Development of Art Style

The typography was the main aspect I knew would grab the attention of anyone perusing the book store. I wanted it to be the biggest thing on the cover and really stand out. To accompany it however, I wanted some slick, well designed artwork. I wanted to paint the scene in which the book is set in a somewhat cartoony manor, creating juxtaposition between the content and the style in which it is illustrated. I started off by creating the character. I wanted him to be completely enveloped in shadow, masking his identity from the viewer and creating a sense of intrigue making them want to read the book to see who he is. I wasn't sure how best to go about that though. This is my first draft:

I was experimenting with the idea of having parts of his face lit as I knew he would be standing beside a lamppost however, I felt as though I couldn't get it to look very good. it looked to sharp and clean when I went for a photo-real approach but when I ventured more down an abstract route it looked too odd and inhuman. It also created too weird a feel with which parts should be lit and which shouldn't. I really wanted to emphasise the mysterious nature of the character and really give nothing away. I studied Jon C. Lund's work for inspiration and after a bit of brainstorming and trial and error I drew pretty much the same shape but shaded everything and managed to come up with my final design:

I used Jon C. Lund's iconic art style to help to create this final design. In his images anywhere there is shadow is void of any detail. This is something I found really intriguing and wanted to toy around with. Thus my final artwork was created. I literally blacked out the entire figure apart from his shirt and gun. I wanted to give him a touch of personality with the shirt and tie and reinforce an ominous and foreboding edge by highlighting the gun. I think it worked out really well as it creates a very shadowy, stylised yet human figure that really conveys all the themes I wanted it to.

I then set about work on the background and lamp as that was all that was really left to do. the background was fairly simple. I again used Jon C. Lund's work as a reference and created a silhouette skyline with a few buildings highlighted just to re-enforce the imagery. I managed to get it in one go really, I just fiddled with the perspective of the buildings:

I wanted the entire scene to be dark, murky and ominous and I think I succeeded with that goal everything looks very mysterious and foreboding and with the character in front of it and the typography in place everything really gels together nicely. I added in a dark pavement for him to stand on two just to add in a final break at the bottom and provide a background for one of the pieces of typography I needed to include:

I wanted this piece of text to be included in a subtle, yet suitable, way. If it were merely somewhere else on the page it would detract from the impact of the title and the overall effectiveness of the cover as a whole. this way it looks like a clue or the chalk drawing around a dead body that are commonplace in crime thrillers.

The only thing left was the lamppost. I wanted a very simple, elegant yet eerie feel to it. It needed to be true to the era the book is set in also so I google image searched examples of lampposts from that era and area and drew up this piece of artwork:

I am very pleased with this. It is sleek, elegant and true to the period. It also has an eerie feel. The actual lamp component itself is on but not very bright and there is a slight gradient in there. It is also reflecting light from the moon in an ominous manor:

The top of the lamp is really effective. It really ties together elegance with an eerie atmosphere and it really helps to tie the cover together as a whole and help to re-enforce all the subtle themes and undertones that are present in all aspects of the cover in just one solitary object.