding a sickle, a device used prominently by the Grim Reaper.
16 The Gang Back Together
Sons of Anarchy lasted a very long time. It has 7 seasons and a total of 92 episodes.
There was a lot of change between the first and final episode. People were kicked out of the biker gang, relationships were broken, and some people even ran away.
The constant change in the 7 seasons was a result of characters passing away under various different circumstances. This occurred so much that by the end of the show it became hard to remember every character and impossible to imagine them all together.
In this depiction of the show, the artist puts a number of important characters together.
By doing so, he is providing a side of the show and characters that was lost during the run of the series.
15 Chibs and Happy
The violence in Sons of Anarchy was consistently present. It also sometimes got a bit ridiculous, with the members of the Redwood Originals finding different ways to rid themselves of their enemies.
The violence was so ridiculous sometimes that it could be characterized as cartoonish.
In this artist’s depiction of Sons of Anarchy, they actually make two of the characters cartoons.
In what is titled “Toonstyle Mayhem,” the artist shows two of the supporting characters, Chibs and Happy, as sharp and colorful cartoons reminiscent of 2000s cartoon network characters.
The mayhem in the title is referring to the havoc they are causing as they are shooting a gun and throwing a Molotov cocktail.
14 The Art of Riding
Sons of Anarchy, like any other television show or movie, has to be considered a form of art. Whether some consider it to be a masterful, mediocre, or bad form of art, it is art nonetheless.
As with any other form of art, it is interpreted and reinterpreted through different means. In regards to interpretation, some have noted Shakespearean themes present in the story lines.
Fans play an integral part in reinterpreting the show.
In this piece, the artist takes a very prominent and recurring image of Jax riding his motorcycle and puts a unique twist on it.
The piece is reminiscent of an old, stucco painting with blurry, yet sharp visuals. It is a great piece of art that provides a whole new interpretation to a common image.
13 Jax and Tara
Jax and Tara had a complicated relationship. They had a past together that had its issues, but were still able to make it work and get back together due to their deep love for each other.
Their love, while strong, was often challenged by elements of Jax’ lifestyle. This included his mother, Gemma, who did not have a fondness for Tara, and other SOA members who did not trust her.
All of these elements caused tension between the couple.
This piece by Leanne Reynolds depicts something that the show could not. It shows Jax and Tara in love with each other while ignoring all the other factors that came into play in the television series.
12 Chibs, Gemma, Bobby, and Tig & his dog
Sons of Anarchy highlighted a lot of relationships, whether they be romantic, familial, or platonic. Some prominent relationships were Jax and Tara, Jax and Clay, and Opie and his wife, Donna.
The show put a lot of weight on these different relationships and often carried them through multiple seasons.
However, with so many characters, there was a lack of interaction between certain people.
That is why this fan art piece by Javadoodle is so unique. Front and center in the piece is Gemma and Chibs. While the two have an established relationship, one would not consider their close friendship to be a focus for a piece of art that represents the show.
Certainly more prominent than Gemma’s relationship with Chibs was her relationship with Jax and Clay.
This piece is a refreshing take on an underutilized and rarely discussed relationship.
11 Jax the Reaper
Since the dawn of film and television, the main character, or protagonist, of the show has always been a noble and good person.
Exceptions to this rule were made in the early 2000s with shows like The Shield and Sopranos, which had main characters that acted much more like the bad guy than the good guy.
Sons of Anarchy followed suit somewhat when they introduced Jax Teller to the world. Jax, while loved by fans of the show, cannot be considered a good guy based on his brutal actions towards other people.
The show refuses to go all-in on their representation of Jax as the antagonist that he truly is, but this piece of fan art doesn't shy away.
It shows Jax as the Grim Reaper holding a glowing ball with the “A” from “SOA” on the front, clearly acknowledging the anarchy that he caused throughout the series.
10 SOA meets The Simpsons
Sons of Anarchy, at its core, is a show about a family struggling to survive each other. The Simpsons, in a less literal way, is about the exact same thing.
That is why it is so interesting to see this unique take on both shows in this piece by ADN-z.
This illustration shows the extended SOA family. It shows everyone from blood relatives, such as Jax and Gemma, to brothers-in-arms, such as Chibs, Tig, and Juice.
All characters are “Simpsonized,” meaning they are illustrated in the style of the extremely popular show, The Simpsons.
While it is a really cool way of redesigning the main characters of SOA visually, it also questions the idea of family and connects two very different shows.
9 Juice
Juice started off as a relatively unimportant supporting character. After a few seasons, show runner Kurt Sutter began focusing more on this character, eventually making him an integral part of the later seasons.
Juice turned out to be one of the more compelling characters of the show, as he struggled with inner demons and his loyalty to a club that he was not sure would accept him if they learned who he really was.
Some might think that the show did not focus on him enough and have issues with him remaining a supporting character throughout the series.
This artist in this piece focuses solely on Juice, illustrating him as if he is falling apart.
Still visible is the intent look on his face and the SOA reaper tattoo on his forearm.
8 The Redwood Originals Ride
Sons of Anarchy is a bit of a throwback. It shows a subculture of people (motorcycle gang members) that are not commonly seen in the real world or in movies and television.
This illustration takes Sons of Anarchy and the subculture and makes it even more of a throwback.
In the image, Jax leads his pack of riders on the highway as they have determined looks on their faces. The style of art is reminiscent of 1980s television shows such as Miami Vice, with bright orange flashes of light surrounding the riders.
It is a unique re-imagining of the show that usually reflects the graphic and gritty nature of the hardened bike culture.
This is a much more sleek and stylized depiction.
7 Jax Teller
Jax Teller is arguably the most complex character on Sons of Anarchy. He is both a protagonist and an antagonist at the same time.
He loves his family and his brothers, but is willing to get rid of them if the situation calls for it.
In order to completely comprehend who Jax is, you need to look at him very closely. The artist in this redesign of Jax reflects this notion by illustrating him in a very detailed manner.
His face is expressionless, but his eyes seem focused. His cigarette is lit by fire and he is surrounded by flames and smoke. His hair is untouched, yet he has a cut above his left eye.
Each detail highlights the type of person Jax is.
6 Opie
A show’s value can often be measured by the craziness of the fans. Sons of Anarchy certainly has its die-hards, as reflected by this fan art by VoydKessler.
The artist notes that this illustration was originally made as a tattoo for a client who wanted to pay tribute to the show and his/her favorite character, Opie. Now that is dedication to a show.
The art also represents something beyond dedication, as it depicts one of the show’s most beloved characters.
Fans were devastated after Opie left the show relatively early on in its run when he reached a devastating fate at the hands of a prison guard.
We guess one fan made sure that Opie lasted much longer than he did in the show.
5 Bobby, Juice, Tig, and Chibs
The four characters in this re-imagined fan art of the show are integral. They are also ruthless.
Throughout the seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy, Bobby, Juice, Tig, and Chibs wreak havoc all over California, committing multiple serious crimes and racking up a large body count.
This artist creates a great juxtaposition that the show often misses.
While the show only presents these characters as hardened thugs and violent people, this representation first visualizes them as almost childlike dolls playing on their tamer side.
The piece of art also maintains who the characters are to their core, as Tig is shown firing a gun, Bobby is on his motorcycle, and Chibs is smoking a cigarette.
They are depicted milder, but are still lethal.
4 Gemma is Boss
Gemma is established as the ruthless matriarch of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle gang from the beginning. However, the show tries to also play on her lighter side by showing that she cares for her family and friends among other things.
They certainly bring a complexity to her character and have viewers confused over whether or not they should rooting for her.
In this drawing by rivrav, there is no confusion. Gemma is seen snatching a skateboard away from a kid and angrily walking away.
It is from a scene in the show when Gemma hits another character in the nose with the same skateboard.
This artist is making sure that Gemma is known, at her core, as a bad person.
3 Happy
In a gang full of tattoo-covered, scary-looking men, Happy still manages to stick out. Maybe this is due to the numerous smiley faces that he has tattooed on his body to represent all of the people who crossed him and were never seen again.
Happy, and the actor who portrays him, David LaBrava, certainly are not the most polished-looking individuals. This video-game style rendering of the character is, however.
The sleek style, sharp shapes, and bright colors are reminiscent of a Grand Theft Auto video game.
While it provides a different style to the character, it also keeps everything that makes him ruthless as he is still scary looking.
In the end, it adds flair to a character who is often depicted in a one-dimensional manner.
2 Sons of Empire
There was a time when Sons of Anarchy seemed to be one of the biggest things on the planet. However, even at its height, it never reached the frenzy that the Star Wars franchise did.
Nonetheless, this crossover fan art reimagining is an awesome way of connecting two stories that fans cannot get enough of.
The image shows two scout troopers riding against a backdrop similar to Sons of Anarchy illustrations.
The style is a reflection of Sons of Anarchy while the content is all Star Wars.
Die-hard fans tend to want to know as much as they can about the universe that their favorite characters exist in. This illustration perfectly meshes these two unrelated universes.
1 Jax' Final Ride
Jax Teller was the most important character in Sons of Anarchy from beginning to end. His fate was inevitable and, eventually, Jax took his final motorcycle ride.
His last ride saw him driving his favorite motorcycle down the highway, like he did many times. This time, however, he decided he had enough.
He veered into the opposite lane into oncoming traffic.
The final scene did not show the impact Jax made with the truck, but did try to incorporate some symbolism by showing a crow eat a piece of bread as the final shot.
It was supposed to be an ode to Shakespeare, but some critics had trouble enjoying it.
In this artist's re-imagining of the scene, the message is simplified and concise. It simply depicts Jax as he went out, with large clouds behind him.
It provides just the right amount of symbolism and still gets the point across that this was Jax’ last ride.
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What do you think of these Sons of Anarchy fan redesigns? Are there any others that are better than what we got? Sound off in the comments!
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