The Stars Can Wait - science fiction book cover art by illustrator Duncan Long

The Hubble telescope has given mankind a taste of what space looks like, from exploding galaxies to beautiful dust nebulae. And graphic artists often use these pictures as references for creating the look of deep space, especially for science fiction book covers and similar illustrations and artwork.

This is my latest exercise in painting a spiral galaxy. Since I’m mainly a book cover illustrator, I just about had to add a character and a distant, unearthly city to the picture. And a spaceship flaming above the city (sadly that last detail doesn’t show in this web resolution, but does in the original). Hopefully this will eventually grace the cover of a science fiction novel. But, even if it does not, it was good practice; I can now create a “deep space illustration” with a minimum of fuss.

And if you need such a picture for your book cover, I’m hoping you’ll consider letting me create the illustration for you. Here’s my contact info: Duncan Long and here’s a link to my online galleries and portfolio: DuncanLong.com