The Golden Wolf Process

I had completed the black and white scratchboard work on this image and the finished cover called for minimal color.  I was having a great time with this piece, though, and really wanted to see where a full color treatment would take it.

This was the third novel in a series by Linnea Hartsuyker, published by Harper Collins. The art director/designer on this project was the fantastic Milan Bozic, who has made so many impressive cover designs. I have always felt lucky to be working with him.

I love his design and the whole look of the series, from the foil printing on the book to the distinct color for each new novel. But even though the project was finished, I couldn’t leave it at that. I wanted to explore some more of the color and layering possibilities, so I started giving it the full color treatment. Below is an image that shows how the color progressed.

I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. Looking forward to applying what I learned on this project to some new pieces.

I also had some fun with old-timey product label illustration. I used parts from another project to make this ornate border.