As shown below various rough sketches were created for the author to choose from.
After seeing the rough sketches, the author felt that that maybe the audience wouldn't get the Delacroix reference if the composition veered too far from the original, so we went back a stage and created something a bit more akin to the source painting - at least in terms of layout.
This was then doodled up to check we were on the same track before the pencil stage was started.
This approach was agreed (with some minor tweaks to body positions) and the cover art was started - thanks to the better half (and Logan's toy guns) for posing for all 3 characters at this stage.
The pencils were approved and the colour version was underway - the author specifically wanted a very flat cartoony feel to the characters and colouring - and so this version was produced on the mockup version of the book.
Although this fulfilled the brief and was what was asked for, it lacked some dynamism and punch. At this point it was decided to go back and start again using the Delacroix image much more faithfully - so the publisher settled this invoice and we started again as a new job.
To be continued - will probably post the final cover next week.
prefer some of your original sketch ideas. the author's choice seemed a little bit 'static'
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see the other sketch ideas, I'd agree with Colin-John and would have gone for something else but if the client wants to stay close to the Delacroix painting then you are limited in what you can do and have it still recognisable to the source.
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to see where you went next with this and compare.
Agree with you both and i would have gone with something with a bit more action and drama,but wasn't my call - this 'finished version' wasn't even given as an initial sketch idea. Think their was a slight fear of it just looking like a random topless bird especially as the other two main modern-day characters don't recognisably match the equivalent characters from the original painting. It ended up being very explicitly art directed - the positions, placements and scale of the characters, hand positions/twists, hairiness of chest, boob size, musculature of bodies (down to calf size) etc. I think it ended up being a bit too static and all agreed that at the end. In fairness to the author he was happy to start it again from scratch as a new job, so no complaints.
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