Honestly, I never thought much about where book covers came from. Have you?
I never even thought about some of them being painted, like a portrait. So the process of how they really are created, and watching my new book cover take shape, continues to be fascinating.
Forget just painting on a canvas. Jesse is preparing a gessoed board for this one ... yes, he did the same for the last one but didn't send pictures. So the texture in the snowy background is more than just painted on. Here's where it starts.
Yes, a little under-whelming. So he works on it, layering and sanding. Here's the next progress shot. The tool is an attention-getter.
Here's what Jesse says about the process.
"Taking the smooth and sanded board with its layers of gesso that have been sanded down and adding flat layers of texture. The end result will be a very organic and unique looking underpainting, much of which will be visible in the final stage.
Now it's starting to get interesting. Here Jesse has begun to paint in the outline detail.
His description: Small brush and dioxizadine violet, burnt umber and paynes grey mixed thin but opaque. Lining is quicker in hopes to infuse energy. Mistakes are corrected later on. But if it were perfect but slowly done, the energy would never be in the piece to begin with.
Notice how the worked gesso, with the wash of blue and other colors, now expresses the turmoil and potential danger of bad weather. This is a detail of the sled and Will's friend, Elias.
This larger view features a rough of Will and Blackie, and what will be the campfire in the foreground. Check my last blog for the working rough draft of how this cover will look.
And here's where the color comes from!
The book is called "Musher!". It is book three in my Cheechako series for readers, grade 5 to adult, and is scheduled to be available in paperback and on Amazon about October 1st. The first book in the series, "Cheechako," is already in use in classrooms and I particularly like writing back and forth or video messaging with students and teachers about my book or writing in general.
Tell all your teaching friends.
Write any time with comments or questions.
