The Outsiders - Final Artwork

The Outsiders book cover has reached completion, and I'm really happy with the final result. I decided to stick with a simplistic font for all of the text, including the title. Taking the Bright orange directly from the flames to highlight the important parts, i think this colour scheme has worked out really well, and the simple text takes nothing away from the image whilst remaining clean and professional.

As I mentioned at the very start of this project, there are currently two competitions over at Penguin, the second one being a book cover competition for 'What a Carve Up!' Which i will be starting shortly.

The Outsiders - Colour

Here's the coloured version of The Outsiders artwork. I decided to go with a black/gray colour palette and keep any bright colours to just the flames and the highlights. This really helps intensify the flames and gives them a real power over the image. Being able to add such sharply contrasting highlights to the trees also gives the great effect, Iv'e really tried show the sheer heat and light coming from the fire as best as I can. The smoke I kept very simplistic as to not take anything away from the image, at the same time it will act as a nice border to fit the Author name into.

The Outsiders Ink

Finally finished inking up The Outsiders cover, you can see the drastic difference this stage makes from the original thumbnail, but hopefully it's also clear to see how much that first sketch helps with this process.

From here I'll go on to colour the image and Then I can begin to add the text. The inking process is probably the part that takes the longest, and it's also the most important, any mistakes made here are carried right through to the final product.

New Project! The Outsiders Book Cover

Alright, It's time for a brand new project! I've decided to move away from the Music industry for a bit by heading back to book covers. Gig posters/ Apparel and book covers are two of my favourite things to illustrate and as such are what I am attempting to build my portfolio around.

I am going to begin by taking part in the first of Penguins book cover competitions, the Puffins Children's prize for 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton.

I'll kick this project off by showing you my first basic thumbnail sketch for the design, you'll be able to compare this to the final Ink in the coming days just as soon as it's finished.

This is the VERY early stage of the design, basically just a guide for me so I know where to place my inks, the basic premise is down and alive in my head, these thumbnail sketches help me to get an idea of composition, ensure it works, and give me a rough idea of where to ink. this is a major step in getting a professional looking cover. Jumping right in without making sure your composition works can sometimes leave you disappointed with your results.

Check out the Penguin Competition here!