Book Cover Illustrations

One of the first steps of creating a book cover illustration is generally making several sketches for the client to inspect, hopefully starting the process toward the final cover layout. During this time, I often create one or more pictures that are rejected while another course is pursued toward the concept that will become the actual cover illustration.

The illustration above is one such “reject” (created yesterday). I liked it enough that I went ahead and fleshed it out a bit to become a more or less complete illustration on its own.

At one time I would have felt bad about having a concept like this rejected. No more. The work is good exercise that helps hone and polish skills. And often these pictures will eventually find a home with a client that sees them as an ideal picture for use in their project, so they help pay the bills as well.

So illustrations like this, though initially homeless orphans, are worth the effort in the long run.

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Duncan Long is a professional magazine and book illustrator whose work has appeared on the covers of publications from HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, Fort Ross, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors. See his magazine and book illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
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