Cover for “Dark Passage”

This is the cover image for a historical/fantasy teen novel, by M.J. Putney, set in Regency England. The tunnel is a 4" x 7" x 60" model made from balsa wood, cardboard, spackle and sand, then painted with acrylic. Below are some of the unretouched photos of the tunnel. I photographed it first with a small figurine in place of the live model, so that I could match the lighting as closely as possible when I photographed the live model.

CLIENT: ST. MARTIN’S PRESS
ART DIRECTOR: ANGELA GODDARD

Cover for “War Party”

War Party is another collection of Louis L’Amour western short stories being repackaged by Random House. Thanks to Sarasota Architectural Salvage for the cool wagon wheel.



CLIENT: RANDOM HOUSE
ART DIRECTORS: BEAU L’AMOUR, SCOTT BIEL

Next Louis L'Amour Short Story Covers

Here are the approved cover images for the next two collections of Louis L'Amour western short stories, The Trail to Crazy Man, and The Rider of Ruby Hills, respectively.






Below are four rejected comp images for the above titles. I liked them a lot, but the client felt they were way too gentle, and asked for more explicit dramatic tension.









CLIENT: RANDOM HOUSE
ART DIRECTORS: BEAU L'AMOUR, SCOTT BIEL

Louis L'Amour Western Short Stories

I am currently working on an ongoing series of covers for Louis L'Amour western short stories and novels, which Random House is repackaging. L'Amour wrote over a hundred novels and short story collections, beginning in 1950 until his death in 1988. My understanding is that all of them are still in print. Below is the first approved cover collage. Below that are two of the unused preliminary ideas.





CLIENT: RANDOM HOUSE
ART DIRECTORS: BEAU L'AMOUR, SCOTT BIEL

Returning Vets: The War Within

Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a difficult time readjusting to family life, especially those with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries. That was the subject for this illustration for the Military Officers Association of America, in which I am trying to convey the vulnerability and isolation many veterans and their families struggle with.

CLIENT: MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
ART DIRECTOR: ROSE RICHEY

Summer of Tough Love

Oh, I have been a bad blogger, I have not posted in over two months. I have been busy, which is always nice. Unfortunately, several of my recent efforts—for various reasons— never made it to press. Here are three projects which all died a premature death at comp stage:

These are two variations of a poster for a production of A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis:



CLIENT: GUTHRIE THEATRE, SPOTCO DESIGN
ART DIRECTOR: DARREN COX

This is a sketch and two comps for a novel about a dying young woman and an introverted, emotionally wounded young man transformed by love.



CLIENT: PICADOR
ART DIRECTOR: LEEANN FALCIANI

And here are two rejected versions of a paperback cover edition of a best-selling novel:



CLIENT: RANDOM HOUSE
ART DIRECTOR: ROBBIN SCHIFF, PAOLO PEPE

“The Pirate Captain's Daughter” Book Jacket

In this young adult novel by Eve Bunting, fifteen year-old Catherine disguises herself as a cabin boy to join her father on his pirate ship. Told in the first person, the book reads like an historical diary, vividly portraying the nuances and flavor of the time and place, as well as capturing the coming of age and emotional life of Catherine.

We explored a several options in the sketches below, eventually deciding on the close-up of Catherine, with the torn historical map as a border. Many thanks to my model, Lily L., for making a perfect Catherine.



CLIENT: SLEEPING BEAR PRESS
ART DIRECTOR: JENNIFER BACHELLER