It's a Grimm Life - "A Grimm Cover"

Designing a cover for It's a Grimm Life was a great treat and a new challenge.  The first step was finding the right concept.  I wanted something that exemplified the project's theme - it needed to show the Grimm tales brought into modern times.

It took about a month for the seed to germinate.  I wanted to avoid using an overused icon to represent the Grimm idea but, in the end, I relinquished.  The thought of Red transforming into a business woman, walking out of the woods and into a city, made for great symbolism.  

The wolf was an easy decision, changing into a werewolf - and who wouldn't want a werewolf.  I noticed long ago I, for whatever reason, am very critical of the various werewolf body styles.  I think it started with my seeing THE HOWLING.  Seeing that first full transformation just amazed my teenage mind.  Either that or I was horribly traumatized...  So this piece had to honor my idea of what a werewolf should look like.
 

As my first book cover, I had to start off with a traditional piece - acrylic on canvas.  I did consider digital but my odd desire for 'self-love' required that I had something tangible when finished.  No regrets.

I found the unintentional line moment made the centerpiece stand out even more.  The trees seem to push you into the street, then the one point perspective would not let you escape the center.  Using read for highlighting made me feel very M. Night Shyamalan.

Seeing the final product was very satisfying.  The painting took about 20 hours, matching the time it took to do all the interior illustrations.  As a side note, the hardest part is getting a good picture for digital format.