New Book Cover Illustration

Cover for  The Guardian Herd: Starfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Book Covers

I wanted to get one last post in before the end of the year because somehow three posts in 2013 seem better than two, which is what I've done to this point. So here are a couple of covers that I did for books that came out this year.

 

Cover for the last book Michael Grant's Magnificent 12 series. Link

 

This has been a fun series to work on. The books are humorous action/adventure stories, and I liked the challenge of coming up with a dynamic and adventurous composition that fits the tone of the book. Like with the previous cover, I went with a crazy perspective, this time with the kids climbing on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

 

A full wrap cover for Apache Portal, by Carl Grimsman. Link

 

I never imagined that I'd ever get a chance to paint a cover for a Western/historical fiction/teen romance/fantasy adventure novel, going for an updated take on the old Western movie poster look, but that's what happened here. This cover was designed by the author who self-published it, so he gets credit for the composition. But he did let me tweak a few things to make it all flow together better, and we both like how it turned out. 



Another book cover and a plug for Unicorn City

 

This is a cover illustration that I did for a book that was recently released. It's the third in a series of action adventure books for pre-teen readers. Here is the website for the book with more information: LINK

Looking at it several months later I feel like the perspective is a little inconsistant between the Eiffel Tower and the kids, but if I'd made it match, the kids would probably be really fish-eye distorted with big backsides. It also looks to me like the smoke monster thing is about to tap the kid on the shoulder...not very threatening. Just a tough composition overall...but I do like the colors.

I also want to call attention to an independant film that I did some artwork for-- Unicorn City--about some loveable nerds who are into the live-action role-playing thing. It's directed by my friend and coworker, Bryan Lefler. It's kind of quirky (by design) and a little like Napoleon Dynamite, which Bryan worked on. But it's really quite original with a great story and fun characters. And the best part is that it's finally available in pretty much all formats. Check out their site for the trailer and details on how to get it: LINK

I was going to post the unicorn image that I made for this movie, but I'd rather have people just see it in the movie first. Then you'll know why I'm reluctant to post it! ;) But here's the story behind it: They had filmed a scene with a really kitchy poster of some unicorns on the wall but hadn't secured the rights to use that poster art in the film. They contacted the artist who refused to let them use his art. So they needed to replace it with something else. So Bryan comissioned me to make the most intentionally cheesey, purple-and-pink-unicorns-in-love poster that we could imagine. Mission accomplished. Just see the film. You will see.

Book Cover

Here is a book cover image that I did a while back for this book.

More Illustrations

These are some images that I did for the website for the book mentioned in the previous post, The Magnificent 12. I did a lot more, but these are the ones I like the best.

The Magnificent 12

This is a book cover illustration that I did for a book that just hit the stores last week. It's a fantasy adventure story with a lot of humor in it, which is my kind of book. It's for pre-teens so it's probably about my reading level, too. I really enjoyed reading it with my kids.

I also did a lot of character spot illustations for the book's website: themag12.com. If you are nine or ten years old, or know someone that age, it's worth checking out.