Book Cover Illustrations

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of creating a new illustration for the May 2010 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I don’t want to spoil the story plot, so suffice to say the illustration is for one of the stories in that issue, and is a pivotal point in the storyline.

Part of the fun in doing this particular cover illustration was creating the various reflections and light within the crystal creature as well as within the dark glass statues behind the two characters in the foreground. Working with “lights” this way can be tricky since sunlight and many environments that we find ourselves in within the real world have a much wider scale of brightness than is possible on a video display — and there’s even less light contrast available when things go to print since ink/paper only reflect available light – and only after subtracting some of that light in the process.

So if an artist isn’t careful, his imagination and colors can bang against the reality of physics with disastrous results. Hopefully I didn’t bump my head on this one.

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In addition to creating magazine cover illustrations for Asimov’s Science Fiction , Duncan Long has a wide range of clients that include HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, American Media, Fort Ross, and other publishers. See more of his book illustrations at DuncanLong.com.