Spirit Shear unCovered

With the launch of 'Spirit Shear' less than six weeks away I realised it was time to get a move on and get book two's cover ready.

I wanted it to be in the same style as the first book, Black Star. I think the stark silohuette of Gemmy against a bright background was quite appealing still.

Original concept art for Book 2

Book 1's cover

I think this is a nice evolution from the first book's cover. The figure of Gemmy is much stronger in stance and looks, ready for action. One book 1, 'Black Star's', cover I deliberately wanted him to look startled by the lightning, frightened by the power that was coming to him. However, now the power is literally in Gemmy's hands. He's accepting himself and is braced for what's coming next.

On the new cover he's also dressed in the garb of Rheza, a hint at some of what's to come in this story. 'Spirit Shear' is definitely more of an adventure story than the first and the cover reflects that, a spear in Gemmy's hand and a crazy Rhe'zan cloak on his shoulders. Also, we're not just glimpsing the figure through the knock out of the rune for Spirit Shear (aka magic). Gemmy is bursting out of the frame, his spear sitting above the edges coming out at us. He's not prey any more.

However, I've never been totally happy with the how the title 'Emersus Project' looked. So, I've spent more time trying to get the affect of the titles and the contrast of the design right. The background is not a solid black making the title stand out more and ditching the need for a glow behind the lettering. I've also stylised the 'Emersus Project' lettering a bit more to help match the inksplatter look of the knockout shapes. I've been planning to do a 'Black Star 2.0' at some point and definitely think a revamping of the cover as well as the illustrations and text is in order.

I also worked on the frontispiece this week. I won't give it all away but I ended up using some imagery from my drafts of the first cover. Never throw out anything!! I love this original image because it's a drawn version of a picture that I absolutely love of me standing on top of Arthur Seat in Edinburgh. That moment standing above the city was a pivotal moment in my life and this version of the cover still makes me smile. So glad I'm able to use it in a new way.

Check out the 'Black Star' cover sketches and final concept art.

Hope you enjoy!
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Buy Book 1, 'Black Star' on Amazon in the UK and US
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