I was asked to work on the cover illustration of Unshed Tears back in early 2017. After reading just the prologue, I was so excited to get started. Upon reading the book in it's entirety, my mind was filled with possible illustrations. The author Arden Emil made it easy for me to paint out scenes from the book through the rich descriptions of his amazing world. The following is a brief excerpt from the prologue, the inspiration for the final cover art.
Prologue
The sun’s last gleaming pillars burst through the sable veil of smoke; like columns of some great building whose ceiling was of mist and cloud. Within one of these radiant beams Kaileth slumped over the front of his horse’s saddle, cradling the small bundle in his lap. A long thin shadow from the arrow shaft lodged in his left shoulder ran over the etched steel of his pauldron and down onto the rings of his maille shirt.
He stopped his horse upon the crest of a ridge and turned his face toward the setting of the sun. The landscape that surrounded him resembled a grand painting of dynamic colors, both beautiful and sad. The warm sunlight felt comforting, as the touch of a longed-for friend, driving the chill from his tears
Turning his gaze from the warmth of the sun, he looked upon the sight that caused his grief. In the distance lay a great city, lit now by the fires that burned within it. Her once golden stone walls were now black from the scorching of fires, and red from the spilling of blood. The sounds of battle had changed to those of slaughter. Children crying, women screaming, and the roar of the conquering foe echoed through the streets, filling the air about the lofty towers. Kaileth slowly turned from this terrible sight and continued to ride away from the city. As he turned he shifted the cloth-wrapped bundle he held close in his arms.
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Visit the Authors Website by selecting the icon below. There you will find more about him and his works, as well as more of my artwork from the world of Miljah!
Creation
Watch the creation of the cover art for the incredible book, Unshed Tears by Arden Emil, and learn more about my process.
4 Step Process
Most of my major illustrations follow a four step process. This process is described below. I use this process to establish a level of realism from imagination (I also use reference of coarse). The process described below is only a portion of the entire illustrative process, it is focused on the creation of the final image. This process leaves out the innumerable amounts of thumbnail sketches and research that goes into an illustration. For this book cover, I not only read the entire novel, but I met with the author. We spent hours talking about his world; poring over his sketches and maps, so that I could understand what the final image needed to look like. I gathered hundreds of reference images, both from the Internet and from the world around me. I love the beginning stages of an illustration. I usually experience the most excitement about a piece of artwork at the very beginning and very end.
Sketch
The Sketching phase is one of the most important phases of the entire process! Just as our bodies rely on a skeleton to be structurally sound, so too does an illustration rely on a sketch. Sketching is where the composition, movement, focal point, and all other hugely important principles are first decided.
Value
The second heavy lifter in the creative process is the values. Making sure the values of an illustration read clearly and correctly is so important! The illustrator decides what is "correct" for the image, but there are certain rules that need to be followed to make a desirable work of art.
Color
While color is important, it allows for more freedom of choice. As long as the value structure is still intact, the image will read well no matter the colors. Colors can really assist the value in setting the mood for an illustration.
Render
The Rendering phase is the finishing phase. This step can be as long or as short as the illustrator desires. This is where personal style and creativity really shine. For me, this is where I love to spend most of my time.
Summary
Every artist experiences "breakthrough" images, and this was one of those for me. This entire project pushed me creatively more than I previously had been. It came to me early in my career, while I was early in my schooling as well. I emerged from the completion of this project with a newfound illustrative process, mentor, and confidence. These have forged the way for me to improve so much in my art! I'm truly grateful for the opportunity I had to work with Arden Emil. He has broadened my imagination and given me incredible opportunities. I hope you will read his works and look at more of the artwork I created for his world.