An art director from Random House contacted me over the summer requesting a wraparound cover within 2 weeks. I was busy at the time so I declined. She then emailed me back saying the cover concept is already in place, and I would just need to get the front done in time for a sales pitch. The story seemed cool and the art director really seemed to be in a tough situation. So I took it.
At first the art director and I both wanted to explore a bit of my expressive / distorted figures, but as usual that didn't make it past marketing. I would say 90% of the time I am asked to stick to realism as it sells better. I totally understand this, but I love playing around with proportions and pushing things. It just doesn't have as much of a demand as the more realistic work out there.
The process was super fast for this. I would send a sketch in, get feedback, send another sketch in -get more feedback and that was it. I painted the front in time for the sales pitch, and later completed the rear of the wraparound.
I feel there is a slight gamble to rush jobs. If you underestimate some factors such as time, your energy , or complexity of the job you can turn in an image you might not be completely thrilled with. On the other hand, you can really put yourself in good graces with an art director by helping them out. Fortunately, everyone was pleased with the outcome. Of course, all artists rarely have praise for their own work - I am no different in that regard.
I received the wraparound without the book in the mail the other day, and I thought it would be cool to show the final product. I have a whole blog post about wraparounds in mind for the future. They are a somewhat different beast than the single, front cover illustration. For another time ....
Thank you-S.
11 comments:
Nice rush! Great color scheme.
Nice to see the progression too.
Great cover Scott, pretty dern complex for a rush job. I like the monochromatic sketches as well, totally different vibe.
Deng, that's a rush! You did an excellent job though. I really like the palate (the red and green sky is sheer awesomeness). Great composition too, although I think I like the bottom one of the comp sketches the best. The crows are a neat addition to add mood.
These are brilliant! Great job. Interest what marketing said. I've heard something similar from someone at Shannon Associates but was a bit leery of what they said but you're backing it up here. My favorite stuff by you is the more expressive work so I hope someone catches on to how awesome that stuff is and publishes more of it.
Scott, you glorious bastard you! Look at you, going all Tim O'Brien on this job. The finish looks great, I love the post and the story explaining the whole situation. I'm with Chris, I like the monochromatic sketches too, really cool stuff here, I'm glad you included so many visuals with this, you should do that more often ;)
I hope you'll get more opportunities to exaggerate and push the expressive qualities soon, either way, the work is always consistently great stuff.
muito bom seu trabalho, espetacular as luzes, inspirador, parabéns!!!
so awesome, i would like to stroll through that painting. would feel so creative. great job, amazing, that time line, whooa. beautiful!
Thanks so much guys- I always appreciate the support especially from a crew of artists I really respect and admire. *group hugs* :)
Hey Scott...great job on this one!!
amn marketing departments are the bane of every creative person.
The final looks awesome and it's great to see the progress animation.
High Five.
Nigel
Scott, that was one of the best reading I had in a while, the step-by-step and roughs add so much to a gorgeous illustration ! Excellent job, my friend !
Hope all is well for you and your familly ! ^^
Very Edgar Allan Poe. All the reading did pay off! Great job.
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