Process Breakdown

1. Sketch

I always start with a sketch. Sometimes I sketch in pencil. Other times I sketch digitally using a pen tablet. This time, I sketched digitally.

The author of the book sent me photos of a child that she could see as her main character. She asked if I could make the drawing look similar.

2. Black and White Values

I wanted to try a new technique with this piece. Some digital artists lay down the black and white values first than add color after. I have never done that before, so I decided to give it a try.

This is also where I decided which direction I wanted the light to come from.

3. Adding Color

I started to experiment with color. Here is one of those early attemps

4. Perfecting Color

After many trials I finally got the color to something I was happy with. Textures for the egg and clothing were added at this point.

5. Working Out the Title

Next it was time to create the title. I customized an existing font and added some texture, scales and dragon wings.

6. The Final Result

Now it was time to put it all together.

I show it to the author and she was really happy with it. the title was eventually changed to Dratchers: The Golden Egg. This was a pleasure to work on and would love to do more projects like it.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this book cover illustration.

If you are interested in reading this book, you can check it out on Amazon