The Request
After meeting local horror authors planning their horror anthology SOUTHERN MONSTERS with Frightful Fables Press, D.C. Phillips saw my website and encouraged me to submit for the position of art director.
Project Snapshot
Kelley Frank and I were selected to work together as the art directors. We worked closely with D.C. and the rest of the staff in order to get the completed book out in record time (only four months).
When no illustrations came into the submissions staff, Kelley and I pivoted to also supply illustrations. Due to this change of workload and our tight time constraint leaving us only 10 weeks to illustrate, we elected to purchase a suitable cover from Robot Circus Covers and Kelley completed the typography for the full-wrap.
Kelley and I were each responsible for 4-6 full-page black and white illustrations. We each had complete control over which stories we selected and our own deliverables. The initial sketches were done in pencil on paper, and I completed the final images with ink and paper.
Moodboard/Idea Board
After D.C. Phillips shared the Robot Circus Covers premade cover we found, we used it as the entire moodboard. The rest of the inspiration came from the short stories selected for publication, which we had access to during the editing process.
Iterations
Instead of doing traditional sketches and iterations before working on the final pieces, we bypassed this step. Kelley, D.C., and I met approximately every two weeks to discuss general art style, mood, and what would work best for a printed book.
Process
As soon as one of us finished reading a story and illustrating it, we shared it to the publishing team’s shared folder. All images were approved by the next morning. The day after, the editing team began to work with placing the images opposite the opening page of the story that inspired it.
This led to a fast-paced production environment and lightning fast turnaround times. Often I completed reading a story one night, sketched out possible composition ideas the next two nights, and spent the two days creating the final ink drawing.
Lessons Learned
Sometimes I selected great stories to read but couldn’t find the right impactful image to draw. Even though the piece was fantastic and very deserving of a strong image to go with it, due to time constraints I’d have to move on. If the project runway had been longer, I would have loved illustrating every single story.
The biggest surprise was that we finished putting together the entire anthology from end-to-end within those four months, with a couple of days to spare. The printed books are beautiful and high-quality products. The entire experience demonstrated that when you put the right people in the right places for their unique talents on a true passion project, you can create something incredible in a very short time.
Because of the heavy integration and super sonic timeline, I got to experience a lot of what happens in each separate production pipeline that brings a finished book together. I found the entire experience exhilirating, educational, and fun–and I made a lot of new friends through it.
I also learned that one of my favorite things in the world is bringing another creative’s vision to life. Being able to deliver these images based on the stories alone, without any of the comprehensive conversations I usually have with a client prior to beginning, and still have delighted, satisfied authors was truly a highlight of my summer.
The entire experience was wonderful, and I look forward to future collaborations with this team.
