The Idea Box Journal

I’m proud to be a part of @Patagonia + @TheCreativeAct’s campaign to #voteourplanet See more here

New series of paintings – Night Terrors

While awaiting the publication of the projects that’ve been keeping me busy lately, here’s the little library of most of the covers I’ve done so far. ‪#‎booklove‬

This is What Evolution Looks Like

Sick and tired of mass shootings being a regular occurrence in the United States. I believe will will overturn the NRA’s stranglehold and become a safer country, but it cannot happen soon enough.

Long before the cover appears on bookshelves there’s an extensive process of coming up with ideas and submitting them to the art director. I always ask to read the story to draw directly from the material, but it’s not always made available. Below are just a few concepts I came up with based solely on having read the three earlier novels and the art director’s encouragement to be inventive.

Many people assume that the image is something I paint and hand in. But in fact are a lot of opinions involved with a book cover, particularly for a high profile series such as this. Along with my convictions we also of course have the author, as well as the editors, the art director, the marketing department, and at times some major booksellers weigh in. It can be a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

With that being said, here we go. My main goal was to genuine to the series sensibility and capture both gravitas and finality. One thing was for sure, this was where Blue and the Raven Boys fulfill their destiny.

After a handful of months I was told to depict a stag. The intention to go the symbolic route. Christopher, the art director, mocked up a sketch.

In doing my own development I found that a deer is rather tricky for a cover composition. Large antlers means reducing the size of the deer, which diminishes the animal’s boldness. There’s also the issue of the antlers visually conflicting with the author’s prominent name.

Here are the final variations that led up to the published cover.

It’s been a terrific  journey working on this much beloved series over the past five years. I appreciate the opportunity working with Christopher Stengel at Scholastic, the support from Maggie to represent her wonderful writing, and the enthusiasm from all of her lovely readers.

A year and a half after finishing the artwork & on the heels of my completing the cover for its sequel, The Guns of Ivrea has arrived. If you’re looking for a page-turning character-driven high-seas adventure I highly recommend it.

After touring the country, the See American campaign now arrives in handsome book form. Initiated by the Creative Action Network. Learn more, purchase, and contribute to upcoming conscientious endeavors.

Adoring this beautiful tome, which is guiding & inspiring my journey to depict Lovecraft’s dark, immersive landscape.

A conceptual depiction of the Megacorp, this new artwork feels eerily familiar to our corporate wary minds. Created for the soon to be released Netrunner book, The Worlds of Android, a magnificent visual tome chronicling the prescient futurescape.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/1R9Yt1m

I’m involved in a campaign with 30 other classic-living illustrators to get great books a new set of covers. If funded I’ll be taking on Robin Hood (preliminary sketches below). Visit Rock Paper Scissor‘s Kickstarter page to learn more.