Thursday 18 July 2013

From sketch to cover






Everyone loved the hardback cover of Blue Remembered Earth by Dominic Harman (me especially), but for the smaller format required for the paperback edition, it was felt that a significant redesign was needed, together with a visual element that emphasized the space-based action of much of the book. In other words, another spaceship.

There is no one spaceship that dominates the action in BRE - I actually tried to make the various craft more like routine vehicles than major characters in their own right - but it was clear that the ship "Winter Queen", which figures in the later action, might not be a bad choice. It also serves as a generic template for the basic look of some of the other vehicles mentioned in the book, such as the Maersk Intersolar liner and the Kinyeti - hopefully conveying a sense that these technologies are only a little more advanced than what we have now.

To give the artist (I think it was also Dominic) something to go on, I provided this extremely rough and ready sketch:





It's very interesting to compare it to the final cover - note the "details don't matter". I liked the final interpretation very much, although I've still a soft spot for the original cover, with its lovely hues and evocation of Earth.





12 comments:

  1. I applaud that you and the publisher are willing to redesign the cover art for a smaller cover. Too often you get a simple crop, or smaller version of the HC cover, to less than ideal effect.

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  2. The artwork on all your books are a standout!

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  3. Norayr Gurnagul18 July 2013 at 17:49

    Thanks for sharing this, very interesting to see how a beautiful book cover comes into being...

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  4. Hi Al, recently noticed this alternative cover to OtSB for (I think?) the Aussie market. Did you have any influence over the design? Gotta say, it's absolutely gorgeous. http://www.hachette.com.au/cover/large/9780575090453.jpg

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  5. Anon: I've no idea where that cover's come from, and that's the first I've seen of it. My suspicion is that it may be an earlier idea that was rejected, but which has nonetheless escaped into the wild.

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  6. Great cover for the paperback! Love it!!

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  7. My God. What a stunning image. Yes, I loved the hardcover version... but this one hits me in the gut. It's stunning. The mass market versions I've seen in the states were just smaller versions of the hardcover though.

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  8. That ship looks remarkably like the Leonov in the film version of 2010. Intentional or convergent design?

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  9. I just wish I could sketch as well as you...are you sure you needed the artist??? Great looking cover (and I guess the artist helped with the colors!)

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  10. What is the purpose of the centrifuge pods?
    I assume that when the engines are not firing, the ships spins in order to simulate gravity in the habitat pod.
    Do the centrifuge pods assist in stability? Wouldn't a simple tether, or rigid structure, be stable enough?
    I don't know this area of physics/engineering that well.

    Thank Al!

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  11. Great cover, made me think of the Discovery one (rather than the Leonov).

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