Child’s Play by Guerin Zand

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Child's Play, Chris Foss, Digital art, Fantasy, Frank Frazetta, Frazetta, Guerin Zand, illustration, Jim Burns, Keith Draws, Peter A. Jones, Sci Fi, science fantasy, science Fiction, Todd Lockwood

When Gurin got in touch with me he told me:

 “I’ve seen your work for E. M. Foner’s Union Station series and I think your style is exactly what I am looking for.
I have the concept for what I want, based on an event in the book, and it does include a beautiful woman which I want to be sexy, innocent, funny but not sexual. That is why I think you’re work on Union Station is spot on.”

I liked the sound of this and after reading the book the image almost created itself in my mind. It’s an unusual book that tells the tale of a very different alien abduction. The protagonist has a lot of extraordinary experiences to deal with and uses his razor sharp, yet gentle wit, to carry  himself (and the reader) through the journey of a lifetime.
Guerin’s original idea was to have one of the main characters posed as I’ve shown her in front of the shuttle and while I liked this I was afraid it wouldn’t indicate enough  of what the reader would experience so I decide to feature some of the more spectacular scenery from the book too and after I’d worked out a layout, we both agreed this was the way to go.

I’m sure if you care to look you’ll see some of the influences there. My buddy Jim Burns (he’s so good at alien tech and aliens in general that I always have to look through his stuff  just try and get into that headspace) , Chris Foss (for the sheer massive scale he can imbue in his work), Peter A. Jones ( for the dynamism and the colour), Todd Lockwood (whose painting technique and compositional sense astounding to me) and I’m of course trying to channel a little Frank Frazetta there (and I feel like maybe I succeeded a little this time).
I have to admit to being very pleased with the end result.

You can pick the book up here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071K95PG5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071K95PG5

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/729865

and posters are here: http://keithdraws.deviantart.com/

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Frank Frazetta Inspired

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book cover, Cover Art, David A Brogdon, Fantasy Art, Forest, Frank Frazetta, Frazetta, illustration, Keith Draws, KeithDraws, Magic, Sword and Sorcery, The Dark Forest

Frank Frazetta has always been a hero of mine.

So when I get the chance to produce work in the genre of Sword and Sorcery Fantasy Art I jump at the opportunity.

Now I don’t want to just copy the style of Frank, no, I want to pay homage by creating a piece of work that is clearly inspired by him, while being essentially my work. And it also must sell the book it is painted for by reflecting the atmosphere, characters and excitement contained therein.
David A. Brogdon gave me that opportunity recently. I read the book and discussed the concepts with him and above is the result.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express my appreciation for the impact Frank has had on my life but this  kind of work goes someway toward that.

The Book is now up for sale here: www.amazon.com/dp/B01AQNRG7U
Posters are here:
http://keithdraws.deviantart.com/art/The-Dark-Forest-Landscape-613475874
and here:
http://keithdraws.deviantart.com/art/The-Dark-Forest-613477764

Science Fiction and Fantasy Dreaming.

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book cover, Boris, Bruce Pennington, Chris Achilleos, Chris Foss, Cover Art, Cover design, Digital art, Dream, Fantasy Art, Frank Frazetta, illustration, Jim Burns, Julie Bell, Keith Draws, Peter A. Jones, Peter Elson, pursue your dreams, Richard Tongue, Sci Fi, science Fiction, Science fiction art, Todd Lockwood

And How Those Dreams Came True.

As a youth I spent hours in bookshops, looking for scifi and fantasy art on book covers. I’d find a few I liked, buy them and when I got home, I’d study the art and try to learn how to do it. I dreamed about doing that kind of art for a living.

Jim Burns, Todd Lockwood, Peter A. Jones,  Chris Foss, Chris Achilleos,  Frank Frazetta, Boris and Julie Bell, Bruce Pennington and Peter Elson (to name but a few) were major influences. In the past few years I’ve even been lucky enough to get to know a few of these people.

Even more amazing I actually now get paid to do work in that genre. I produce a lot of Sci fi images for the Great and Prolific Author Richard Tongue. In fact I’ve done more than twenty illustrations for him to date, and they just get more challenging every time.

Always pursue your dreams. It’s worth it.

Here are a few of the more recent covers I’ve done for Richard:

 

“Battlecruiser Alamo-Stars in the Sand”

Tags

book cover, Cover Art, Cover design, golden ratio, illustration, Keith Draws, Richard Tongue, Sci Fi, science Fiction

The cover for “Battlecruiser Alamo-Stars in the Sand” by Richard Tongue.

I’m always trying to go for an updated “Amazing Stories” type image with this work since I love that stuff so much.
Posters and high res here

Galileo’s Step Daughter by Amanda McCarter

Tags

Amanda McCarter, book cover, Cover Art, Cover design, design, Keith Draws, kindle, layout

This is the cover for “Galileo’s Step Daughter” by Amanda McCarter.

The first of a Trilogy for which I am producing all the covers.

I’m using key elements and characters from the story.
The style is inspired somewhat by the work of Mucha.

Posters available here: http://fav.me/d7vt28o

“To The Death” by Jerrold Mundis

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, Fantasy Art, Gladiator, golden ratio, Keith Draws, Rome

This is the cover for the collected stories of “Boris O’Hara” titled “To The Death” by Jerrold Mundis

Prints and Posters available here.

After discussing the various elements involved in each story we initially tried a montage, but Jerrold decided he’s prefer to go for something with more action. Almost like a traditional pulp cover. 

It was quite a daunting subject  and I spent a lot of time collecting reference. In my fictional coliseum I wanted to include some of the Roman Gods so in the back ground you see Jupiter (King of the Gods) Mars (God of War) and Venus (God of love). I also felt it would need a great crowd bristling with excitement.

The battle is taking place in the late afternoon, the sun casting the long shadows and  bright light slashes across the crowd, through the breaks in the canvas overhang.

The gladiators battle as the woman looks on, wondering if she will have to live with the grief of losing her love and remain a slave to the older warrior or if her lover can set her free.

You can learn more about Jerrold Mundis and his work here

 

“Battle Cruiser Alamo – Sacred Honor” by Richard Tongue

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, Cover design, Fantasy Art, golden ratio, Keith Draws, layout, Richard Tongue, Sci Fi, science Fiction, typography

When Richard approached me to do the cover for the latest book in his highly successful Science Fiction series, I have to say I was a little intimidated.

The covers I’ve done for this series prior to this one I consider to be some of my best work.

How was I going to top what I’d already achieved?

I needn’t have worried though. As soon as I read the brief my mind was filled with ideas. and this is the amazing thing about working with Richard.

He has such a powerful vision., and it would bring out the best in any artist.

” The specification for Sacred Honor is a wind-swept plain, with a pair of officers looking up at a ruined, obviously alien statue – one of them Marshall, the other the woman from the cover of Price of Admiralty. (That goes back a bit!) They’re wearing uniform trousers and warmer brown jackets, pistols holstered at their belt. There is a red sun in the sky, casting a faint light. As for the statue – I haven’t got any fixed ideas on it, but I’d like it to evoke that old ‘Ozymandius – King of Kings’ quote. It is old, very old, and crumbling away; some pieces of it are on the ground, there’s a strange mould growing across some of it, pieces missing, that sort of thing.”

I immediately looked up the poem:

Shelley’s Ozymandias

“I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.“

And as I opened manga studio 5 I began to think about lost and extinct alien civilizations.

First came the wind swept plain and the alien sky. Distant alien mountains. Next I began to sketch the ancient alien statue. I thought of the Egyptians, I thought of the of the great Frazetta as he painted the work of Egdar rice Boroughs, and I began to feel a great sense of loss for the civilization that was now expired.  This emotion found it’s way into the statue I was drawing who I realized was now screaming in despair.

Finally I placed the witnesses to this tragedy, the brave explorers of Richard’s space opera. I landed their ship and sent them exploring the strange and ancient world.
Once the visual was completed I forwarded it to Richard. It looked like this: 

 

Well fortunately Richard liked it and so I went on to complete the work. As you can probably see I made a few minor changes but I think it came out well.

To be honest this kind of work is why I got interested in painting in the first place and I hope it inspires the sense of mystery and the intense desire to know more about the story that it does for me.

You can keep up to date with Richards work here: .http://richardtongue.blogspot.co.uk/

Posters and prints of this image are available here

“Spitfire Station: Triple – Cross” by Richard Tongue

Tags

book cover, Cover Art, Cover design, golden ratio, illustration, Keith Draws, Richard Tongue, Sci Fi, science Fiction, typography

“Triple – Cross” is the cover for the first book in Richard Tongue’s “Spitfire Station” Series.

The setting is a seedy bar on a Space station.

Richard asked for a “film noir” type feel to the image.

The protagonist was to be seen drawing his gun while keeping hold of his drink, meanwhile behind him a glamorous singer/dancer is observed by the bar crowd.

In order to get the feel I went for deep contrast in the lighting, but everything looking a little subdued by a mass of cigarette smoke (just like in the old movies).

I also realized that  on a space station (that is spun to achieve gravity) it would likely be a low gravity environment. So everything had to have that slow motion feel.

The dancer would be taking advantage of her low weight and able to make extraordinary moves while singing.

The protagonist drawing his gun  knocks over the table and chair and the drinks almost float into the air.

Through the space station window, If you look carefully you can see a nod to the “Battlecruiser Alamo” Series.

To keep up to date with Richard’s books you can follow his blog here: richardtongue.blogspot.co.uk/

Prints and posters available here

John DeJordy’s “Transitions”

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, Cover design, design, golden ratio, illustration, John DeJordy, Keith Draws, Library, Transitions, typography

John gave me the following Brief:

“The setting is an elegant library with carved rosewood–as if the Sistine Chapel and a library crossed.

The focus, though, is on a painting hanging on the wall.

It is of a woman, wearing an beautiful, full-length gown as if going to a ball, and she is holding a deep-red rose. She has long, black hair and green eyes.

The portrait should have Diane sitting down, looking toward the spine of the book. Behind her, in the painting, a forest green (or some green that looks nice) tapestry with a unicorn (just enough to recognize it as such, if possible.

Diane has a slender nose and hypnotic eyes, and a wonderful smile. The smile is important. It doesn’t have to show teeth, just obviously a smile. She should be wearing a corset. The library, which I assume would be mostly on the back, would be of books and scrolls.”

To create the library I started with the amazing free “3D Mandelbulb Ray Tracer”.

Its an amazing tool and it lets you create extraordinary images with a little patience.

I made multiple renders and edited them together to create the basic structure and then went on to add lots of details.

Inspiration can come from many places.

Johns Blog can be found here: http://johndejordy.com/
and his facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/john.dejordy

Posters and prints of this image here

“Desire” by P. T. Michelle

Tags

composition, Cover Art, Cover design, Desire, golden ratio, Keith Draws, P.T. Michelle, Photo compositiing, Photoshop, Vampire

Patrice had a very specific vision for this cover.

She gave me the stock shot of the Main Character and together we decided I would paint everything else (including the wings).

Realism is always a challenge but I feel it was a great success, combining the best elements of both media.

Her  blog is here and her facebook is here